Excel vs Google Sheets: where the functions actually differ
Most formulas port cleanly between the two. These are the ones that do not — the places where a formula that works perfectly in one product fails, or silently behaves differently, in the other.
| What you want | Excel | Google Sheets | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split text into separate columns | TEXTSPLIT(A2, ",") | SPLIT(A2, ",") | Differs |
| Pull data from another spreadsheet file | ='[Book2.xlsx]Sheet1'!A1 (link) | IMPORTRANGE("url", "Sheet1!A1") | Sheets only |
| Query a range like a database | FILTER + SORT, or Power Query | QUERY(A:D, "select A, sum(D) group by A") | Sheets only |
| Apply a formula down a whole column | Spills automatically (dynamic arrays) | ARRAYFORMULA(...) — often required | Differs |
| Match text with a regular expression | SEARCH / wildcards (limited) | REGEXMATCH(A2, "^INV-\d+$") | Differs |
| Fetch a live stock price | STOCKHISTORY, or a Stocks data type | GOOGLEFINANCE("NASDAQ:GOOG", "price") | Differs |
| Import a table from a web page | Power Query (From Web) | IMPORTHTML("url", "table", 1) | Sheets only |
| Draw a mini chart inside one cell | Sparkline (an Insert feature, not a function) | SPARKLINE(B2:B20) | Differs |
| Collapse a multi-column range into one column | TOCOL(A1:C10) | FLATTEN(A1:C10) | Differs |
| Handle a blocked spill range | #SPILL! error | Silently truncates, or #REF! | Differs |
| Count days between two dates, excluding weekends | NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, holidays) | NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, holidays) | Differs |
Why each one differs
Split text into separate columns
Excel
TEXTSPLIT(A2, ",")
Google Sheets
SPLIT(A2, ",")
Different names and different argument order. SPLIT also collapses consecutive delimiters by default; TEXTSPLIT does not.
Pull data from another spreadsheet file
Excel
='[Book2.xlsx]Sheet1'!A1 (link)
Google Sheets
IMPORTRANGE("url", "Sheet1!A1")
IMPORTRANGE has no Excel equivalent as a function — Excel uses workbook links or Power Query. IMPORTRANGE also needs a one-time permission grant.
Query a range like a database
Excel
FILTER + SORT, or Power Query
Google Sheets
QUERY(A:D, "select A, sum(D) group by A")
QUERY is the single biggest capability Sheets has that Excel lacks. Excel reaches for PivotTables or Power Query instead.
Apply a formula down a whole column
Excel
Spills automatically (dynamic arrays)
Google Sheets
ARRAYFORMULA(...) — often required
Excel 365 spills natively. In Sheets many functions still need wrapping in ARRAYFORMULA to operate over a range instead of one cell.
Match text with a regular expression
Excel
SEARCH / wildcards (limited)
Google Sheets
REGEXMATCH(A2, "^INV-\d+$")
Sheets has had REGEXMATCH / REGEXEXTRACT / REGEXREPLACE for years. Excel added regex functions much more recently, so availability depends on your channel and version.
Fetch a live stock price
Excel
STOCKHISTORY, or a Stocks data type
Google Sheets
GOOGLEFINANCE("NASDAQ:GOOG", "price")
Completely different mechanisms; no direct translation between them.
Import a table from a web page
Excel
Power Query (From Web)
Google Sheets
IMPORTHTML("url", "table", 1)
Sheets has IMPORTHTML / IMPORTXML / IMPORTDATA / IMPORTFEED as formulas. Excel handles this outside the formula bar, in Power Query.
Draw a mini chart inside one cell
Excel
Sparkline (an Insert feature, not a function)
Google Sheets
SPARKLINE(B2:B20)
Both products can do it; only Sheets exposes it as a formula you can compute and copy.
Collapse a multi-column range into one column
Excel
TOCOL(A1:C10)
Google Sheets
FLATTEN(A1:C10)
Same idea, different names. TOCOL offers extra scan-order options.
Handle a blocked spill range
Excel
#SPILL! error
Google Sheets
Silently truncates, or #REF!
Excel refuses to write anything and shows #SPILL! until you clear the blocking cell. Sheets behaves differently, which is why #SPILL! never appears there.
Count days between two dates, excluding weekends
Excel
NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, holidays)
Google Sheets
NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, holidays)
Same function, but the two products can disagree on how a text-formatted date is coerced. Wrap inputs in DATEVALUE if the arguments came from a paste.
A note on currency: Microsoft and Google both ship new functions regularly, so a gap listed here can close without notice. This page focuses on long-standing structural differences rather than the newest additions — but check your own version if a single row is load-bearing for your work.
Frequently asked
Can I paste an Excel formula straight into Google Sheets?＋
Usually yes for common functions — SUM, IF, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, SUMIFS and TEXTJOIN behave the same in both. It breaks on text-splitting, regular expressions, imported data and anything array-related, which is where the two products diverge most.
What is the biggest capability Google Sheets has that Excel does not?＋
QUERY. It lets you run a SQL-like statement against a range, including grouping and aggregation, in a single formula. Excel has no equivalent function — the same work is done with PivotTables or Power Query.
Why do I need ARRAYFORMULA in Sheets but not in Excel?＋
Excel 365 spills dynamic arrays natively, so a formula written for one cell can return many. Google Sheets still requires many functions to be wrapped in ARRAYFORMULA before they will operate across a range instead of a single cell.
Do the two products produce the same errors?＋
No. #SPILL!, #CALC! and #NULL! are Excel-only, and #ERROR! is Sheets-only. The same underlying problem can surface as a different code depending on the product.