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Spreadsheets · head to head

Equals vs Google Sheets

Equals logo

Equals

Spreadsheets

A real spreadsheet with SQL result sets landing in its cells, now sold only on annual contracts starting at 24,000 USD

From
$24000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google Sheets logo

Google Sheets

Spreadsheets

Cloud spreadsheet, free for a personal Google account and bundled into paid Google Workspace for organisations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Sheets has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Equals the price list now starts at 24,000 USD a year with no monthly billing and no self-serve signup, having offered a free plan in 2023 and 39 USD per seat in 2024, so any team that evaluated it previously is looking at a different product commercially.; Google Sheets performance degrades noticeably on very large or formula-heavy spreadsheets compared with desktop Excel, particularly with complex array formulas.
  • They diverge on capability: Equals covers Connected sheets, Google Sheets covers Real-time collaboration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Equals and Google Sheets actually diverge.

Attributes where Equals and Google Sheets differ
AttributeEqualsGoogle Sheets
Starting price$24000/yearFree
Pricing modelPer year by connector count and refresh frequencyFree personally, bundled into paid Google Workspace for organisations
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Spreadsheets).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Equals

  • Connected sheets
  • Real spreadsheet mechanics
  • Cell references into SQL
  • Equals Warehouse
  • Views
  • Writeback

Only in Google Sheets

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Formulas and pivot tables
  • Apps Script automation
  • Excel compatibility
  • Offline mode
  • Connected Sheets

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Equals

  • A revenue operations team that wants software metrics computed in a spreadsheet rather than defined in a BI semantic layernot Google Sheets
  • Analysts who need a SQL result and manual assumptions in the same file, with the assumptions visible as cellsnot Google Sheets
  • Joining Stripe, Salesforce and a production database without building a warehouse and pipeline firstnot Google Sheets
  • Distributing a recurring numbers pack to Slack, email or a wall display without rebuilding it as a dashboardnot Google Sheets

Google Sheets

  • A freelancer or small team wanting real-time spreadsheet collaboration without installing softwarenot Equals
  • A school or nonprofit already using free or discounted Google Workspace for Educationnot Equals
  • A company standardising on Google Workspace for email and file storage that gets Sheets includednot Equals
  • A team building lightweight internal tools with Apps Script rather than a dedicated databasenot Equals

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Equals

  • The price list now starts at 24,000 USD a year with no monthly billing and no self-serve signup, having offered a free plan in 2023 and 39 USD per seat in 2024, so any team that evaluated it previously is looking at a different product commercially.
  • Your data is copied out of your infrastructure by design, into a Snowflake warehouse that Equals operates, with Fivetran holding non-SQL source data in transit, and no self-hosted or bring-your-own-warehouse option is documented.
  • The financial function category contains only IRR, NPV and PMT, with no XIRR, XNPV, FV, PV, RATE or NPER, and there is no LAMBDA, LET, OFFSET or INDIRECT, so a substantial class of existing spreadsheet models cannot be ported without rework.
  • No documentation of importing or exporting Excel files exists anywhere in the docs index; the supported file sources are CSV and Google Sheets and the only documented export is dashboards as PDF, which is a notable gap for a product positioning itself as a successor to Excel.
  • Data freshness is a pricing lever rather than a setting, at six hours on Essential, one hour on Business and fifteen minutes on Enterprise, and the feature that removes row limits is itself gated above the entry tier, so the Essential row ceiling is neither published nor unlimited.

Google Sheets

  • Performance degrades noticeably on very large or formula-heavy spreadsheets compared with desktop Excel, particularly with complex array formulas.
  • Its charting and pivot table features are less capable than Excel for advanced statistical or financial analysis.
  • Offline editing requires the Chrome browser or a specific offline-enabled setup, so it is not as seamless as a native desktop application.
  • The free personal tier has no admin controls, audit logging or data loss prevention, so it is not appropriate for regulated business data on its own.
  • Apps Script has execution time limits and quota restrictions that make it unsuitable for heavier automation workloads a dedicated backend would handle better.

Pricing, plan by plan

Equals

$24000/year
  • Essential$24000/year
    • Unlimited viewers and unlimited editors
    • 3 connectors
    • Data sync every 6 hours
  • Business$36000/year
    • Unlimited viewers and unlimited editors
    • 5 connectors or a warehouse connection
    • Data sync every hour
  • Enterprise$60000/year
    • Unlimited viewers and unlimited editors
    • Unlimited connectors or a warehouse connection
    • Data sync every 15 minutes
  • Connector add-ons$199/month
    • 199 USD per month for each additional database or import script connector
    • 699 USD per month for each additional connector of any other type
    • Available on Business and Enterprise

Google Sheets

Free
  • Personal Google accountFree
    • Full Sheets functionality
    • 15GB shared Drive storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos
    • No admin controls
  • Google Workspace Business Starter$7/month
    • Sheets bundled with Gmail, Drive and Meet
    • Admin console and centralised management
    • 30GB pooled storage per user

Which should you pick?

Choose Equals if

  • You need connected sheets.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want real spreadsheet mechanics.
Equals review

Choose Google Sheets if

  • You need real-time collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want formulas and pivot tables.
Google Sheets review

Questions people ask

Is Equals or Google Sheets better?
Neither clearly leads. Equals starts at $24000/year and Google Sheets at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Equals or Google Sheets?
Google Sheets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24000/year for Equals and Free for Google Sheets.
Does Equals or Google Sheets run on more platforms?
Equals runs on Web, API. Google Sheets runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Google Sheets for free?
Yes. Google Sheets has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Equals starts at $24000/year.
What is Equals best used for?
Equals is most often used for a revenue operations team that wants software metrics computed in a spreadsheet rather than defined in a bi semantic layer, analysts who need a sql result and manual assumptions in the same file, with the assumptions visible as cells, joining stripe, salesforce and a production database without building a warehouse and pipeline first, distributing a recurring numbers pack to slack, email or a wall display without rebuilding it as a dashboard. Of those, a revenue operations team that wants software metrics computed in a spreadsheet rather than defined in a bi semantic layer and analysts who need a sql result and manual assumptions in the same file, with the assumptions visible as cells are not what Google Sheets is typically brought in for.
What can Equals do that Google Sheets cannot?
Equals covers Connected sheets, Real spreadsheet mechanics, Cell references into SQL, Equals Warehouse. Google Sheets covers Real-time collaboration, Formulas and pivot tables, Apps Script automation, Excel compatibility.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Equals: Is it a real spreadsheet or a modelling tool with a grid?

A real spreadsheet. A1 references, absolute reference locking, pivot tables and spilling array formulas all work, and SQL results land in ranges that ordinary cells reference.

Google Sheets: Is Google Sheets really free?

Yes, for a personal Google account with full functionality, subject to the 15GB Drive storage limit shared across Google services.

Equals: What does it actually cost?

24,000 USD a year for Essential, 36,000 for Business and 60,000 for Enterprise, billed annually. There is no monthly option and no self-serve signup; the trial is negotiated per customer.

Google Sheets: Why would a business pay for something that is free?

Businesses pay for Google Workspace, which bundles Sheets with admin controls, larger storage, audit logs and support that a personal account lacks.

Equals: Are seats charged?

No. Viewers and editors are unlimited on every plan. The meters are connector count, refresh frequency and AI spend, with additional connectors at 199 or 699 USD a month.

Google Sheets: Does Google Sheets work with Excel files?

Yes, it opens, edits and exports Microsoft Excel format files directly.

Equals: Does my data stay in my own warehouse?

No. Connecting more than one source syncs data into a Snowflake warehouse that Equals runs, and non-SQL sources pass through Fivetran. There is no documented self-hosted option.

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