Differences between Base and Sheets

Differences between Base and Sheets

3 min read
I. What is Base?
Designed for information management, business management, and data visualization, Base is a versatile productivity tool that helps users make the most of their data. The overall layout and structure resemble a spreadsheet, but Base can be used for a wider range of use cases. For more details, see Get started with Base.
Some major differences between Base and Sheets:
  • Base is suitable for building databases for project management and order management while Sheets is more suitable for processing and analyzing large amounts of numerical data.
  • Base has built-in automation, which can be used to automate your daily workflow. For example, if you need your restaurant to be inspected daily, you can create an automated workflow to alert you when an inspection is not carried out.
II. Feature comparison
The table below lists some of the features of Base and Sheets. For more details, click the buttons below.
Feature
Base
Sheets
Automation
Automated workflows for automating tasks.
Not supported.
Advanced permissions/data protection
Advanced permissions for granular permission control.
Protect sheets and set protection range to prevent unwanted edits.
Dashboard
Dashboard featuring a wide variety of charts and graphs.
Not supported.
Views
Multiple views: Kanban, gallery, form, and more.
Can't create different views.
Pivot table
Not supported.
Pivot table for summary and analysis.
Data syncing
  • Use APIs to sync from third parties.
Syncing between different products is not supported.
Formulas
100+ functions.
500+ functions.
Attachments
Formatting
  • Formatting cells (such as filling cell colors) is not supported.
  • Changing fonts, font sizes, and font colors are not supported.
  • Batch adjustment of column widths is not supported.
  • Adjusting individual row height or setting custom row height is not supported.
  • Merging cells is not supported.
  • Conditional coloring can be applied to columns, cells, and rows. Some field types support bolding.
III. Which one is right for you?
Which application to use depends on the task at hand and your team's needs and preferences. Here are a few examples to help you decide.
Finance manager
If you're a finance manager of a small enterprise and you need to put together a budget for the upcoming event.
Such a task will require a lot of number crunching, so you may need to work with a lot of formulas to calculate cost based on different variables. In this case, Sheets is recommended.
250px|700px|reset
🔖
Get started quickly with a template here.
Sales member
If you're a sales member and you want to keep track of the status of potential customers, Base or Sheets would both work.
  • Sheets: Use one of the templates available to create a simple sheet for tracking customer status.
  • Base: Each customer has a dedicated row, with a specific column for showing the customer's status in the sales process (Left image), making it easy to stay on top of your customer's needs. You can also set up automation to send notifications to other team members when the customer's status changes (Right image).
250px|700px|reset
250px|700px|reset
🔖
Get started quickly with a Base template here.
For more information, see Use automated workflow to send messages
Product manager
If you're a product manager and want to conduct user research and visualize the data collected, Base is likely the better choice in this case.
The form view of Base can be used to collect user feedback (left image) and collected feedback will be organized in rows and columns in grid view (center image). Lastly, you can convert the data into intuitive charts and graphs by using the dashboard (right image).
250px|700px|reset
250px|700px|reset
250px|700px|reset
🔖
Get started quickly with a template here.
For more information, see Use form views in Base and Use dashboards in Base.
IV. Related
V. FAQs
Can I convert a Base file into a Sheets file?
Yes, you need to first export the base file as Excel (.xls or .xlsx format) or CSV (.csv format), and then import the file into Sheets. For more details, see Import and export Base.
Can I merge cells in Base?
No.
Can I highlight fields in Base?
Yes. You can use conditional coloring to highlight columns (fields), rows (records), and cells. For more details, see Use conditional coloring in Base.
Written by: Lark Help Center
Updated on 2024-12-27
How satisfied are you with this content?
Thank you for your feedback!
Need more help? Please contact Support.
0
rangeDom
rangeDom
rangeDom
rangeDom