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Spreadsheets · head to head

Numbers vs Sigma Computing

Numbers logo

Numbers

Spreadsheets

Apple spreadsheet, free on Apple hardware, now with an optional Apple Creator Studio subscription for AI features

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigma Computing logo

Sigma Computing

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet-style analytics that queries a cloud data warehouse directly with no extract layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Numbers has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Numbers numbers is not available on Windows or Android as a full application, so any collaborator outside the Apple ecosystem is limited to the basic iCloud.com web version.; Sigma Computing every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • They diverge on capability: Numbers covers Canvas-style layout, Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Numbers and Sigma Computing actually diverge.

Attributes where Numbers and Sigma Computing differ
AttributeNumbersSigma Computing
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree with Apple hardware, optional Apple Creator Studio subscription for AI featuresquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, WebWeb

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 Numbers

  • Canvas-style layout
  • Formulas and categories
  • iCloud collaboration
  • Excel import and export
  • Apple Pencil and touch support
  • Apple Creator Studio AI features

Only in Sigma Computing

  • Spreadsheet interface over SQL
  • No extract layer
  • Input tables and write-back
  • Workbooks
  • Embedded analytics
  • Version control and dbt awareness

What people use each for

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

Numbers

  • A Mac or iPad user who wants a spreadsheet with no additional software cost beyond the devicenot Sigma Computing
  • Someone building a visually laid-out document, an invoice or a planner, rather than a dense data tablenot Sigma Computing
  • A small team already on Apple hardware collaborating through iCloud without adopting Google Workspace or Microsoft 365not Sigma Computing
  • A user who wants light AI-assisted content generation and is willing to pay for Apple Creator Studio to get itnot Sigma Computing

Sigma Computing

  • A finance or operations team that lives in spreadsheets and needs warehouse-scale data without exporting CSVsnot Numbers
  • An organisation that has consolidated on Snowflake or Databricks and wants one governed access layer rather than several desktop toolsnot Numbers
  • Planning and scenario work where users need to type assumptions back into governed tables rather than into a local filenot Numbers
  • Embedding customer-facing analytics into a product where each tenant must only see their own rowsnot Numbers

Where each one falls short

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

Numbers

  • Numbers is not available on Windows or Android as a full application, so any collaborator outside the Apple ecosystem is limited to the basic iCloud.com web version.
  • Complex Excel formulas, pivot tables and VBA macros do not convert reliably, so heavy Excel users moving files into Numbers risk losing functionality.
  • Its canvas-style layout that is a strength for visual documents becomes a weakness for large, dense datasets, where a fixed grid like Excel or Sheets is easier to navigate.
  • The newest AI features are now gated behind the separate Apple Creator Studio subscription, meaning the previously all-free app now has a paid tier for its most talked-about new capability.
  • Performance and formula depth trail both Excel and Google Sheets for serious financial modelling or statistical analysis.

Sigma Computing

  • Every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • It cannot work without a supported cloud data warehouse, so an organisation running analytics on an on-premises database or a plain application database has nothing to connect to.
  • Pricing is not published and seats are differentiated by capability, so budgeting requires a sales cycle and a headcount forecast before you can compare it with a tool you could simply buy.
  • Performance is only as good as the warehouse behind it, which means slow or badly modelled tables surface as a slow interface and the fix is a data engineering project, not a Sigma setting.
  • Statistical and scientific visualisation is limited compared with dedicated tools, so anything beyond standard business charting has to be done elsewhere and brought back in.

Pricing, plan by plan

Numbers

Free
  • NumbersFree
    • Free with a Mac, iPad or iPhone
    • Core spreadsheet and canvas features
    • iCloud collaboration included
  • Apple Creator Studio$12.99/month
    • AI-assisted features across Numbers, Pages and Keynote
    • Premium templates
    • 129 USD annual option

Sigma Computing

On request
  • Sigma Computing$undefined/year
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Seat types are differentiated by whether a user views, explores or authors
    • Warehouse compute is billed separately by your cloud data warehouse vendor

Which should you pick?

Choose Numbers if

  • You need canvas-style layout.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, iOS, Web.
  • You also want formulas and categories.
Numbers review

Choose Sigma Computing if

  • You need spreadsheet interface over sql.
  • You also want no extract layer.
Sigma Computing review

Questions people ask

Is Numbers or Sigma Computing better?
Neither clearly leads. Numbers starts at Free and Sigma Computing at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Numbers or Sigma Computing?
Numbers has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Numbers and On request for Sigma Computing.
Does Numbers or Sigma Computing run on more platforms?
Numbers runs on macOS, iOS, Web. Sigma Computing runs on Web.
Can I use Numbers for free?
Yes. Numbers has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sigma Computing starts at On request.
What is Numbers best used for?
Numbers is most often used for a mac or ipad user who wants a spreadsheet with no additional software cost beyond the device, someone building a visually laid-out document, an invoice or a planner, rather than a dense data table, a small team already on apple hardware collaborating through icloud without adopting google workspace or microsoft 365, a user who wants light ai-assisted content generation and is willing to pay for apple creator studio to get it. Of those, a mac or ipad user who wants a spreadsheet with no additional software cost beyond the device and someone building a visually laid-out document, an invoice or a planner, rather than a dense data table are not what Sigma Computing is typically brought in for.
What can Numbers do that Sigma Computing cannot?
Numbers covers Canvas-style layout, Formulas and categories, iCloud collaboration, Excel import and export. Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL, No extract layer, Input tables and write-back, Workbooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Numbers: Do I have to pay for Numbers?

No, it is free for anyone with a Mac, iPad or iPhone; it does not require a separate purchase.

Sigma Computing: Does Sigma store a copy of my data?

No. Queries are executed on your warehouse and results are returned for display, which is why there is no extract refresh to manage.

Numbers: What does Apple Creator Studio add?

AI-assisted content generation and premium templates across Numbers, Pages and Keynote, for around 12.99 USD a month.

Sigma Computing: What does it actually cost?

The vendor does not publish prices. Expect an annual contract priced by seat type, plus a warehouse compute increase you should model separately.

Numbers: Can I use Numbers on Windows?

Only through a limited web version at iCloud.com; there is no native Windows application.

Sigma Computing: Can business users break the warehouse?

They can run expensive queries. Warehouse sizing, query limits and materialised tables are the controls, and they need configuring before a wide rollout.

Sigma Computing: Is it a replacement for a modelling layer like dbt?

No. Sigma works best on top of modelled tables and is usually deployed alongside dbt rather than instead of it.

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