Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Microsoft Excel vs Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel 4.8★ · Free to download 85
Winner Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint 4.7★ · Free to download 75

For complex data management and analysis, Microsoft Excel is the stronger choice due to its powerful features, while Microsoft PowerPoint excels in creative presentation design and collaboration.

Full reviews: Microsoft Excel · Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel is highly valued for its robust data management and analytical capabilities, despite some mobile app limitations. Microsoft PowerPoint is praised for its creative presentation tools and collaboration features, though it also faces criticism for mobile app functionality and glitches.

Head to head

Features & Functionality edge: Microsoft ExcelR3R6R8R12
Microsoft Excel Users praise Excel's extensive features for organizing finances, projects, and tasks, and its powerful data management capabilities R8. However, many note that the mobile app lacks crucial desktop features, such as VBA macros, keyboard shortcuts, and full cell editing, making it less efficient and clunky R3R6R12R15. Some users also report issues with specific features like Copilot .
Microsoft PowerPoint PowerPoint users appreciate its ability to express creativity through large texts, pictures, and videos, and its transitions . The app is also noted for its collaboration features . However, the mobile app is criticized for missing or hiding desktop features, making editing difficult . Specific complaints include the inability to change design themes, undo actions after exiting, or easily paste images .
Ease of Use tieR6R9R19R27
Microsoft Excel While some users find Excel easy to use and powerful for daily tasks , others describe the mobile app as not user-friendly, difficult, and clunky R9R55. Specific complaints include difficulty with cell selection, missing keyboard shortcuts, and non-intuitive button placements R6R27R55. The need to sign in frequently is also a point of frustration R19.
Microsoft PowerPoint PowerPoint is generally considered user-friendly for viewing presentations and notes . However, many users find the mobile app difficult to edit with, citing issues with clicking, finding features, and a confusing UI . Some also dislike constant pop-up tips and interruptions .
Reliability & Performance tieR10R13R16R22
Microsoft Excel Excel users report frequent issues with the mobile app freezing, crashing, and losing data, especially on iPad R34R37R39. Problems with file loading, syncing with desktop versions, and printing/exporting to PDF are also common R10R13R16R22.
Microsoft PowerPoint PowerPoint also suffers from reliability issues, with users experiencing the app freezing, crashing, and losing entire projects . Some report that edits do not save, especially for shared files . Glitches and slow loading times are also noted .
Price & Value tieR12R36R59R86
Microsoft Excel Excel is free to download, but users complain about needing a subscription to access editing features and premium functionality, even after purchasing lifetime access in the past R12R36R59.
Microsoft PowerPoint PowerPoint is also free to download, but users state that most or all features require payment R86. Some users express frustration with having to pay for a subscription while still encountering limitations on mobile devices .
Pick Microsoft Excel if

You need a powerful tool for complex data organization, analysis, and financial management, and are willing to tolerate some limitations and potential bugs in the mobile app R8.

Pick Microsoft PowerPoint if

You primarily create and deliver presentations, value creative expression through visuals and transitions, and need collaboration features, but are prepared for potential mobile app glitches and feature differences from the desktop version .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of positive reviews praising their core functionality, but recent negative reviews heavily focus on mobile app limitations, bugs, and subscription requirements. The free-to-download model for both leads to friction for non-paying users who encounter feature restrictions.

Frequently asked

Are Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps fully functional compared to their desktop versions?
No, both Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps are noted by users to have significant limitations and missing features compared to their desktop counterparts, with many finding them less efficient and clunky for editing (R6, R15, R27, R55 for Excel; , , , for PowerPoint).
Do I need to pay to use Excel or PowerPoint on mobile?
While both apps are free to download, users report that editing capabilities and premium features often require a paid subscription (R12, R36, R59 for Excel; R86, , for PowerPoint).
Are there common technical issues with the mobile apps?
Yes, both Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps are frequently reported to experience issues such as freezing, crashing, data loss, and problems with file syncing, loading, printing, and exporting (R10, R34, R37, R39, for Excel; , , , , for PowerPoint).

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. [R3] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · US Add card view to iPad version: I love everything excel, but on my phone I have a awesome card view, but I don’t see the same feature on my iPad. You should add it. I think it will increase the use of Excel on mobile devices
  2. [R6] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · US Almost the Excel I know for my PC: Microsoft deliberately makes using this software on an iPad more difficult and less efficient. Some basic, non complicated features, like holding control to select multiple cells, are not available. Lots of things like that which are just strange not to allow and really destroy efficiency. Overall I can still get the job done, it just feels intentionally limit
  3. [R8] Microsoft Excel 5/5 · US Life: I use excel almost daily . I depend on it.
  4. [R12] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · US Typical Microsoft: Does not support vba macros Does not support editing without paying Wow i can see my data but….. Sometimes the bottom and top toolbars disappears when you scroll down and you have to hit fx to get it back or scroll up. This is not always convenient. This is cumbersome and can lead to errors
  5. [R9] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · US Not great: Not user friendly
  6. [R19] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US SIGN IN FOR OUTLOOK SUCKS: SIGNING IN EACH TIME I NEED TO USE A SPREADSHEET IS INSANE
  7. [R27] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · GB Love excel but app version limited: Things like keyboard shortcuts don’t work. Copying and pasting is very hard to find. Moving cell boundaries difficult. Everything is hard to find/ missing and it’s just more frustrating to use. I’ve got it to the point where i can do a portion of what i can do on a normal desktop version in the app , on an ipad, but it’s a lot less user friendly and feels like a
  8. [R10] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US Poor: Can’t export to pdf nor print file
  9. [R13] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US Sux Dix: Suboptimal experience not being able to click a file and open it…ugh
  10. [R16] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US Amazing update, completely disables printing or exporting files in any way: Amazing update, completely disables printing or exporting files in any way
  11. [R22] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US It stopped converting files to PDF over time: We spent a long time making a calculator for the company that creates estimates for customers. Now it doesn't work. · translated
  12. [R36] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · GB Paid for but can’t access premium features: I started a subscription but it just says “something went wrong “ and can’t access features.
  13. [R59] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US Knock off the subscriptions: i purchased lifetime access and now am told I need a recurring subscription just to look at products that I created years ago. Get over the subscription threats, OpenOffice does the same thing. For free.
  14. [R86] Microsoft PowerPoint 4/5 · US Money: You have to pay them a lot of money and if you’re a kid you cannot do it. Also, if you maybe be like a parent and you have to do a presentation and you don’t have a microscopic account you are stuck with a creek that means you cannot send in your presentation right away and you might have to like sit if you make a scrub account and that is a lot just to do I’ll see the slides are just not t
  15. [R15] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · US App is missing a lot of functionality: App for Excel is missing many simple features that are in the desktop version.
  16. [R55] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US Clunky non-intuitive button placements: This is a software that I wish people did not use. It is bulky and has oft-used menu elements hidden in non-obvious places. Also, its functionality on an iPad is atrocious with standard keyboard shortcuts having been overridden. When you have to take recourse to searching help pages for so many common tasks, that is irksome.
  17. [R34] Microsoft Excel 2/5 · US Freezes: It freezes to the point of having to close out of the application. Not ideal usage for iPad.
  18. [R37] Microsoft Excel 1/5 · US Broken app: While trying to view an excel sheet once I try to zoom in or out the sheet is permanently broken until I close out of the app. Once I adjust zoom all cells no longer load
  19. [R39] Microsoft Excel 3/5 · GB Freezing: Since the last update the whole app has been freezing as soon as you open a document, just not doing anything or letting you press anything anywhere. Really frustrating. Literally tried everything, closing down the app, turning my phone off and on, nothing helps.

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