Comparison

Numbers vs Google Docs

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Numbers

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
Read full description

Numbers is now part of Apple Creator Studio, an amazing collection of Apple’s most powerful creative apps designed to help you bring your ideas to life. The suite includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage — plus premium content and intelligence features in Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform, all in one simple plan. Creating, viewing, and editing spreadsheets in Numbers, as well as collaborating in real time, does not require a subscription. Create gorgeous spreadsheets with Numbers on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Get started with Apple-designed templates for everything from a home budget to an invoice. Add tables, charts, text, and images anywhere on the flexible canvas. Animate your data with interactive charts, find patterns with pivot tables, and use hundreds of powerful functions. Get Started Quickly • Work from iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even a PC with iCloud.com • Select from a wide variety of Apple-designed templates • Add from a library of shapes, tables, and charts with pre-defined styles • Import and edit Microsoft Excel and CSV files Create Beautiful Spreadsheets • Place tables, charts, text, and images anywhere on the flexible canvas • Create a form on iPhone or iPad to quickly enter data on the go • Draw or write with Apple Pencil on iPad Formulas for Everyone • Choose from hundreds of powerful functions, including XLOOKUP and RegEx • Search the integrated function browser for built-in help and sample formulas • Easily add stock information to spreadsheets • See results from a single formula across multiple cells using spilling arrays Everything Adds Up Beautifully • Use pivot tables and categories to see your data in a whole new way • Quickly organize and summarize tables to gain new insights • Insert gorgeous 2D and 3D charts, including bar, column, line, area, pie, donut, and radar charts • Animate data with interactive column, bar, scatter, and bubble charts • Easily filter through large tables for specific values, text, or duplicate entries • Change values in cells using sliders, steppers, checkboxes, pop-ups, and star ratings Share with Anyone • Share your spreadsheet publicly or collaborate with specific people using iCloud or Box • Make changes from any device and see a list of changes from others in real-time • Export your spreadsheet in CSV, TSV, PDF, and Microsoft Excel Apple Intelligence • Use Writing Tools to proofread, rewrite, summarize, and compose text • Create your own fun images with Image Playground based on a description Some features of Apple Creator Studio require an Apple Intelligence–capable device. For full system requirements and usage limits for Apple Creator Studio intelligence features, see Apple Support article 125029.

About

Google Docs

Create, edit, and collaborate on documents online in real time. Work together seamlessly with your team, even offline, and access a variety of file types. AI-powered features can help draft and refine content.

Highlights
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Offline editing
  • Template library
  • Multiple file type support
  • AI-powered drafting
  • Commenting and action items
Read full description

Create, edit, and collaborate on online documents with the Google Docs app. Work together in real time • Share documents with your team • Edit, comment, and add action items in real time Create anywhere, anytime—even offline • Capture spontaneous ideas on the fly • Get things done, even on the go, with offline mode • Save time and add polish with easy-to-use templates Edit and share multiple file types • Open a variety of files, including Microsoft Word files, right in Google Docs • Frictionless collaboration, no matter which application your teammates use • Convert and export files seamlessly Google Docs is part of Google Workspace: where teams of any size can chat, create, and collaborate. Google Workspace paid subscribers have access to additional Google Docs features, including: Use Gemini in Docs to quickly draft and edit content • Draft outlines, blog posts, briefs, and more on the go • Improve your writing with AI-powered suggestions Learn more about Google Docs: https://workspace.google.com/products/docs/ Follow us for more: • X: https://x.com/googleworkspace • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/googleworkspace • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/googleworkspace

Screenshots

Numbers4 screens
Google Docs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Numbers at none against Google Docs's 1. Google Docs's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (70% vs 50%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Google Docs sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $199.99 per year. Numbers asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Google Docs holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Docs has 3.2M ratings behind it against 215K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Numbers's written reviews are positive against 70% of Google Docs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Numbers versus Google Docs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNumbersGoogle Docs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (215K ratings)4.8 (3.2M ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.1% of reviews69.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings215K3.2M — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
Best chart rank—#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size620 MB348 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppleGoogle

Customer experience

Numbers

All ratings215,159 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews4,879 reviews
Positive50.1%
Neutral9.6%
Negative40.3%

Google Docs

All ratings3,243,575 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews3,469 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative24.3%

User reviews

Numbers

From 215K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Google Docs

From 3.2M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient and accessible
  • 👍 Seamless collaboration
  • 🔒 Automatic saving
  • 💡 Offline functionality
  • 👍 Versatile for various uses

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Laggy performance and input delays
  • 👎 Limited formatting and customization options
  • 🔍 Difficult to organize and navigate documents
  • 👎 Compatibility issues with other platforms

Bugs and requests

Numbers

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Pivot table and data analysis features

Google Docs

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unexpected crashes and document loss
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Issues with image insertion and manipulation

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved document organization with folders
  • Expanded font and formatting options
  • Better integration with Microsoft Office
  • Smoother scrolling and navigation

In-app purchases

None

Numbers

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Google Docs

Subscriptions1
  • Google AI Pro (5 TB)$199.991 Year

Questions

Is Numbers free?
Numbers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Google Docs free?
Google Docs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Numbers or Google Docs?
Google Docs is rated higher. Numbers averages 4.6 out of 5 from 215K ratings, while Google Docs averages 4.8 from 3.2M ratings.
Do Numbers or Google Docs have ads?
Neither Numbers nor Google Docs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Numbers or Google Docs?
Numbers ships an update every 3 months, and Google Docs weekly. Most recently, Numbers was updated on September 24, 2026 and Google Docs on September 24, 2026.

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