Like most other Google products, Sheets dominates the market—in this case, the spreadsheet space. However, Apple Numbers offers some compelling advantages that might actually make it the better choice for you and your work.
Templates and Pre-built Designs
The Numbers template gallery isn’t just extensive, it’s actually useful. While Google Sheets offers basic templates, Numbers provides professional-looking options that feel like they were crafted by a graphic designer. From budgets to invoices, each template demonstrates Apple’s attention to visual design, with thoughtful typography, color schemes, and layouts that make your data look presentable from the start.
What really sets Numbers’ templates apart is how customizable they are. Unlike Google Sheets’ somewhat rigid templates, Numbers lets you easily modify any template element while maintaining its professional look.
For example, you can change colors to match your style, resize table elements without breaking the entire layout, or add new sections that seamlessly blend with what’s already present. You’re certainly not stuck with a one-size-fits-all solution, and you can even save these as new templates (or design your own from scratch, and save them instead).
Superior Layout Freedom
Perhaps Numbers’ most distinctive feature is its free-form canvas approach. Unlike Google Sheets’ rigid grid system, Numbers lets you place tables, charts, and other elements wherever you want on the page. This flexibility means you can create documents that feel more like beautiful reports than traditional spreadsheets.
Want to place a small table next to a large chart, with explanatory text flowing around both? Numbers handles this with ease, while Google Sheets would force you to work within its strict row-and-column constraints.
The canvas approach also solves a common spreadsheet problem: the need to reference data from multiple sources. Instead of jumping between sheets or creating complex reference formulas, you can simply place related tables side by side on the same canvas.
This method of visual organization makes it easier to understand relationships between different data sets and create more intuitive reports.
Interactive Data Visualization
Numbers transforms mundane data into engaging visuals with remarkably little effort. While Google Sheets can certainly create charts, Numbers takes visualization further with interactive elements that make your data come alive. You can add sliders to adjust values in real time, create interactive charts that respond to user input, and design more visually appealing graphs with better default styling options.
The real magic happens when you combine these interactive elements with Numbers’ layout freedom.
For instance, you could create a dashboard where changing a value with a slider automatically updates multiple charts across your canvas. This level of interactivity makes Numbers particularly powerful for creating what-if scenarios or presenting data to stakeholders who might want to explore different possibilities in real time.
When it comes to handling images, videos, and other media, Numbers leaves Google Sheets in the dust. Not only can you easily drag and drop media directly onto your canvas, but Numbers also provides superior tools for manipulating these elements.
You can mask images, adjust opacity, add shadows, and even play videos directly within your spreadsheet—features that simply don’t exist in Google Sheets.
This rich media support extends beyond basic image insertion. Numbers lets you create image galleries within your spreadsheets, add audio recordings for voice notes or explanations, and even incorporate live links to content in your Photos library.
These capabilities make Numbers an excellent choice for creating product catalogs, inventory documents, or any spreadsheet where visual documentation is crucial.
Formatting Controls
Numbers offers more granular control over how your content looks. While Google Sheets provides basic formatting options, Numbers delivers precise control over typography, colors, and styles. You can adjust character spacing, create custom styles that can be applied across your document, and access more sophisticated conditional formatting options.
The conditional formatting in Numbers deserves a special mention. While both applications can change cell appearances based on their contents, Numbers offers more intuitive controls and visual feedback.
You can preview your formatting rules in real-time and create more complex conditions without needing to understand complex formulas. This makes it easier to create clear, visually meaningful data presentations that highlight important information.
iCloud Integration and Sharing
While Google Sheets excels at real-time collaboration, Numbers’ integration with iCloud offers its own advantages. Documents sync seamlessly across all your Apple devices, with changes appearing almost instantly. Version history is more intuitive than Google Sheets’, and its privacy-focused approach means your data isn’t being used to train AI models or serve ads.
The offline capabilities are particularly noteworthy. Unlike Google Sheets, which requires some setup for basic offline access, Numbers works whether you’re connected to the internet or not. Changes sync automatically when you’re back online, and you don’t have to worry about losing access to your documents if you go offline.
Touch Interface Optimization
Numbers for iPad and iPhone really feels like a touch-native, well-designed Apple app. I’ve used both Numbers and Google Sheets quite a bit on an iPad, and the difference is stark. Numbers feels like it was built from the ground up for touch, while Google Sheets often feels like a desktop app awkwardly squeezed onto a smaller screen.
The experience is enhanced further when using an Apple Pencil with your iPad. Want to quickly highlight a range of cells? Just draw around them. Need to add some explanatory notes? Sketch them directly onto your spreadsheet. Pencil support isn’t a gimmick since it makes working with spreadsheets feel natural and intuitive, as if you were working with paper.
Regardless of device, Numbers perfectly adapts its interface to the screen. On an iPhone, buttons and controls are perfectly sized for your fingers, while iPad users get additional shortcuts and gesture controls that take advantage of the larger screen.
You can use Split View to reference your research while updating figures, or quickly drag and drop data between apps. These thoughtful touches make Numbers feel less like a compromised mobile experience and more like a genuinely useful tool for working with data on the go.
Making Your Choice
Ultimately, choosing between Numbers and Google Sheets depends on finding the right tool for your needs. If you primarily work with Apple devices and value creating visually appealing documents, Numbers offers an experience that feels more refined and enjoyable.
However, if you regularly work with teams using different devices and operating systems, or if you rely heavily on advanced spreadsheet functions and add-ons, Sheets is the more practical choice.
Think about how you actually use spreadsheets. Do you find yourself frequently creating reports that others will read? Numbers emphasis on design and layout might be exactly what you need. Are you constantly switching between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone? The seamless integration across Apple devices could be a game-changer for your productivity.
With all that said, you can use both Apple Numbers and Google Sheets, as long as you have an Apple device. Numbers can import Google Sheets files, so you could use Sheets for data collection and collaboration, and then bring that data into Numbers when you need to create polished presentations or reports. This way, you’ll have the best of both worlds: Google’s collaboration tools and Apple’s design capabilities.
Numbers isn’t necessarily trying to be a Google Sheets clone—it’s offering a different idea of what a spreadsheet can be. With this unique approach to spreadsheets, you might find Numbers is the upgrade you didn’t know you needed.
