Office & Mobile Suites
Arte Sheets vs Microsoft Excel on iPad and iPhone
When Arte Sheets fits best
- Opens immediately at sheets.arte-soft.com/app/ on 11-inch and 13-inch iPads with full free editing and no 10.1-inch screen paywall.
- Requires no account to edit local workbooks in browser IndexedDB, with Service Worker shell caching for offline reopening.
- Includes 184 Excel-compatible functions (XLOOKUP, FILTER, UNIQUE, SUMIFS, PMT) plus free interactive formula guides.
When Microsoft Excel (iPad & iPhone) fits best
- Native iPadOS/iOS app with direct Apple Files, iCloud Drive, and OneDrive file-picker integration.
- Preserves embedded Excel charts, comments, and complex desktop Print Area layouts inside .xlsx files.
- Included at no extra cost if you already pay for Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/yr) or Family ($129.99/yr).
Architecture, iPad Screen Paywalls, and Account Rules
Microsoft enforces a longstanding 10.1-inch screen threshold on mobile devices: iPhones and iPad mini models can perform basic edits after signing in with a Microsoft account, whereas 10.9-inch iPad, 11-inch iPad Air/Pro, and 13-inch iPad Air/Pro models drop into read-only mode unless linked to an active Microsoft 365 subscription.
Arte Sheets is an independent web spreadsheet application rather than an App Store binary. Because it runs in mobile Safari or Chrome, there is no screen-size restriction, no multi-hundred-megabyte app download, and no mandatory login wall before entering formulas or importing an .xlsx or .csv file.
| Capability | Arte Sheets (Mobile Web) | Microsoft Excel (iOS / iPadOS App) |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery model | Browser web app (Safari / Chrome) with Service Worker shell | Native App Store binary (~350+ MB install) |
| Editing on 11" & 13" iPads | Free without sign-up ($0) | Requires paid Microsoft 365 subscription |
| Mandatory account to start | None (anonymous local IndexedDB workbooks) | Microsoft account sign-in required |
| Supported file imports | .xlsx, .xlsm, .xls, .xlsb, .ods, .csv, .tsv, .txt (up to 32 MB) | .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb, .csv, .txt (native iOS Files / OneDrive) |
| Supported file exports | .xlsx (formulas & styles), .csv, .tsv, .ods, .xls, .xlsb, PDF print | .xlsx (full workbook objects), .csv, PDF |
| Cloud storage location | Optional EU cloud (Hetzner Germany); 10 files free / 1,000 Pro | Microsoft OneDrive / SharePoint (US & global regions) |
Formulas, PivotTables, and Touch-plus-Keyboard Workflows
For day-to-day financial and operational modeling on an iPad with a Magic Keyboard or touch screen, Arte Sheets ships 184 Excel-compatible functions in its calculation worker, including dynamic arrays (XLOOKUP, XMATCH, FILTER, SORT, UNIQUE, SEQUENCE) alongside SUMIFS, INDEX/MATCH, and PMT.
Important compatibility boundaries apply when moving files back and forth: Arte Sheets exports formulas and cell formatting cleanly to .xlsx, whereas canvas charts and page macros stay inside Arte Sheets rather than embedding into exported .xlsx binaries. Native Excel on iPad preserves existing desktop Excel charts and PivotTable caches, though neither platform runs full desktop COM add-ins or Power Query editors on iPadOS.
| Workflow Area | Arte Sheets | Microsoft Excel for iPad |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in formula count | 184 Excel-compatible functions + dynamic arrays | 450+ Excel worksheet functions (including LET & LAMBDA) |
| Modern lookup & spill functions | XLOOKUP, XMATCH, FILTER, UNIQUE, SORT, VSTACK, HSTACK | XLOOKUP, XMATCH, FILTER, UNIQUE, SORT, LET, LAMBDA |
| PivotTables | SUM PivotTables free; AVERAGE, COUNT, MIN, MAX & column groups in Pro | View & edit PivotTables (with Microsoft 365 on >10.1" iPads) |
| Charts | 7 canvas chart types (Column, Bar, Line, Area, Pie, Doughnut, Scatter) | Full native Office chart engine preserved inside .xlsx |
| Macros & automation | Pro JS/VBA-style Macro Studio & Goal Seek in browser | Views .xlsm files; cannot record or execute desktop VBA on iPadOS |
| In-app guided learning & AI | Free public practice guides; Pro AI assistant (2,000 credits/mo) | Microsoft Copilot requires separate add-on or eligible M365 tier |
Pricing and Multi-Year Cost Comparison
If you only need to open, inspect, calculate, and export .xlsx or .csv spreadsheets on an iPad without subscribing to an entire office bundle, Arte Sheets Free costs $0 forever. Upgrading to Arte Sheets Pro ($19.99/month or $179.99/year before tax; no lifetime plan) is optional and unlocks 2,000 monthly AI credits, multi-dimensional PivotTables, Goal Seek, Macro Studio, all 62 interactive Academy lessons, and 1,000 private EU cloud workbooks.
Microsoft 365 Personal ($99.99/year) is cost-effective when you actively use Word, PowerPoint, desktop Excel, and 1 TB of OneDrive storage across devices, but unnecessary overhead when you only want an uncluttered spreadsheet grid in Safari.
| Plan / Tier | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | 3-Year Total | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arte Sheets Free | $0 | $0 | $0 | Zero-signup iPad/iPhone browser editing, 184 formulas, .xlsx/.csv export, 10 EU cloud files |
| Arte Sheets Pro | $19.99/mo | $179.99/yr | $539.97 | In-app AI assistant (2,000 credits/mo), 62 Academy lessons, Goal Seek, 1,000 EU cloud files |
| Microsoft Excel Free (iPhone / <10.1") | $0 | $0 | $0 | Quick viewing or small-screen iPhone edits with a Microsoft login |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99/mo | $99.99/yr | $299.97 | Full native Excel on 11"/13" iPads plus Word, PowerPoint & 1 TB OneDrive |
| Microsoft 365 Family (up to 6 users) | $12.99/mo | $129.99/yr | $389.97 | Households sharing full Office apps and cloud storage across multiple Apple devices |
Frequently asked questions
Is Arte Sheets a native iOS App Store download?
No. Arte Sheets is a browser-based spreadsheet application at sheets.arte-soft.com/app/ with an offline Service Worker shell and local IndexedDB storage. It runs in Safari or Chrome on iPad and iPhone without an App Store install.
Can I edit .xlsx spreadsheets on an 11-inch or 13-inch iPad for free in Arte Sheets?
Yes. Unlike Microsoft Excel for iPad, which requires a Microsoft 365 subscription for editing on screens larger than 10.1 inches, Arte Sheets allows full core editing, 184 formulas, and .xlsx/.csv export at no cost on any screen size.
Do my spreadsheets stay private on my iPad if I do not sign up?
Yes. Without an account, workbooks stay locally in your iPad browser storage (IndexedDB) and are not uploaded to cloud servers unless you sign in and save them to My files.
What features require native Microsoft Excel instead of Arte Sheets?
Choose Microsoft Excel if you need embedded .xlsx chart round-tripping, LET/LAMBDA formulas, worksheets with hundreds of thousands of complex linked cells, or direct OneDrive/SharePoint co-authoring.