Compact mode

AVERAGE vs SMALL 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

For all*

Statistical

Excel functions for statistical analysis and calculations
Operation Type 🔧

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

AVERAGE

Calculation

AVERAGE 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.

COUNTIF

Aggregation

COUNTIF performs Aggregation operations. Excel functions for combining and summarizing data 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

AVERAGE

Students

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

SMALL

Statisticians

SMALL is designed for Statisticians. Excel functions designed for statistical analysis and probability calculations Click to see all.

COUNTIF

Statisticians

COUNTIF is designed for Statisticians. Excel functions designed for statistical analysis and probability calculations Click to see all.
Purpose 📝

Primary purposes and use cases of the Excel function

For all*

Statistical Analysis

Excel functions designed for statistical calculations and data analysis

COUNTIF

Data Analysis

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

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

AVERAGE

Basic Statistical Calculation

AVERAGE is known for Basic Statistical Calculation.

SMALL

Finding Nth Smallest Value

SMALL is known for Finding Nth Smallest Value.

COUNTIF

Counting With Conditions

COUNTIF is known for Counting With Conditions.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

AVERAGE

Excel 2.0

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

SMALL

Excel 97

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

AVERAGE

Most basic statistical function

SMALL

Commonly used in grade calculations

COUNTIF

Counting made fascinating
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

AVERAGE

Making averages average since Excel began

SMALL

The underachiever of the statistical functions

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

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*

Number

Excel functions specifically designed for numerical calculations

SMALL

Array

SMALL accepts Array as input data. Excel functions designed to work with arrays and ranges of data Click to see all.

COUNTIF

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

AVERAGE

Microsoft 365

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

Excel Online

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

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

AVERAGE

Web Excel

AVERAGE runs on Web Excel Excel functions available in web-based versions Click to see all.

COUNTIF

Web Excel

COUNTIF 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

AVERAGE

1

AVERAGE needs 1 required arguments Click to see all.

SMALL

2

SMALL 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

For all*

Number

Excel functions that perform calculations specifically with numerical inputs
Range

Excel functions that operate on cell ranges for calculations

AVERAGE

Array

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

COUNTIF

Text

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

Evaluation Comparison

Pros ✅

Key advantages and strengths of the Excel function

AVERAGE

Simple To Use

Common Function

Universal

SMALL

Easy To Understand

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

Reliable Results

COUNTIF

Easy Conditional Counting

Flexible Criteria

Simple To Use

Efficient
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

AVERAGE

Ignores Text

Includes Zero Values

Functions that consider zero values in calculations, impacting statistical results Click to see all.

Numbers Only

No Weights

SMALL

Array Size Limitations

Static Ranking

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

Ratings Comparison

Ease of Use Score 📊

User-rated score for function's ease of use

AVERAGE

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.

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.

COUNTIF

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.
Versatility Score 📈

Rating for function's adaptability to different scenarios

AVERAGE

7.5

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.

COUNTIF

7.5

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

AVERAGE

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.

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.

COUNTIF

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

AVERAGE

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.

COUNTIF

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

AVERAGE

8.9

The overall score for AVERAGE is 8.9. Click to see all.

SMALL

8.3

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

COUNTIF

8.2

The overall score for COUNTIF is 8.2. Click to see all.

Alternatives to AVERAGE

Known for Finding Nth Largest Value

Known for Conditional Average Calculations

⚙ performs better than SMALL

🛠 is more reliable than SMALL

⭐ is rated higher than SMALL

Known for Multiple Criteria Counting

📈 is more versatile than SMALL

⭐ is rated higher than SMALL

Known for Finding Most Frequent Value

⚙ performs better than SMALL

Known for Conditional Sum Calculations

📈 is more versatile than SMALL

Known for Error Handling And Prevention

📊 is easier to use than SMALL

📈 is more versatile than SMALL

Known for Counting Numeric Cells

📊 is easier to use than SMALL

📈 is more versatile than SMALL

⚙ performs better than SMALL

🛠 is more reliable than SMALL

⭐ is rated higher than SMALL

Known for Multiple Condition Sum

🔢 needs fewer arguments than SMALL

📈 is more versatile than SMALL

Known for Database Sum Operations

🔢 needs fewer arguments than SMALL

📈 is more versatile than SMALL

Known for Multiple Criteria Based Average

📈 is more versatile than SMALL