Compact mode

COUNTA vs CONCATENATE vs FORMULATEXT

Table of content

Basic Classification Comparison
Usage Context Comparison
Basic Information Comparison
History Comparison
Facts Comparison

Usage Information Comparison
Technical Details Comparison
Evaluation Comparison
Ratings Comparison

Basic Classification Comparison

Function Category 📊

Primary classification of the Excel function based on its main purpose and usage domain, helps users quickly identify function types

COUNTA

Statistical

COUNTA belongs to the Statistical category. Excel functions for statistical analysis and calculations Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

Text

CONCATENATE belongs to the Text category. Excel functions for manipulating and analyzing text data Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

Information

FORMULATEXT belongs to the Information category. Excel functions that provide information about cells and data Click to see all.
Operation Type 🔧

Fundamental type of operation or action that the Excel function performs on its inputs

COUNTA

Calculation

COUNTA performs Calculation operations. Excel functions for performing various calculations Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

Manipulation

CONCATENATE performs Manipulation operations. Functions that modify and transform data in different ways Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

Information

FORMULATEXT performs Information operations. Functions that focus on retrieving and displaying data in various formats Click to see all.

Usage Context Comparison

For whom 👥

Target user groups who would benefit most from using this Excel function

For all*

Data Analysts

Excel functions specifically designed for data analysis and interpretation

COUNTA

Business Managers

COUNTA is designed for Business Managers. Excel functions helpful for business management and decision making Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

Administrative Staff

CONCATENATE is designed for Administrative Staff. Excel functions useful for administrative tasks and data management Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

Students

FORMULATEXT is designed for Students. Excel functions helpful for academic work and learning Click to see all.
Purpose 📝

Primary purposes and use cases of the Excel function

COUNTA

Data Analysis

COUNTA is used for Data Analysis. Functions specifically designed for analyzing data Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

Text Manipulation

CONCATENATE is used for Text Manipulation. Excel functions that modify and format text content Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

Data Analysis

FORMULATEXT is used for Data Analysis. Functions specifically designed for analyzing data Click to see all.

Text Manipulation

FORMULATEXT is used for Text Manipulation. Excel functions that modify and format text content Click to see all.

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

COUNTA

Count Non-Empty Cells

COUNTA is known for Count Non-Empty Cells.

CONCATENATE

Text Joining

CONCATENATE is known for Text Joining.

FORMULATEXT

Formula Inspection

FORMULATEXT is known for Formula Inspection.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

COUNTA

Excel 2.0

COUNTA was created in Excel 2.0. Functions introduced in the Excel 2.0 version release Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

Excel 95

CONCATENATE was created in Excel 95. Functions that came with Excel 95 release Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

Excel 2013

FORMULATEXT was created in Excel 2013. Functions added in the Excel 2013 release Click to see all.
Created By 👤

Organization or team responsible for developing the function

For all*

Microsoft Excel Team

Functions officially created by the Microsoft Excel development team

Facts Comparison

Interesting Fact 💡

Unique or lesser-known information about the Excel function

COUNTA

Originally designed for counting attendance in spreadsheets

CONCATENATE

Predecessor to &

FORMULATEXT

Popular among Excel trainers
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

COUNTA

Makes counting feel like a thrilling adventure in cell exploration

CONCATENATE

Making text joining unnecessarily formal

FORMULATEXT

The formula whisperer

Usage Information Comparison

Formula Complexity Level 📖

Indicates the difficulty level and complexity of using the Excel function effectively

For all*

Simple

Basic Excel functions for common calculations and tasks

Technical Details Comparison

Input Data Type 📝

Types of data that the Excel function accepts as input parameters

For all*

Text

Excel functions specifically designed for text manipulation

COUNTA

Number

COUNTA accepts Number as input data. Excel functions specifically designed for numerical calculations Click to see all.

Array

COUNTA accepts Array as input data. Excel functions designed to work with arrays and ranges of data Click to see all.
Version Compatibility 💻

Indicates which Excel versions and platforms the function is compatible with < including Office 365< Excel 2019< 2016< etc.

For all*

Excel 2019

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2019 version
Excel 2016

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2016 version
Excel 2013

Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2013 version

CONCATENATE

Microsoft 365

CONCATENATE is compatible with Microsoft 365 Excel functions optimized for the latest Microsoft 365 platform Click to see all.

Excel Online

CONCATENATE is compatible with Excel Online Excel functions optimized for use in the web-based Excel Online platform Click to see all.
Operating System 💾

Specifies the operating systems where the function can be used < including Windows< macOS< and web platforms

For all*

Windows

Excel functions optimized for Windows operating system
MacOS

Excel functions optimized for MacOS users
Web Excel

Excel functions available in web-based versions
Required Arguments Count 🔢

Number of mandatory arguments needed for the function to work properly

COUNTA

1

COUNTA needs 1 required arguments Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

2

CONCATENATE needs 2 required arguments Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

1

FORMULATEXT needs 1 required arguments Click to see all.
Required Arguments Type 📊

The data types accepted as valid input arguments for the function

COUNTA

Array

COUNTA accepts Array as input types Excel functions that specifically work with array inputs for calculations Click to see all.

Range

COUNTA accepts Range as input types Excel functions that operate on cell ranges for calculations Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

Text

CONCATENATE accepts Text as input types Excel functions specialized in text string manipulation and processing Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

Range

FORMULATEXT accepts Range as input types Excel functions that operate on cell ranges for calculations Click to see all.

Evaluation Comparison

Pros ✅

Key advantages and strengths of the Excel function

COUNTA

Easy To Use

Fast

Non-Zero Values Only

Versatile

CONCATENATE

Simple Text Combining

Clear Syntax

Simple To Use

Flexible Text Combination

FORMULATEXT

Great For Learning

Easy Debugging
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

COUNTA

Counts Text As Valid

Includes Errors

Functions that consider error values in their computations, affecting results Click to see all.

Format Sensitive

CONCATENATE

No Automatic Formatting

Functions that don't automatically adjust the format of their output Click to see all.

Limited To Text

Limited To Text Only

Functions that exclusively work with text data and cannot process numbers or dates Click to see all.

No Delimiter Options

FORMULATEXT

Only Works With Formulas

Limited Functionality

Functions with restricted capabilities, reducing problem-solving options Click to see all.

Ratings Comparison

Ease of Use Score 📊

User-rated score for function's ease of use

COUNTA

9.5

User-rated score for function's ease of use (25%) Having high ease of use score means the function is more intuitive and user-friendly. Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

9

User-rated score for function's ease of use (25%) Having high ease of use score means the function is more intuitive and user-friendly. Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

9

User-rated score for function's ease of use (25%) Having high ease of use score means the function is more intuitive and user-friendly. Click to see all.
Versatility Score 📈

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios

COUNTA

8

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios (25%) Functions with higher versatility scores can be used in more diverse scenarios and applications. Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

7

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios (25%) Functions with higher versatility scores can be used in more diverse scenarios and applications. Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

5.5

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios (25%) Functions with higher versatility scores can be used in more diverse scenarios and applications. Click to see all.
Performance Score ⚙

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency

For all*

9.5
Reliability Score 🛠

Rating for function's consistency and error handling

COUNTA

9.8

Rating for function's consistency and error handling (25%) Functions with higher reliability scores produce more consistent results and handle edge cases better. Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

9

Rating for function's consistency and error handling (25%) Functions with higher reliability scores produce more consistent results and handle edge cases better. Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

9

Rating for function's consistency and error handling (25%) Functions with higher reliability scores produce more consistent results and handle edge cases better. Click to see all.
Score ⭐

Overall rating combining all scoring attributes

COUNTA

9.2

The overall score for COUNTA is 9.2. Click to see all.

CONCATENATE

8.6

The overall score for CONCATENATE is 8.6. Click to see all.

FORMULATEXT

8.3

The overall score for FORMULATEXT is 8.3. Click to see all.

Alternatives to COUNTA

Known for Extract Rightmost Characters

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

⭐ is rated higher than CONCATENATE

Known for Text Extraction

📊 is easier to use than CONCATENATE

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

Known for Removing Non-Printable Characters

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

Known for Character Count Calculation

📊 is easier to use than CONCATENATE

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

Known for Convert Text To Lowercase

📊 is easier to use than CONCATENATE

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

Known for Capitalize First Letters

Known for Extracting Text Segments

🔢 needs fewer arguments than CONCATENATE

Known for Remove Extra Spaces

📊 is easier to use than CONCATENATE

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

⭐ is rated higher than CONCATENATE

Known for Converting Text To Uppercase

📊 is easier to use than CONCATENATE

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE

Known for Case-Sensitive Comparison

📊 is easier to use than CONCATENATE

🛠 is more reliable than CONCATENATE