Compact mode

NOW vs EXACT vs TODAY

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

NOW

Date & Time

NOW belongs to the Date & Time category. Excel functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.

EXACT

Text

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

TODAY

Date & Time

TODAY belongs to the Date & Time category. Excel functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.
Operation Type 🔧

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

NOW

Information

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

EXACT

Comparison

EXACT performs Comparison operations. Excel functions for comparing values and data Click to see all.

TODAY

Information

TODAY 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

NOW

Administrative Staff

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

Business Managers

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

EXACT

Data Analysts

EXACT is designed for Data Analysts. Excel functions specifically designed for data analysis and interpretation Click to see all.

TODAY

Business Managers

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

Primary purposes and use cases of the Excel function

NOW

Date Calculations

NOW is used for Date Calculations. Functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.

EXACT

Text Manipulation

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

TODAY

Date Calculations

TODAY is used for Date Calculations. Functions for working with dates and time calculations Click to see all.

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

NOW

Current Date And Time Retrieval

NOW is known for Current Date And Time Retrieval.

EXACT

Case-Sensitive Comparison

EXACT is known for Case-Sensitive Comparison.

TODAY

Current Date Return

TODAY is known for Current Date Return.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

For all*

Excel 2.0

Functions introduced in the Excel 2.0 version release
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

NOW

Updates approximately 86400 times per day

EXACT

Used in password verification systems

TODAY

Updates even when you don't want it to
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

NOW

The function that never lets you forget you're late

EXACT

The function with OCD for spelling

TODAY

The function that never lies about its age

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

NOW

Date

NOW accepts Date as input data. Excel functions for working with dates and time values Click to see all.

EXACT

Text

EXACT accepts Text as input data. Excel functions specifically designed for text manipulation Click to see all.

TODAY

Date

TODAY accepts Date as input data. Excel functions for working with dates and time values 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

NOW

Excel 2013

NOW is compatible with Excel 2013 Excel functions that work specifically in Excel 2013 version Click to see all.

EXACT

Excel 2013

EXACT 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
Web Excel

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

Number of mandatory arguments needed for the function to work properly

NOW

~
EXACT

2

EXACT needs 2 required arguments Click to see all.

TODAY

~
Required Arguments Type 📊

The data types accepted as valid input arguments for the function

NOW

Date

NOW accepts Date as input types Excel functions specialized in processing date and time calculations Click to see all.

EXACT

Text

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

TODAY

Date

TODAY accepts Date as input types Excel functions specialized in processing date and time calculations Click to see all.

Evaluation Comparison

Pros ✅

Key advantages and strengths of the Excel function

NOW

No Arguments Needed

Excel functions that work without arguments provide quick results with minimal setup Click to see all.

Updates Automatically

EXACT

Precise Text Comparison

Case Sensitive

TODAY

No Arguments Needed

Excel functions that work without arguments provide quick results with minimal setup Click to see all.

Auto-Updates
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

NOW

Updates With Every Calculation

Can Slow Spreadsheets

EXACT

Only Returns TRUE/FALSE

Functions that provide only yes/no answers without additional information Click to see all.

No Partial Matching

TODAY

Updates Only On Calculation

Limited Use

Ratings Comparison

Ease of Use Score 📊

User-rated score for function's ease of use

NOW

9.8

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.

EXACT

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.

TODAY

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.
Versatility Score 📈

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios

NOW

6.5

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.

EXACT

6

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.

TODAY

6

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

NOW

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.

EXACT

9.5

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.

TODAY

9.5

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

For all*

9.5
Score ⭐

Overall rating combining all scoring attributes

For all*

8.6

Alternatives to NOW

Known for Day Of Week Determination

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

📈 is more versatile than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW

Known for Calculate Days Between Dates

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW

Known for Day Extraction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW

🛠 is more reliable than NOW

Known for Year Extraction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW

🛠 is more reliable than NOW

Known for Week Number Calculation

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW

Known for Month Extraction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW

🛠 is more reliable than NOW

Known for Column Number Retrieval

⚙ performs better than NOW

🛠 is more reliable than NOW

⭐ is rated higher than NOW

Known for Calculate Working Days

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

📈 is more versatile than NOW

Known for Row Number Retrieval

⚙ performs better than NOW

🛠 is more reliable than NOW

⭐ is rated higher than NOW

Known for Text Extraction

🔢 needs fewer arguments than NOW

⚙ performs better than NOW