# Microsoft Excel vs Chartistic

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.

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.

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.

Microsoft Excel ships an update weekly, Chartistic every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft Excel | Chartistic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-excel/id586683407/reviews)** | [3.9 (236 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chartistic-charting-app/id1127272574/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5M** | 236 |
| Positive reviews | 24.4% of reviews | **70.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 436 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Zoho Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/388384807) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft Excel

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

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Free · Productivity, #35 Top Grossing · Productivity, #189 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


### Chartistic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chartistic-charting-app/id1127272574)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔢 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

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional data loss when app crashes
- Inconsistent behavior when entering values

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 25, 2026 and Chartistic on August 12, 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.*