Excel includes many functional units that may be used to conduct a variety of analyses, and some computations are accomplished by combining a set of functions.
When tallying cells containing specified values, Excel’s COUNT and COUNTA functions are used.
Both functions have similar syntax and functions, but there are a couple of differences between them as well.
This article is devised to clear out all the confusion and doubts regarding the two functions of Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet software by comparing the functions side-by-side along with their utilization and features.
Key Takeaways
- The COUNT function in Excel counts the number of cells in a range that contains numbers.
- COUNTA function in Excel counts the number of cells in a range that are not empty.
- COUNT and COUNTA functions are used to perform calculations in Excel.
COUNT vs COUNTA
The difference between COUNT and COUNTA is that the COUNT utility tallies all the cells containing numbers or data value within a narrow time frame, whereas the COUNTA action tallies all the semi-half cells inside a defined range, as provided as the cell has anything. COUNT (value1, value2,…) is the COUNT method’s nomenclature, where value1, value2, etc., are cell addresses or ranges inside which you wish to count the number of cells with integer data, and the syntax for COUNTA is similar as well.
The COUNT formula in Excel is a simple counting tool that counts the number of cells with numerical inputs, such as dates and times.
The operation counts the number of cells with digits and the number of figures in the list of parameters. COUNT is a function that returns the number of numeric elements in a domain or array.
To count numerical values, you can specify a range of columns, cell references, value system, or a combination of all three in this method. It has a 255-argument capacity.
COUNTA, on the other hand, will count anything except blank cells… integers, symbols, characters, or a range containing a combination of these elements. COUNTA is an acronym meaning “count all.”
The count of semi-cells that include integers, text, quantities, error values, and a formula that produces an empty phrase (“”) is returned by this function.
You could use a mix of groups, number systems, and values. It also has the ability to manage up to 255 parameters.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | COUNT | COUNTA |
|---|---|---|
| Full Form | Count means counting all the cells that are ranged in the command. | COUNTA stands for “Count All” or “Count Anything”. |
| Function | It is a functional formula in Excel which is used to calculate the number of cells. | COUNTA is a statistical spreadsheet function that analyses the data you wish to count for ease of separation and comprehension of the blank lines or cells. |
| Syntax | COUNT(valueA,[valueB],…) | COUNTA(A1:A3), the parenthesis, includes the range. |
| Types | Currently, three types of COUNT functions exist in Excel: COUNTA, COUNTBLANK and COUNTIF. | There are no types of COUNTA function as it itself is a type of COUNT function. |
| Used By | Used for registers and record maintenance purposes dealing with time and dates. Numeric data is only calculated here. | It is mostly used by data operators and banking accountants. |
What is COUNT?
Excel is a popular data analysis program that aids in data analysis and interpretation. It is underestimated because of the vast range of tasks that may be accomplished with it.
Excel is an extremely strong tool because of its extensive library of built-in functions. As a result, it has become rather popular.
COUNT is a simple and widely used function of Excel; to be precise, it is a formula in Excel which is used to calculate the number of cells. COUNT may be used in Excel in 2 distinct ways.
The following is the phrasing and syntax for both methods:
- COUNT(valueA,[valueB],…); The COUNT algorithm takes separated values ( CSV ) values as variables. This function returns the complete list of the integer data given. This technique only works with numbers. As a result, if the quantity of text values is given, it will not be found.
- COUNT(range); Here, the bracket contains the cell address, say B1 and B9; hence: B1:B9 would be placed inside the parenthesis. This tool is used to count how many cells are in a certain range. It’s a tool for quantifying data. We retrieve the number of cells in the span ranging from B1 to B9 by using =COUNT(B1: B9). This technique only works with numbers.
The COUNT function in Excel Spreadsheets is widely used because of the ease of remembrance and accessibility.
Excel Being the most used spreadsheet software, is equipped with various functions under the COUNT function itself.
The COUNT function is an Excel built-in tool that is classified as a Statistical tool for functional calculations. It may be used in Xls as a spreadsheet function (SF).
The COUNT tool is a worksheet variable that may be used in a calculation in a spreadsheet cell.
What is COUNTA?
The COUNTA parameter controls how many cells are not blank. Any data, even absolute errors and empty lines can be entered into the cells.
The COUNTA function has this syntax; COUNTA (value1, [value2],…). COUNTA will tally all non-blank units in a span and tell us that many contain data in them.
The only squares that aren’t tallied by the COUNTA algorithm are those that contain no data at all.
Since the COUNTA function tallies every non-empty cell inside a defined range, think of it as “count all or everything.” Both procedures are sent to other operations as arguments.
Even though their titles are similar, they really aren’t equal in terms of Excel functionality.
Simply said, COUNTA is a statistical spreadsheet function that analyses the data you wish to count for ease of separation and comprehension of the blank lines or cells.
COUNTA is a COUNT’s sibling operation. It tallies all the columns and cells that aren’t vacant, as well as the numbers in the list of inputs, independent of the types of data used in the cells – dates, times, and so on.
As long as a cell contains data, it is added to the COUNTA total.
Null cells inside an assortment or references are disregarded if the input is an array or an allusion.
However, in both COUNT and COUNTA, no and over 30 parameters are allowed due to interoperability concerns with Excel 2003 and previous versions. The COUNTA total result includes error cells as well.
Main Differences Between COUNT and COUNTA
- The COUNT function is simpler and less complex than the COUNTA function, as COUNTA requires precise cell addresses to give a meaningful output.
- COUNTA function is actually a type of COUNT function, and the COUNT function is the parent command of COUNTA, COUNTBLANK, and COUNTIF.
- The COUNT function only counts dates and entries, whereas the COUNTA function counts every data unless the cell is blank.
- The syntax for COUNT is; COUNT(valueA,[valueB],…), whereas the syntax for COUNTA is; COUNTA(A1:A3).
- The COUNT function is used for registers and record maintenance purposes dealing with time and dates whereas the COUNTA function is mostly used by data operators and banking accountants to list out empty payments and dues.
- https://www.excelfrog.com/count
- https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2016/03/30/excel-count-counta-function/
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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