Google Sheets vs. Grist

Google Sheets is simple to use and is accepted everywhere as an integration, making it a universal choice for many. Versatility is key when working with multiple clients, both internally and externally, so you need a solution that everyone is happy with and familiar with. Google Sheets is the solution for us.

This is well suited to someone (or a team) who are technically minded and have a dataset that they need to be able to use in many ways. It's less appropriate for a team who isn't technically minded and/or don't have the data they need to manipulate. It would be useful for things that you could use a database or spreadsheet for such as CRM, Advertising database, Business tracking, Health tracking etc.

Incentivized

• It is a cloud-based platform.
• You can work in the same file simultaneously with your colleagues.
• It allows you to share files much faster.
• It allows you to access your Google Sheet files whenever you like and wherever you like if you have stable internet connection.
• It has great integration with other Google software.
• Google Sheets is very user-friendly and very intuitive to use.

Incentivized

• Provides amazing customer service, help, examples, and explains what they are having you do
• The layout is easy

• Pivot tables are different but could be improved upon; sort, totals, filters
• When entering negative numbers as the first in a formula you need to remember to "+-100+25" instead of "-100+25"
• The power of the internet of course makes it easy to find solution, but the help function is not easily available
• Color coding changes on the cell, but there is not an easy way to click on a cell and use the selected color; like excel

Incentivized

• Making the user permissions more obvious on how to use them - They are highly adaptable, but hard to understand how to use them
• Small changes such as auto colouring the choices/toggles options and being able to edit them once set.
• Being able to copy the formatting from one column to the next

Incentivized

I am not involved in the purchase/selection process, but my organization is a Google shop, and Sheets meets most of our spreadsheet needs and works seamlessly with our other tools. I don't anticipate our switching anytime soon.

Incentivized

Overall the formula functions could improve but there's workarounds for them. Utilzing different formulas or approaches for building out accounting schedules. While collebrating with multiple team members and different departments being able to go in and see where others are on the sheets is helpful. Google Sheets overall is a great product

Incentivized

Like most Google products, Google Sheets rarely has outages or slowness, and when it does, connection is always momentarily restored. I can't recall a time when I've been unable to access Google Sheets but able to access other sites just fine. That said, errors aren't uncommon when handling large data volume. You know what they say about using spreadsheets as databases, but sometimes it's just the most convenient option, especially for smaller or one-off projects, and not being able to store large amounts of data hampers our ability to move quickly with scrappy prototypes or full solutions. It would be great if we could better integrate our data manipulation (Apps Script) with big data in the sheet.

Incentivized

Again, Google Sheets is no exception to Google's general high speed and reliability, but load times can be slow for larger amounts of data. I've used Sheets with Zapier and have used the Python API, and speed has never been an issue.

Incentivized

I have never contacted Google Sheets support, but Google Sheets makes it very easy to report an issue or suggest a feature from Sheets itself (Help > Help Sheets improve), and I've had mostly good experiences with support for other Google products.

Incentivized

The major reason I use Google Sheets over Microsoft Excel and Apple Numbers is for its ability to allow multiple users to access and work on the same spreadsheet at once. This is incredibly more efficient and effective than updating and sending copies upon copies of the same Excel or Numbers spreadsheet back and forth as email attachments.

Incentivized

Grist is easier to use, faster, and loads quicker with heavy data.

I'm not involved with the purchase, but I assume everything goes smoothly and that the pricing structure is predictable and reasonable. We do not get surprise fees.

Incentivized

Google Sheets works very well with multiple users. It's convenient to see in real-time who is collaborating in a sheet, down to the specific cell that they're viewing/editing. Linking Sheets across departments is convenient with the IMPORTRANGE function.

Incentivized

• We've used it to prepare quick budgets, presentations for funds that have helped raise money
• It has helped us quickly analyze raw data, collaboratively.
• it has helped us work more efficiently by making it easier to work from one sheet and not lose track of versions by passing around attached documents

Incentivized

• It's saved a lot of time in both creating an advertising database and managing it week to week effectively. I had previously created in others that haven't worked, and this does, saving me a good 1 hour weekly, and 5 hours or more each time I had problems with the last ones
• Being able to stay on track with this has meant I'm following up at the right time (advertisers) and keeping a professional manner and not losing business due to missed communication
• Saving me $ from buying a program like Access (or Airtable monthly) and then the learning curve that that has. This has a much easier learning curve to say the least.

Incentivized