Excel suits people who handle big data sets and want desktop apps with Copilot inside Microsoft 365. Google Sheets suits teams who want one shared spreadsheet in the browser with Gemini and the rest of Google Workspace. If your files are huge or full of long text cells, check the limits below before you move them.
It's a question that comes up as soon as a business outgrows its first spreadsheet. I read Microsoft's Excel page and its specifications and limits page, plus Google's Sheets page and its Drive help page on file limits.
Excel and Google Sheets compared
| Excel | Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, Microsoft lists a Free option | Not named on the pages I read |
| Size limit | 1,048,576 rows by 16,384 columns per worksheet | Up to 20 million cells or 100MB per spreadsheet |
| Text per cell | 32,767 characters | Cells over 50,000 characters are removed when converting from Excel |
| AI | Copilot in Excel, Analyst | Gemini in Google Workspace |
| Where it runs | Desktop apps on PCs and Macs, plus phones and tablets | In the browser as part of Google Workspace |
| Built around | Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
What Excel brings
Microsoft's Excel page lists a Free option alongside Microsoft 365 plans, and Microsoft 365 Personal includes the Excel desktop app on PCs, Macs, phones and tablets with Copilot inside. Copilot in Excel turns raw data into insights, and the higher Microsoft 365 plans add Analyst and agent features for research and analysis.
Excel's limits are generous. Its support page says each worksheet holds 1,048,576 rows by 16,384 columns, each cell can hold 32,767 characters, and the number of sheets in a workbook is limited only by your computer's memory.
What Google Sheets brings
Google describes Sheets as collaborative, AI-powered spreadsheets, and it sits inside Google Workspace with Gmail, Drive, Docs and Gemini. Everyone works in the same file in the browser, so there's no emailing versions back and forth.
Its limit is set per spreadsheet, not per sheet. Google Drive's help page says a spreadsheet created in or converted to Sheets can hold up to 20 million cells or 100MB, and Connected Sheets pivot tables go up to 200,000 rows.
The conversion catch
Here's the line in Google's own help page that catches people out: when you convert a file from Excel to Google Sheets, any cell with more than 50,000 characters is removed. Excel allows up to 32,767 characters a cell, so most files are fine, but exports that pack notes, product descriptions or logs into single cells are worth checking first.
The other thing to compare is shape. Excel's limit is per worksheet and you can add more sheets, while Sheets counts every cell across the whole file. A wide, many-tabbed workbook can hit Sheets' ceiling well before it troubles Excel.
Teamwork works differently too. In Sheets, the file lives in Google Drive and everyone edits the same copy in the browser. Microsoft 365 Personal gives you the Excel desktop app on PCs, Macs, phones and tablets, with OneDrive in the same plans for storing and sharing files. Microsoft's page lists Outlook, Teams and OneNote alongside, while Google puts Sheets beside Gmail, Docs, Meet and Calendar. Both let a team work together; the real question is whether your team already lives in Microsoft or Google.
Who each spreadsheet suits
Excel suits finance-heavy work, large exports and anyone already in Microsoft 365. Google Sheets suits teams who share one live file and work from anywhere. If you're starting out in Sheets, my Google Sheets tutorial covers the basics, and for Excel, here's how to divide in Excel to get you going.
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My advice on Excel or Google Sheets
Look at your biggest file before you choose. Count its tabs and rows, and if it's close to 20 million cells in total, keep it in Excel. If your files are modest and the pain is version control, move to Google Sheets and share one link with your team. Plenty of businesses use both: Excel for the heavy analysis, Sheets for the shared trackers everyone updates.
Do you make spreadsheet or data tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
How many rows can Excel hold?
Microsoft's specifications page says each worksheet holds 1,048,576 rows by 16,384 columns.
What is the Google Sheets cell limit?
Google Drive's help page says a spreadsheet can hold up to 20 million cells or 100MB.
Is Excel free?
Microsoft's Excel page lists a Free option alongside its Microsoft 365 plans.
Will my Excel file convert to Google Sheets cleanly?
Most will, but Google says any cell with more than 50,000 characters is removed when you convert from Excel.
Does Excel have AI?
Yes. Microsoft lists Copilot in Excel, and its higher Microsoft 365 plans add Analyst for data analysis.
