Microsoft Excel 2016 for Mac

Excel 2016 for Mac brings lots of welcome improvements to the workhorse spreadsheet but also leaves out useful tools.

Pros

Moving to the cloud: Like the other apps in the latest Mac Office suite, Excel 2016 lets you store, sync, and edit files online, via Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service. You can also save Excel files to your Dropbox account.

Collaborate: Excel 2016, through OneDrive, lets you share documents with colleagues and collaborate in real time. You can chat online as well, either through a document chat window or through Skype.

Modern design: The redesigned ribbon for the Mac version of Excel borrows the look and feel of its Windows counterpart, presenting tools and formatting options in much the same way as Excel for Windows does. Excel also recommends appropriate charts based on spreadsheet data.

Moving across platforms: Excel 2016 supports many of the Windows keyboard shortcuts and most of the Excel 2013 for Windows functions, which should make it easier to use the tool across platforms. The update also includes an Analysis ToolPak add-in, PivotTable slicers for analyzing data, and an improved formula builder.

Best feature: The best feature of Excel 2016 for Mac is its improved performance. With a medium-sized data set, the app runs faster and smoother, giving users a more lag-free and crash-free experience. Another great feature is that they have introduced modern chart types like treemap and solar flare to give users new ways to visualize data. Advanced visualization options help interpret complex information from a single view.

Cons

Macro limits: Prior to Office 2016, you could build macros in Excel for Mac. The 2016 edition offers what Microsoft calls a "simplified" Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which allows you to debug existing macros. But if you want to build new macros, you need to do that on the Windows side or use an earlier Mac version. For those who built macros in preceding Mac editions, this is a big loss.

Advanced data tools: However, Excel 2016 for Mac does have its limitations. One major downside is the lack of advanced data tools like Power Query and Power Pivot, available in the Windows version. These tools are critical for handling complex data analysis, and their absence may be a significant drawback for power users. Another limitation is the reduced ability to customize the Ribbon and toolbar, which offers fewer options than the Windows version, making it less flexible for users who like to tailor their workspace to their specific needs.

More Resources

Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac

LibreOffice

Google Drive Apps

Excel 2016 is probably worth the upgrade just based on its ability to take advantage of OneDrive. The new analysis tools and formula builder help keep Microsoft's spreadsheet an essential tool. Hobbling its macros tool, however, diminishes a bit of the attraction for serious users.