# Numbers vs Microsoft Excel

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Numbers at none against Microsoft Excel's 15. Numbers also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 24%). Microsoft Excel's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#20 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft Excel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Numbers asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Numbers against 4.7 for Microsoft Excel. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Excel has 1.5M ratings behind it against 215K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Numbers's written reviews are positive against 24% of Microsoft Excel's.

Numbers ships an update every 3 months, Microsoft Excel weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Numbers | Microsoft Excel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (215K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbers-make-spreadsheets/id361304891/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-excel/id586683407/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 215K | **1.5M** |
| Positive reviews | **50.1% of reviews** | 24.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#20** |
| Size | 620 MB | 436 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) |

## What reviewers say

### Numbers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/numbers-make-spreadsheets/id361304891)

Design impressive spreadsheets with a flexible canvas, interactive charts, and powerful functions. Collaborate with others and access your work across devices. Includes tools for data analysis and text composition.

**Highlights:** Apple-designed templates, Flexible canvas for layout, Interactive charts and pivot tables, Hundreds of powerful functions, Cross-device compatibility via iCloud, Collaboration and real-time editing, Import/export Excel and CSV files

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Seamless integration with Apple ecosystem
- 🚀 Great for basic spreadsheet needs
- 🚀 Visually appealing charts and formatting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with Excel files
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to Excel
- 🐛 Frustrating editing experience on mobile
- 🐛 Disappearing spreadsheets after updates

**Reported bugs**

- Frozen headers issue
- Keyboard and text editing problems
- Spreadsheet data loss after updates
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Slow performance and loading times

**Requested features**

- Ability to lock individual cells
- More advanced formula and function support
- Improved collaboration and sharing options
- Better mobile interface and keyboard integration
- Customizable templates and formatting options


### Microsoft Excel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-excel/id586683407)

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Free · Productivity, #34 Top Grossing · Productivity, #197 Top Free (US App Store)

This powerful productivity app allows you to create, view, and edit spreadsheets on the go. Manage data, perform calculations, and analyze information with robust formatting and charting tools. Share your work easily with others.

**Highlights:** Create, view, and edit spreadsheets, Data analysis with charts and graphs, Budgeting and accounting tools, Customizable tables and formatting, Share files with collaborators, Draw and annotate with ink

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Office 365 Personal | $5.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $6.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal Student | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Home | $12.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Microsoft Copilot Pro | $20.00 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $69.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99 | per year |
| Office 365 Home | $129.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Powerful and feature-rich
- 🔍 Useful for data management and analysis
- 🔧 Convenient for on-the-go work
- 🤝 Good integration with Microsoft ecosystem
- 🤩 Excellent for personal and professional use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription required for full functionality
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 📱 Limited features compared to desktop version
- 🤔 Confusing user interface changes
- 🤯 Frustrating syncing and file management issues

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to open or edit files
- Unexpected app closures
- Syncing problems with OneDrive
- Formatting issues when copying and pasting
- Slow performance on high-end devices

**Requested features**

- Conditional formatting options
- Ability to open password-protected files
- Improved Apple Pencil and keyboard support
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Better compatibility with Dropbox and other cloud storage


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Numbers free?

Numbers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Microsoft Excel free?

Microsoft Excel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Numbers or Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is rated higher. Numbers averages 4.6 out of 5 from 215K ratings, while Microsoft Excel averages 4.7 from 1.5M ratings.

### Do Numbers or Microsoft Excel have ads?

Neither Numbers nor Microsoft Excel shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Numbers or Microsoft Excel?

Numbers ships an update every 3 months, and Microsoft Excel weekly. Most recently, Numbers was updated on September 24, 2026 and Microsoft Excel on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*