Google Sheets vs Sourcetable

Google Sheets

• Teams that edit and review the same spreadsheet together in a browser
• Organizations that already pay for Google Workspace
• Analysts pulling BigQuery or Looker data into a spreadsheet

Sourcetable

• Analysts who want to query databases and SaaS data without writing SQL
• Finance and market research in a spreadsheet with an AI assistant
• Students and faculty, who get 50% off the Pro and Max plans

Google Sheets

• There is no standalone paid Sheets plan; the business version comes only as part of Google Workspace, with Gmail, Drive and Meet.
• Gemini in Sheets is not in Business Starter; it starts at Business Standard, $14 per user / month on a 1-year commitment.
• A spreadsheet created in or converted to Google Sheets is capped at 20 million cells or 100 MB.
• Google's help lists Sheets for computer browsers, Android, iPhone and iPad; no Windows or Mac desktop app is listed.

Sourcetable

• AI use is metered in credits: 50 a month on the free Regular plan, 2,000 on Pro and 6,000 on Max, with extra credits sold in one-time packs from $10.
• Deep Research, premium AI models, the Python toolkit and the SQL editor need the Pro plan.
• It runs in the browser only; on phones the vendor describes viewing workbooks and quick edits rather than the full experience.
• The pricing page lists monthly prices only, and the vendor's FAQ page quotes a different Pro price ($20 a month).

Google Sheets

Co-editing and revision history

Several people can work in one spreadsheet at the same time. Sharing settings control who can view, comment or edit, and revision history restores earlier versions.

Gemini in Sheets

Builds and edits spreadsheets from a prompt, writes and repairs formulas, and fills table columns with summarized or categorized data. Among Business editions it starts at Business Standard.

Sheets canvas

Turns the data in a sheet into interactive mini-apps such as dashboards, heat maps and Kanban boards from a text prompt, without writing code.

Connected Sheets and data connectors

Connected Sheets analyzes BigQuery or Looker data from the grid without SQL, and connectors bring in data from sources such as Asana, HubSpot, QuickBooks and Salesforce.

Excel files

Microsoft Excel files can be edited directly without making a copy, or converted to Sheets format. Gemini features such as Sheets canvas need the file converted first.

Offline editing

Spreadsheets can be created, viewed and edited without a connection. On a computer this requires Chrome or Microsoft Edge with the Google Docs Offline extension.

Sourcetable

AI analyst in the spreadsheet

Ask a question in plain English and the AI answers it, writes formulas, builds pivots and cleans or transforms data. Manual control stays available through A1-style formulas.

Data connectors

Connects to databases and applications including PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery, Supabase, Stripe, Notion, GA4 and Google Ads. The vendor counts more than 900 data sources.

Charts from a prompt

Describe a chart and it is built from the data. Visualizations can be downloaded as images or embedded as interactive widgets that update when the data changes.

Python and SQL

The Pro plan adds a Python and data science toolkit with libraries such as Pandas, NumPy and Scikit-learn, plus a SQL editor, query builder and query library.

Large files

Files of up to 10 GB are supported, with larger limits on request. Large files are processed server-side, and the vendor says files with over 1 million rows can be analyzed.

Sharing and version history

Workbooks are shared by email invite or link with view, edit or admin permissions and edited together in real time. Changes are saved automatically, with versions that can be restored.

Google Sheets

• Personal Google Account$0

  Create, edit and share spreadsheets in a browser or the mobile apps, with co-editing, revision history and offline access.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with Sheets and 30 GB of pooled storage per user. Gemini in Sheets is not included.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  2 TB of pooled storage per user. The lowest Business edition that includes Gemini in Sheets.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  Everything in Standard with 5 TB of pooled storage per user, plus Vault, eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  No minimum or maximum user count, with data loss prevention, context-aware access and data regions; priced through Google sales.

Sourcetable

• Regular$0

  50 AI credits a month, the AI spreadsheet assistant with message limits, formulas, pivots, charts and access to data connectors.

• Pro$29

  per user / month

  2,000 credits a month, Deep Research, premium AI models, the Python and data science toolkit, and a SQL editor, query builder and library.

• Max$100

  per user / month

  6,000 credits a month, the highest model intelligence, advanced agent capabilities and unlimited AI messages, subject to abuse guardrails.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For teams of 15 or more seats: SAML single sign-on, bring-your-own-key encryption, role-based access control and a dedicated account manager.

Google Sheets

• Annual discount

  Save 16% with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter is $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan against $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which includes Sheets, is available at no charge to qualifying institutions.

Sourcetable

• Education

  50% off Pro and Max for students and faculty

  The pricing FAQ says students and faculty receive a 50% discount on the Pro and Max plans by emailing support. Students are also asked to sign up with a university email.

• Nonprofit

  Discounted pricing for registered non-profits

  Sourcetable's FAQ says registered non-profit organizations can receive discounted pricing by contacting support with their documentation. The amount is not published.