Compact mode

SUBSTITUTE vs LEFT vs INDIRECT

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

SUBSTITUTE

Text

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

LEFT

Text

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

INDIRECT

Lookup & Reference

INDIRECT belongs to the Lookup & Reference category. Excel functions for searching and referencing data across spreadsheets Click to see all.
Operation Type 🔧

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

SUBSTITUTE

Manipulation

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

LEFT

Manipulation

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

INDIRECT

Retrieval

INDIRECT performs Retrieval operations. Functions specialized in fetching data from various sources 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

SUBSTITUTE

Administrative Staff

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

LEFT

Administrative Staff

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

INDIRECT

Engineers

INDIRECT is designed for Engineers. Excel functions commonly used in engineering calculations and analysis Click to see all.
Purpose 📝

Primary purposes and use cases of the Excel function

SUBSTITUTE

Text Manipulation

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

LEFT

Text Manipulation

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

INDIRECT

Dynamic References

INDIRECT is used for Dynamic References. Functions for creating flexible cell references Click to see all.

Basic Information Comparison

Known For ⭐

Distinctive characteristic or primary strength of the Excel function

SUBSTITUTE

Replace Specific Text

SUBSTITUTE is known for Replace Specific Text.

LEFT

Text Extraction

LEFT is known for Text Extraction.

INDIRECT

Dynamic Cell References

INDIRECT is known for Dynamic Cell References.

History Comparison

Creation Date 📅

Original release date of the Excel function

SUBSTITUTE

Excel 97

SUBSTITUTE was created in Excel 97. Functions first available in Excel 97 version Click to see all.

LEFT

Excel 95

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

INDIRECT

Excel 97

INDIRECT 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

SUBSTITUTE

Originally designed for mail merge operations

LEFT

Often paired with RIGHT

INDIRECT

Can create circular references easily
Sarcastic Fact 🤣

Humorous or ironic observation about the Excel function

SUBSTITUTE

Find and replace's overachieving cousin

LEFT

The function that discriminates against right-handed people

INDIRECT

The function that makes Excel question its life choices

Usage Information Comparison

Formula Complexity Level 📖

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

SUBSTITUTE

Intermediate

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

LEFT

Simple

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

INDIRECT

Advanced

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

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
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

LEFT

Microsoft 365

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

Excel Online

LEFT 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

SUBSTITUTE

Web Excel

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

LEFT

Web Excel

LEFT 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

SUBSTITUTE

3

SUBSTITUTE needs 3 required arguments Click to see all.

LEFT

2

LEFT needs 2 required arguments Click to see all.

INDIRECT

1

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

The data types accepted as valid input arguments for the function

For all*

Text

Excel functions specialized in text string manipulation and processing
Text

Excel functions specialized in text string manipulation and processing

SUBSTITUTE

Number

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

LEFT

Number

LEFT 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

SUBSTITUTE

Multiple Replacements

Case Sensitive

Precise

LEFT

Simple Text Extraction

Consistent

Easy Text Handling

Quick

Quick Excel functions deliver rapid results with minimal processing time Click to see all.

INDIRECT

Flexible Referencing

Dynamic Range Selection
Cons ❌

Limitations and potential drawbacks of the Excel function

SUBSTITUTE

Requires Exact Match

Complex Syntax

LEFT

Limited To Left Side

Functions that only work with characters from the left side of text entries Click to see all.

Fixed Length Only

Functions restricted to processing fixed-length inputs, reducing versatility Click to see all.

Only Left Side

Fixed Length

Functions only process data of specific lengths, limiting adaptability Click to see all.

INDIRECT

Performance Intensive

Complex Syntax

Ratings Comparison

Ease of Use Score 📊

User-rated score for function's ease of use

SUBSTITUTE

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.

LEFT

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.

INDIRECT

6.5

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

SUBSTITUTE

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.

LEFT

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.

INDIRECT

9

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

SUBSTITUTE

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.

LEFT

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.

INDIRECT

6

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

SUBSTITUTE

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.

LEFT

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.

INDIRECT

7.5

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.
Score ⭐

Overall rating combining all scoring attributes

SUBSTITUTE

8.8

The overall score for SUBSTITUTE is 8.8. Click to see all.

LEFT

8.6

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

INDIRECT

7.3

The overall score for INDIRECT is 7.3. Click to see all.

Alternatives to SUBSTITUTE

Known for Extract Rightmost Characters

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

⚙ performs better than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Extracting Text Segments

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Removing Non-Printable Characters

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Remove Extra Spaces

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

⚙ performs better than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Character Count Calculation

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

⚙ performs better than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Capitalize First Letters

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Convert Text To Lowercase

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

⚙ performs better than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Text Search And Position Finding

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Number Formatting

📊 is easier to use than SUBSTITUTE

Known for Position Finding