Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
User consensusAlternativesIs it worth it?
The verdict on

Google Sheets

60
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Google Sheets is praised for its accessibility, real-time collaboration, and cost-effectiveness, but the mobile app, especially on iPad, is frequently criticized for lacking essential features found in the web version, being buggy, and having an unintuitive interface.

4.8★ lifetime (1,790,698) Free + in-app purchases since 2014 by Google LLC updated 0.1 mo ago recent negative 33% 120 reviews across 2 regions
Feature Parity Crashes & Bugs User Interface (UI) & Experience (UX) Collaboration & Accessibility Free & Powerful
5★70
4★12
3★18
2★13
1★37
recent reviews across 2 regions, vs the 4.8★ lifetime average

Google Sheets is generally well-regarded for its ease of use, compatibility across devices, and collaborative features, making it a popular free alternative to other spreadsheet software. However, the mobile application, particularly on tablets, is often seen as a stripped-down version of the web app, leading to user frustration due to missing functionalities, frequent crashes, and a difficult user interface.

What users like

  • Easy to use and practical for on-the-go data entry and trackingR2R3R9R13
  • Excellent for real-time collaboration and syncing across multiple usersR35R54R78
  • Free and offers many features comparable to paid alternatives like ExcelR44R48R53R83
  • Compatible with various devices and can be used offlineR6R21R84

What users complain about

  • Mobile app lacks significant features and functionality compared to the web versionR1R6R7R22
  • Frequent crashes and stability issues, especially after recent updates or with large documentsR8R20R28R50
  • User interface is often described as unintuitive, difficult to use, and frustrating, particularly on iPadR4R10R18R31
  • Issues with data integrity, such as data moving or being lost, and problems with formattingR96R98R130R142
  • Specific features like 'paste special', 'sort', conditional formatting, and custom number formats are missing or difficult to access on mobileR6R31R56R63

Latest update · v1.2026.27101

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

* Security improvements, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

Recurring themes

Feature Parity negative
Many users express frustration that the mobile app, especially on iPad, lacks crucial features available in the web version, such as 'paste special', sorting, conditional formatting, and custom number formats. This limitation often forces users to switch to a browser or desktop to complete tasks.R1R6R7R22
Crashes & Bugs negative
A significant number of recent reviews report frequent app crashes, especially after updates or when opening large documents. Some users also note other bugs like disappearing options, formatting issues, or data moving unexpectedly. The developer's notes mention 'bug fixes' but recent reviews contradict this, indicating ongoing stability issues.R8R20R28R50
User Interface (UI) & Experience (UX) negative
Many users find the app's interface unintuitive and difficult to navigate, particularly on tablets. Specific complaints include difficulty resizing rows/columns, hidden menu items, awkward touch controls, and issues with the keyboard not appearing.R4R10R31R38
Collaboration & Accessibility positive
Users appreciate Google Sheets for its seamless real-time syncing and collaboration capabilities, allowing multiple users to work on the same sheet efficiently. Its accessibility across various devices and the ability to work offline are also highlighted as significant advantages.R6R21R35R54
Free & Powerful positive
Many reviewers praise Google Sheets for being a free yet powerful spreadsheet tool that can rival or even surpass Microsoft Excel for many use cases. It's seen as a valuable resource for personal finance, timetables, and general data organization.R15R19R36R44

Who it's for

Google Sheets is for users who need a free, collaborative spreadsheet tool for basic data entry, tracking, and sharing across multiple devices R2R3R35R54. It's particularly useful for individuals or groups who prioritize real-time syncing and accessibility on the go R21R35. Skip if you rely on advanced spreadsheet features like 'paste special', conditional formatting, or complex data validation, especially on an iPad R6R31R56R63. Also, skip if you require a highly stable app for large or complex documents, as recent updates have introduced crashing issues R8R28.

Evidence note: The recent reviews show a significant negative trend, with many users reporting crashes and missing features, especially on iPad. This contrasts sharply with the high lifetime rating, suggesting a recent decline in app quality or user experience for mobile versions. The developer's notes mention 'bug fixes' but recent reviews indicate ongoing issues.

Frequently asked

Is Google Sheets free?
Yes, Google Sheets is free to use, offering many features that users find comparable to paid alternatives like Microsoft Excel R44R48R53R83.
Does the Google Sheets app have all the features of the web version?
No, the Google Sheets mobile app, particularly on iPad, is frequently criticized for lacking significant features and functionality found in the full web version, such as 'paste special', sorting, conditional formatting, and custom number formats R1R6R7R22.
Is the Google Sheets app stable?
Recent reviews indicate that the Google Sheets app has stability issues, with many users reporting frequent crashes, especially after recent updates or when opening large documents R8R20R28R50.
Is Google Sheets good for collaboration?
Yes, Google Sheets is highly praised for its excellent real-time syncing and collaboration capabilities, allowing multiple users to work on the same sheet seamlessly R35R54R78.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] 5/5 · GB Easy Handy Compatible: Simple way to record information on the go that needs to be processed and shared on a larger scale.
  2. [R3] 5/5 · GB Easy to use: Make your life better
  3. [R9] 5/5 · GB Mr Waheed: Very helpful and easy to use I am new to this will see more
  4. [R13] 5/5 · GB Simple and perfect: This is easy and simple to use. Just what I need
  5. [R35] 5/5 · GB Sync: Fantastic immediate sync when multiple users working on the same sheet!
  6. [R54] 5/5 · GB Great app: Incredible app. It’s free and allows people to collaborate on projects. Very user friendly, just wish we had all the laptop features on my ipad
  7. [R78] 5/5 · GB My fav spreadsheet app: Great table based tool in the cloud for collaboration. Similar to Excel function wise. So many use cases and the favourite is to manage money with my teenage kid. Brings transparency and introduces structure. Brings him also the technology closer.
  8. [R44] 5/5 · GB For what I do as good as excel: For what I do as good as excel - plus it’s free !
  9. [R48] 5/5 · GB Simply Wonderful: A free app with so many features and possibilities. 5 Stars are simply not enough
  10. [R53] 5/5 · GB Just as good as …..: Once you get used to idiosyncrasies it is exceptional and free!
  11. [R83] 5/5 · GB Simple as abc: Google sheets is a wonderful and simple spreadsheet, and even better ITS FREE.
  12. [R6] 4/5 · GB Great for potable devices: Can be used off line and compatible with many computing devices. Functionality limited. If you want features such as ‘paste special’ or ‘sort’ then you need to access sheets from a browser. Whilst limited functionality may be justified for phone use, I would have thought that there could be a tablet version with the extra features.
  13. [R21] 5/5 · GB Usage: Practical and handy to use on the move
  14. [R84] 5/5 · GB Big fan of all Google Drive tools: For my particular use-cases, Google sheets has proven to be more than helpful and does the job really really well. I can do everything I am able to in Microsoft Excel and still save as Excel format in case I want to then edit using Microsoft Excel. Furthermore, it is pretty much free to use. Incredible. To sum it up, it works well on mobile devices too.
  15. [R1] 3/5 · GB Okay but missing significant numbers of functions: A very irritating porting of sheets into iPad. Avoid it and use the web. Make sure you also use chrome though, because Google have deliberately made sheets incompatible with almost any other browser.
  16. [R7] 4/5 · GB More Features Please: Using iPad, features like drop-downs aren’t available. Would love the full features to come to iPad, it can’t need as much power as MacBook or iMac?
  17. [R22] 3/5 · GB Good but not quite enough: I use Google Sheets for all my spreadsheet needs now and the web app is excellent. This app is OK for a simple review or change but is missing a number of features that I rely on in the web app. Would be better if the mobile app was feature parity with the web version.
  18. [R8] 1/5 · GB New update: Not sure what’s going on but since the new update the app keeps crashing and closing down. Takes ages to open the sheet for the app to just close down. Can’t get any work done
  19. [R20] 2/5 · GB Awful: Recently it doesn’t work properly. Its updated. But still jump out quickly after opening
  20. [R28] 1/5 · GB Quits within seconds: I’ve used it for years to edit one particular spreadsheet on the move. It used to crash occasionally. Now it crashes about 10 seconds after opening it every time. When I can open a sheet, it’s hard to see a lot of data at once on a phone. Also the black sign-in box blocks you from selecting the sheet you want to see for several seconds.
  21. [R50] 3/5 · GB Buggy but still great: The app for Sheets crashes every time I update a cell, but that cell does lead to many other cells updating.
  22. [R4] 2/5 · GB Poor on iphone: Too difficult to resize rows/columns for viewing. Seems impossible to hide unnecessary row & column numbers.
  23. [R10] 1/5 · GB Massively unfriendly to use: It’s almost imposdible to use
  24. [R18] 1/5 · GB Irritating UX: Please turn off spellcheck in cells, most useless feature under the sun. Doubles my work wrongly correcting scientific vocabulary!
  25. [R31] 1/5 · GB Good on Desktop ; Bad on iPad: I actually really like Google Sheets. But the user experience on iPad is painful. Many of the Google Sheets features (such as sorting columns, amongst many other things) are completely missing. There is no native iPad support for the Apple Pencil, multiple windows, or Apple Toolbar. It feels a lot like a lazy iPhone port instead of a native iPad app. I cannot recomme
  26. [R96] 1/5 · GB Don’t use this: It’s wiped all of my information & figures I spent hours putting in, don’t use this app, it’s an absolute disaster!
  27. [R98] 1/5 · GB Weird things happening . formatting: Really weird things happening just as i thought id almost finished …. Tried ‘tidying up format ‘ as text size for some unknown reason varied .. new rows didnt have same format, sent everything loco _ dates now just a string of numbers … tried undo … now i cant get the cursor back to the cell im touching … has a mind of its own jumping cell to cell …
  28. [R130] 3/5 · CA Sheets review: I have inserted data to have it sorted, since I do not know how to sort with Google Sheets for Apple. When the app closes and I reopen it, the data that I inserted moves to another row sometimes up, sometimes down anywhere from 5-9 rows. When this happens it overwrites the data and I lose information, now I don’t know how long it will take to retrieve it all, and I don’t know how
  29. [R142] 1/5 · CA Unreliable: Lost important docs in the past. Always back up, Goggle sheet is not reliable
  30. [R56] 1/5 · GB Paste only values still not there: It is a simple feature to implement and it is still not there. I am forced to use a laptop just because this feature is not available on phone.
  31. [R63] 2/5 · GB Way too basic: Lots of features are hard to find, on my iPad version and it feels unintuitive to use. Also features are missing such as conditional formatting!
  32. [R38] 1/5 · GB Not good: They are incredibly hard to use compared to excel
  33. [R15] 5/5 · GB Google Sheets: This is really useful for making a timetable! Thank you so much for this so good app!
  34. [R19] 5/5 · GB Great way of keeping your finance records: 5*
  35. [R36] 5/5 · GB Love it: Track everything through sheets

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store