Compact mode

FILTER vs FREQUENCY vs SMALL

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

FILTER

Database

FILTER belongs to the Database category. Excel functions for managing and analyzing database-like data Click to see all.

FREQUENCY

Statistical

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

SMALL

Statistical

SMALL belongs to the Statistical category. Excel functions for statistical analysis and calculations Click to see all.
Operation Type 🔧

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

FILTER

Manipulation

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

FREQUENCY

Calculation

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

SMALL

Calculation

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

Usage Context Comparison

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

FILTER

Advanced Filtering

FILTER is known for Advanced Filtering.

FREQUENCY

Distribution Analysis

FREQUENCY is known for Distribution Analysis.

SMALL

Finding Nth Smallest Value

SMALL is known for Finding Nth Smallest Value.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

FILTER

Excel 2019

FILTER was created in Excel 2019. Functions introduced in Excel 2019 release Click to see all.

FREQUENCY

Excel 3.0

FREQUENCY was created in Excel 3.0. Functions that originated in Excel 3.0 version Click to see all.

SMALL

Excel 97

SMALL was created in Excel 97. Functions first available in Excel 97 version 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

FILTER

Revolutionized Excel data filtering

FREQUENCY

Essential for histogram creation

SMALL

Commonly used in grade calculations
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

FILTER

The Marie Kondo of Excel functions

FREQUENCY

The function statisticians dream about

SMALL

The underachiever of the statistical functions

Usage Information Comparison

Formula Complexity Level 📖

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

FILTER

Advanced

FILTER has a Advanced complexity level. Complex Excel functions for sophisticated calculations and operations Click to see all.

FREQUENCY

Advanced

FREQUENCY has a Advanced complexity level. Complex Excel functions for sophisticated calculations and operations Click to see all.

SMALL

Simple

SMALL has a Simple complexity level. Basic Excel functions for common calculations and tasks Click to see all.

Technical Details Comparison

Input Data Type 📝

Types of data that the Excel function accepts as input parameters

For all*

Array

Excel functions designed to work with arrays and ranges of data

FILTER

Range

FILTER accepts Range as input data. Excel functions that operate on cell ranges and data sets Click to see all.

SMALL

Number

SMALL accepts Number as input data. Excel functions specifically designed for numerical calculations 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

FILTER

Microsoft 365

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

FREQUENCY

Excel 2016

FREQUENCY is compatible with Excel 2016 Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2016 version Click to see all.

SMALL

Excel 2016

SMALL is compatible with Excel 2016 Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2016 version Click to see all.

Excel 2013

SMALL is compatible with Excel 2013 Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2013 version 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

FILTER

Excel Online

FILTER runs on Excel Online Excel functions available in the online version of Excel Click to see all.

Web Excel

FILTER runs on Web Excel Excel functions available in web-based versions Click to see all.
Required Arguments Count 🔢

Number of mandatory arguments needed for the function to work properly

For all*

2
Required Arguments Type 📊

The data types accepted as valid input arguments for the function

For all*

Range

Excel functions that operate on cell ranges for calculations

FILTER

Array

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

Boolean

FILTER accepts Boolean as input types Excel functions that work with true/false logical inputs for decision-making Click to see all.

FREQUENCY

Array

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

SMALL

Number

SMALL accepts Number as input types Excel functions that perform calculations specifically with numerical inputs Click to see all.

Evaluation Comparison

Pros ✅

Key advantages and strengths of the Excel function

FILTER

Dynamic Filtering

Functions that enable real-time filtering of data based on changing criteria Click to see all.

Multiple Criteria

Flexible Output

Returns Dynamic Arrays

Flexible Filtering

FREQUENCY

Powerful Statistical Analysis

Array Output

SMALL

Easy To Understand

Functions with clear and intuitive syntax that are simple to learn Click to see all.

Reliable Results
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

FILTER

Requires Modern Excel

Functions only available in recent versions of Excel Click to see all.

Complex For Beginners

Requires Latest Excel Versions

Memory Intensive

FREQUENCY

Must Be Entered As Array Formula

Complex Usage

SMALL

Array Size Limitations

Static Ranking

Ratings Comparison

Ease of Use Score 📊

User-rated score for function's ease of use

FILTER

8

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.

FREQUENCY

7.5

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.

SMALL

8.5

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.
Versatility Score 📈

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios

FILTER

9.5

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.

FREQUENCY

8.5

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.

SMALL

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.
Performance Score ⚙

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency

FILTER

9

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency (25%) Functions with higher performance scores execute faster and use system resources more efficiently. Click to see all.

FREQUENCY

9

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency (25%) Functions with higher performance scores execute faster and use system resources more efficiently. Click to see all.

SMALL

8.5

Rating for function's execution speed and efficiency (25%) Functions with higher performance scores execute faster and use system resources more efficiently. Click to see all.
Reliability Score 🛠

Rating for function's consistency and error handling

FILTER

9.5

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.

FREQUENCY

9.5

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.

SMALL

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

FILTER

9

The overall score for FILTER is 9. Click to see all.

FREQUENCY

8.6

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

SMALL

8.3

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

Alternatives to FILTER

Known for Measuring Data Peakedness

Known for Linear Trend Prediction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than FREQUENCY

Known for Multiple Criteria Based Average

Known for Conditional Average Calculations

📊 is easier to use than FREQUENCY

Known for Advanced Calculations With Options

🔢 needs fewer arguments than FREQUENCY

📈 is more versatile than FREQUENCY

⭐ is rated higher than FREQUENCY

Known for Finding Most Frequent Value

📊 is easier to use than FREQUENCY

Known for Finding Nth Largest Value

📊 is easier to use than FREQUENCY

Known for Upper Rounding

📊 is easier to use than FREQUENCY

Known for Converting Row Data To Columns

📊 is easier to use than FREQUENCY

⭐ is rated higher than FREQUENCY

Known for Multiplying Numbers Together

📊 is easier to use than FREQUENCY