Numbers vs Tap Forms Pro

Numbers

• Mac, iPad and iPhone owners who want a spreadsheet at no cost
• Home budgets, invoices and checklists started from a template
• Laying out several tables and charts on one sheet

Tap Forms Pro

• Mac, iPhone and iPad users who want a personal database
• Keeping records on your own devices rather than on a vendor's servers
• Former Bento users: Bento data can be imported on the Mac

Numbers

• There are no Windows or Android apps; on a PC, Numbers is available only in a browser through iCloud.com.
• Magic Fill, premium templates and the Content Hub need an Apple Creator Studio subscription at $12.99 per month or $129 per year.
• Apple's compatibility list marks Excel macros, data validation, external data and slicers as not supported when a workbook is imported.

Tap Forms Pro

• Tap Forms Pro is sold by subscription only; the vendor says there is no lifetime option at this time.
• The vendor lists only Apple platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
• The Mac and iOS apps are licensed separately unless you choose the combined iOS and macOS subscription.
• The AI form generator works only with your own ChatGPT or DeepSeek API key.

Numbers

Flexible canvas

Tables, charts, text and images can be placed anywhere on a sheet, so one page can hold several separate tables alongside the charts that draw on them.

Functions, pivot tables and categories

Hundreds of functions, including XLOOKUP and RegEx, with a built-in function browser. Pivot tables and categories group and summarize a table's data.

Charts

2D and 3D charts including bar, column, line, area, pie, donut and radar, plus interactive column, bar, scatter and bubble charts that animate data.

Real-time collaboration

Share a spreadsheet publicly or with specific people through iCloud or Box and see their changes as they happen. Collaborators can join from a Mac, iPad, iPhone or a PC browser.

Excel and CSV files

Imports and edits Microsoft Excel and CSV files and exports to Excel, CSV, TSV and PDF. Apple publishes a feature-by-feature list of what carries over from Excel.

Magic Fill and premium content

For Apple Creator Studio subscribers, Magic Fill suggests contents or formulas for empty cells from patterns in nearby data. Subscribers also get premium templates and the Content Hub's photos and graphics.

Tap Forms Pro

Custom forms and layouts

Forms are built with the app's design tools or imported from a template library, and custom layouts for Mac, iPhone and iPad are arranged by drag and drop.

Local storage with optional sync

Data is stored locally on each device. Documents sync between devices and with other people through iCloud, including different Apple IDs, Dropbox, WebDAV or nearby devices.

Report generator

Reports and PDFs are customized and printed from report layouts designed in Tap Forms Pro for Mac.

Saved searches, tags and pick lists

Records are organized with colored tags, saved searches that show their match counts, records pinned to the top, and cascading pick lists with several levels of values.

Scripting and Shortcuts

A JavaScript script editor with code snippets and breakpoints automates work across forms. Scripts can run AppleScript, and Shortcuts can run scripts and control the app.

AI form generator

Entering a form name and description generates the form and its fields as a starting point. The feature needs your own ChatGPT or DeepSeek API key.

Numbers

• Numbers$0

  Create, view and edit spreadsheets on Mac, iPad, iPhone and iCloud.com, with real-time collaboration, pivot tables, charts and Excel import and export.

• Apple Creator Studio$12.99

  per month, or $129 per year

  Adds premium templates, the Content Hub media library, Magic Fill and image generation in Numbers, plus Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro.

Tap Forms Pro

• iOS, Individual License$12.99

  per year, or $1.99 per month

  Tap Forms Pro for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch for one person.

• iOS, Family License$14.99

  per year, or $2.99 per month

  The iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps on the devices of all Family Sharing members.

• macOS, Individual License$44.99

  per year, or $4.99 per month

  Tap Forms Pro for Mac for one person, without the iOS apps.

• macOS, Family License$49.99

  per year, or $5.99 per month

  The Mac app on the devices of all Family Sharing members, without the iOS apps.

• iOS and macOS, Individual License$49.99

  per year, or $5.99 per month

  The Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps for one person under a single subscription.

• iOS and macOS, Family License$59.99

  per year, or $8.99 per month

  The Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch apps on the devices of all Family Sharing members.

Numbers

• Annual discount

  About 17% less on the yearly plan

  Apple Creator Studio is $129 per year or $12.99 per month. Twelve monthly payments come to $155.88, so the yearly plan costs about 17% less.

• Education

  Students and educators: $2.99 a month

  Verified college students and educators pay $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year for Apple Creator Studio. Apple calls it a limited-time offer, and it cannot be shared through Family Sharing.

• Other savings

  3 months free with a new Mac or iPad

  Buyers of an eligible new Mac or iPad can try Apple Creator Studio free for 3 months, claimed within 3 months of activating the device.

Tap Forms Pro

• Annual discount

  Yearly subscriptions cost less than monthly

  The Individual License is $12.99 a year against $1.99 a month on iOS, $44.99 against $4.99 on macOS, and $49.99 against $5.99 for both, a saving of about 25% to 46%.

• Other savings

  Upgrade offers for Tap Forms 5 owners

  People who bought Tap Forms 5 within 6 months of installing Tap Forms Pro are offered 6 months free; earlier App Store buyers are offered a discount on their first year.