Compact mode

NOW vs NETWORKDAYS vs COUNTIF

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.

NETWORKDAYS

Date & Time

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

COUNTIF

Statistical

COUNTIF 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

NOW

Information

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

NETWORKDAYS

Calculation

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

COUNTIF

Aggregation

COUNTIF performs Aggregation operations. Excel functions for combining and summarizing data Click to see all.

Usage Context Comparison

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.

NETWORKDAYS

Calculate Working Days

NETWORKDAYS is known for Calculate Working Days.

COUNTIF

Counting With Conditions

COUNTIF is known for Counting With Conditions.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

NOW

Excel 2.0

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

NETWORKDAYS

Excel 2000

NETWORKDAYS was created in Excel 2000. Functions first released with Excel 2000 version Click to see all.

COUNTIF

Excel 97

COUNTIF 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

NOW

Updates approximately 86400 times per day

NETWORKDAYS

Created after numerous complaints about weekend inclusion

COUNTIF

Counting made fascinating
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

NOW

The function that never lets you forget you're late

NETWORKDAYS

The function that knows you don't work weekends

COUNTIF

The function that makes counting harder than it should be

Usage Information Comparison

Formula Complexity Level 📖

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

NOW

Simple

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

NETWORKDAYS

Intermediate

NETWORKDAYS has a Intermediate complexity level. Excel functions with moderate complexity for various tasks Click to see all.

COUNTIF

Simple

COUNTIF 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

NOW

Date

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

NETWORKDAYS

Date

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

COUNTIF

Number

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

Text

COUNTIF accepts Text as input data. Excel functions specifically designed for text manipulation 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

COUNTIF

Microsoft 365

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

Excel Online

COUNTIF 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

NOW

~
NETWORKDAYS

2

NETWORKDAYS needs 2 required arguments Click to see all.

COUNTIF

2

COUNTIF needs 2 required arguments Click to see all.
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.

NETWORKDAYS

Date

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

COUNTIF

Range

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

Text

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

Number

COUNTIF 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

NOW

No Arguments Needed

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

Updates Automatically

NETWORKDAYS

Excludes Weekends

Holiday Aware

Accurate

Excludes Weekends Automatically

Considers Holidays

COUNTIF

Easy Conditional Counting

Flexible Criteria

Simple To Use

Efficient
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

NOW

Updates With Every Calculation

Can Slow Spreadsheets

NETWORKDAYS

Requires Date Format

Functions that only work with properly formatted date values Click to see all.

Complex Holiday Handling

Limited Holiday Input Format

Regional Limitations

COUNTIF

Limited To Single Condition

Case Sensitive

Functions where text matching is affected by letter case can cause unexpected results Click to see all.

Limited Criteria Options