Comparison

Microsoft Excel vs Chartistic

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

Head to head
About

Microsoft Excel

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
Read full description

Review files and run data analysis on the go. Customise tables the way you want with robust formatting tools and great features. Excel lets you build your spreadsheet to meet your specific needs. Get the power of AI with Copilot in your favourite apps when you sign in with your Microsoft 365 subscription. Create templates, edit spreadsheets, organise charts and share with ease when you download Microsoft Excel. Tables and Spreadsheets: Create, Calculate and Analyse • Jump-start your budget, task list, accounting or financial analysis with Excel’s modern templates. • Rich productivity features and formatting options make your workbook easier to read and use. Productivity App: Review, Edit and Work Anywhere • Refresh sheet data or update your task list from anywhere. • Spreadsheet features like sort and filter columns help focus your reviews. • Create, duplicate, hide and unhide sheets easily. Data Analysis: Discover Key Insights on the Go • Analyse data using charts and graphs. • Highlight key insights using chart labelling features. • Visualise data at a glance. Finance Budgeting and Accounting: Simplify Personal Finance • Use spreadsheets and charts to help manage budgets. • Familiar tools to help you drill down to your exact finance needs. • Calculate tax estimates, personal finances and more. Draw and Annotate with Ink: Capture Ideas on the Page • Make notes, highlight your worksheet, create shapes or write equations using the draw tab feature on devices with touch capabilities. Sharing Made Easy: Collaborate Anywhere • Share your files with a few taps to quickly invite others to edit, view or leave comments directly in your workbooks. • Copy the content of your worksheet in the body of an email message with its format intact or attach or copy a link to your workbook for other sharing options. • Send worksheet content in an email while preserving formatting or send a link to your workbook. AI Assistance with Copilot* • Summarise data and highlight trends quickly. • Generate charts and tables from raw data with simple prompts. • Get intelligent recommendations for budgeting and forecasting. REQUIREMENTS: 1 GB RAM or above To create or edit documents, sign in with a free Microsoft account on devices with a screen size smaller than 10.1 inches. *Unlock the full Microsoft 365 experience with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription for your phone, tablet, PC and Mac. This app is provided by either Microsoft or a third-party app publisher and is subject to a separate privacy statement and terms and conditions. Data provided through the use of this store and this app may be accessible to Microsoft or the third-party app publisher, where applicable, and transferred to, stored and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft or the app publisher and their affiliates or service providers maintain facilities. Please refer to Microsoft's EULA for Terms of Service for Microsoft 365 on iOS. By installing the app, you agree to these terms and conditions: http://aka.ms/eula

About

Chartistic

Easily create visually appealing and interactive charts for presentations and data visualization on your mobile device. Transform your data into compelling stories with a variety of chart types and a unique clipart-powered visualizer. Export your creations for use in documents, emails, and social media.

Highlights
  • Interactive bar, line, and area charts
  • Pie charts
  • Clipart-powered data visualizer
  • On-the-go creation and editing
  • Export charts as images
  • Embed charts in presentations and documents
Features
Read full description

Chartistic has been featured in the App Store in 43 countries, already! It has also been listed in App Store’s ten best Apps of the year in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam! ----------------------- Two ingredients to a great presentation. A powerful storyline, and the data to back it up. Good stories can sell themselves, but data needs visual support! Most presentations tumble down into the pit of forgettable mediocrity simply because they lack visually appealing data-centric charts. Also, there aren't many easy-to-use tools for your mobile device that strip away the drudgery of creating charts. Precisely why we built Chartistic! Chartistic comes with an assortment of interactive bar charts, line charts, area charts, (sweet as) pie charts that are both great to look at and fun to create. Our unique clipart-powered data visualizer is a show-stealer, sure to drive your points home! Create and edit them all on the go. And export as images and embed in presentations, emails, documents, spreadsheets, even in your next tweet!

Screenshots

Microsoft Excel4 screens
Chartistic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chartistic at 70% against Microsoft Excel's 24%. Chartistic also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 15) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). Microsoft Excel's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support 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. Microsoft Excel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Chartistic asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Microsoft Excel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Excel has 1.5M ratings behind it against 236, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 24% of Microsoft Excel's written reviews are positive against 70% of Chartistic's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, Chartistic every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Microsoft Excel versus Chartistic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicrosoft ExcelChartistic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.5M ratings) — better3.9 (236 ratings)
Positive reviews24.4% of reviews70.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5M — better236
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#20 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size436 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationZoho Corporation

Customer experience

Microsoft Excel

All ratings1,460,557 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews3,588 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative69.2%

Chartistic

All ratings236 ratings
Positive70.3%
Neutral10.2%
Negative19.5%
Written reviews193 reviews
Positive70.5%
Neutral12.4%
Negative17.1%

User reviews

Microsoft Excel

From 1.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 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

Room to improve

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

Chartistic

From 236 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Intuitive interface
  • 💰 Completely free with no ads
  • 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing charts
  • 🤝 Great for basic data visualization needs

Room to improve

  • 🔢 Limited to 12 data points on x-axis
  • 💯 Maximum value capped at 10,000
  • 🎨 No custom color options
  • 📊 Can only display one line graph at a time
  • 🔢 No support for negative values or decimals

Bugs and requests

Microsoft Excel

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Chartistic

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional data loss when app crashes
  • Inconsistent behavior when entering values

Requested features

5 requests
  • Increase number of data points on x-axis
  • Raise maximum value limit
  • Add custom color selection
  • Support for multiple line graphs
  • Allow negative values and decimals

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Microsoft Excel

Subscriptions12
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Personal Student1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial2 variants$12.991 Month
  • Office 365 Home1 Month trial$12.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Microsoft Copilot Pro$20.001 Month
  • Office 365 Personal$69.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$99.991 Year
  • Office 365 Home$129.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial$129.991 Year
None

Chartistic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Microsoft Excel free?
Microsoft Excel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chartistic free?
Chartistic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Microsoft Excel or Chartistic?
Microsoft Excel is rated higher. Microsoft Excel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.5M ratings, while Chartistic averages 3.9 from 236 ratings.
Do Microsoft Excel or Chartistic have ads?
Neither Microsoft Excel nor Chartistic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Microsoft Excel or Chartistic?
Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, and Chartistic every 2 months. Most recently, Microsoft Excel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Chartistic on August 12, 2026.

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