20+ Difference between COUNT and COUNTA

Excel has many specialized functions that may be used to do a variety of computations, and some computations need the usage of a large number of functions that must all operate together.

Excel’s COUNT and COUNTA functions come into play when the topic of counting cells with specific values is brought up.

Both of these Excel functions are designed to count cells containing quite distinct data, even though their syntax is very similar.

Comparison Between Count And Counta

Parameter	COUNT	COUNTA
Definition	The COUNT function counts the number of cells and its parameter that contain a numerical value. This function may be used to tally a variety of numeric inputs, including cell ranges, cell references, values, or a combination of these. A maximum of 255 parameters may be sent to it.	Numbers, text, logical values, error values, and formulas that return an empty text string (“”) are all considered “non-blank cells,” and the COUNTA function will tell you how many of each you have. Ranges, cell references, values, and/or a mix of these may be used. In addition, it supports up to 255 parameters.
Counting of cells	When you use the COUNT function, it will only count the numeric cells in the table.	To get the total number of cells that contain anything other than a blank, the COUNTA function looks for cells that contain either text or numbers and then counts the number of those cells. Excel treats data for date and time as serial numbers; hence, you may use the values in the COUNT and COUNTA functions to do analysis on the data by taking advantage of Excel’s interpretation of the data.
Formula	The COUNT function will disregard any empty text values or strings (“”) if the formula it applies to has them. This holds true for text values as well as empty text strings.	The COUNTA function may be used to count a formula to get an exact count of the number of times the formula has been used. The formula must return either a Text result or an empty text string for the COUNTA function to be able to count the formula (“”).
Logical values	The COUNT function will not count anything other than the numbers that have been specifically supplied to it. This comprises both the textual representations of numbers like “5” and logical values like TRUE and FALSE. For example, “5” is a textual representation of the integer 5.	When you use the COUNTA function, a logical value you give will be counted regardless of whether you present it as a literal value or a reference to a cell in the workbook. This is true whether you offer it as a literal value or as a reference to a cell.
Types	Excel’s COUNT function has just been upgraded, and as a result, it now has the ability to accommodate three more forms. These supplementary forms are called COUNTA, COUNTBLANK, and COUNTIF, respectively.	Because the COUNTA function is already a subset of the COUNT family, creating any more subclasses of this function is superfluous and unnecessary. As a direct result, it should be no surprise that the COUNTA function can count any value.
Used by	When used to preserve registers and records, respectively, that deal with timestamps and dates as their respective themes of interest, this use refers to the topics above. In this location, computations are performed only based on numerical data.	People who work in the financial industry, have training as data operators or accountants, and are the ones who make the most frequent use of it are the ones who are educated in those fields. In addition, these individuals are employed in the financial sector.

Major Difference Between Count And Counta

What exactly is COUNT?

Excel is widely used as a data analysis tool because it helps analyze and make sense of data. Since it may be used for so many different things, people tend to undervalue it.

Excel’s power comes from the many built-in capabilities it provides. Since then, it’s gained much attention and support from the general public.

As a straightforward and often-used Excel feature, COUNT is really an Excel formula for counting cells. Excel’s COUNT function has two separate purposes.

Key Difference: COUNT

Regarding Excel’s built-in functions, the COUNT function is a popular choice. It’s accessible in MS Excel through the Statistical Functions section of the program’s ribbon.

The COUNT function is useful for rapidly counting the number of numeric cells in a range or the number of numeric arguments in a formula.

Using a provided range of numbers, this function may return the total number of cells that contain those numbers.

Commonly, the COUNT function is utilized as a classic Excel worksheet function. It allows us to calculate or evaluate the data with more precision.

This implies that the Excel COUNT function may be used in a calculation to target any cell in the Excel sheet.

Excel 2019 (and later), Excel 2016, Excel 2013, etc., all provide the COUNT function. Excel 2000 saw the debut of the COUNT function.

If we want to count relevant cells in a particular range, we can use the COUNT function, which is very helpful in financial research.

For instance, we may tally the number of cells in which the date is earlier than a certain date.

What exactly is COUNTA?

How many rows and columns contain the COUNTA option determines the data. You are free to insert anything into the cells, even blank ones.

The correct form for the COUNTA function is COUNTA (value1, [value2],…). Using COUNTA, we can find out how many cells in a range are not blank.

The COUNTA function counts the number of cells that aren’t blank inside a given range; thus, it’s best to think of it as “count all or everything.”

Key Difference: COUNTA

In contrast to the COUNT function, which only counts numeric values, this one counts all non-blank cells. Existing values are counted without being added.

If invalid parameters are supplied, it will generate an error. Invisible characters are detected and counted in cells.

For instance, an empty string (“”) returned by a formula is also counted. It keeps a tally of the fixed parameters. Here’s an example: “=COUNTA(“c,” 2,4,”)” yields 4.

It counts every non-empty cell, cell range, and value argument as 1. When a space is put into a cell, that cell is counted, meaning that only completely empty cells are ignored.

Excel’s built-in COUNTA function may determine how many rows and columns are occupied by data.

Counting the total number of dates in a huge data collection or the number of survey respondents are just two examples of how the COUNTA function may be used.

Excel 2003 and previous allow for a maximum of 30 parameters for the COUNT function. However, in subsequent revisions, the cap was raised.

There may be up to 255 separate parameters in the COUNT function, but only in later versions of Excel (2007 and beyond).

Contrast Between Count And Counta

Meaning:

COUNT – Excel’s default count function, COUNT, may be used to determine how many cells contain numbers or dates. The function calculates the sum of all numerical cells and parameters.

The COUNT function determines how many items are included in a certain array or range. One to 255 parameters (value1, value2,…) that may include or refer to anything from one to 255 other arguments are considered numbers only.

COUNTA – A companion function to COUNT, COUNTA determines how many cells are not empty regardless of their content type (numbers, text, error values, logical values, or empty text).

No matter what kind of data the cells include (dates, times, numbers, etc.), it counts all of the non-empty cells and their corresponding values in the list of parameters.

For the purposes of the COUNTA function, a cell’s contents are always counted. In the case of arrays and references as arguments, all spaces in the data are disregarded.

Values:

COUNT – The COUNT function counts the contents of cells that only contain numerical data (such as integers or dates).

Excel treats dates as serial numbers; thus, the COUNT function may be used to count both dates and times in a range. This makes it possible to use the function to create date and time ranges.

COUNTA – However, the COUNTA function will “count all” of the values in a cell, regardless of whether those values are numbers, dates and times, text, Boolean values (TRUE and FALSE), or even error values, as long as the cell contains anything at all.

This is true for every value, whether it be a string, a Boolean (TRUE, FALSE), or an error. The COUNTA function determines the sum of all non-empty cell values.

Syntax:

COUNT – The syntactical requirements must be met to use the COUNT function: = COUNT, where value1, value2, and so on are pointers to cells or ranges containing the numerical values to be counted.

This function counts the number of occurrences of a certain numerical value. Utilizing this function, one may determine the total number of occurrences of a certain numerical value inside a specific phrase (value1, value2,…).

COUNTA – Entering = COUNTA (value1, value2) followed by a comma, and then the range will allow you to count the number of cells in the range that contain data.

This may be done by clicking here. You will now be able to count how many cells inside the range have data as a result of doing this. In the space that is immediately after the comma, you should write in the range.

Function:

COUNT – Numbers may be counted using the COUNT function, whereas all cells that aren’t blank can be counted with the COUNTA function. Both rely on predetermined standards to choose which data to include and which to discard.

A range or array of numbers may have its total number of elements determined with the help of the COUNT function. The COUNT function considers all cells, not just those with numbers or dates.

COUNTA – The COUNTA function, on the other hand, will count every non-empty cell and the values included in the list of inputs it is provided with.

This will occur regardless of the data types that may or may not be stored inside the cells. It will take place regardless of those types.

Preference:

COUNT – The usefulness of the COUNT function, which is used in the field of data analysis to a great extent, is in no way diminished by the existence of another function with the same name, which is known as COUNTA.

In point of fact, the presence of COUNTA has zero impact whatsoever on the significance of the numbers returned by the COUNT function.

COUNTA – Counting each cell individually with COUNTA is preferable to counting each cell individually with COUNTA because COUNTA is more likely to aid you in counting cells that contain values, which is a more typical occurrence.

Counting each cell individually with COUNTA makes more sense. Counting each cell by hand is more time-consuming and inefficient than using the COUNTA function.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What exactly is the point of keeping a count?

In Excel, counting the number of cells or elements in an array of numbers is often accomplished with the help of the COUNT function.

Example: You may input the following formula to count the numbers between A1 and A20: =COUNT (A1:A20). For instance, if the range of cells has three different integers in separate cells, the outcome will be 3.

Q2. What is the correct way to write the name Counta?

The syntax for the COUNTA function looks like this: “COUNTA(value1,[value2],…),” where “value 1” and “value 2” are the values that are going to be tallied. “value 1” is necessary, and “value 2” is one of the values.

The parameter of the COUNTA function may be a range reference, a range, a single cell, a single value, or an array of values. Moreover, the argument’s worth might be reduced to a single thing.

Q3. What is the purpose of using count variables?

In order to check whether the given integer I am divisible by a non-integer value other than 1, the count variable is being used. Since if it did, it wouldn’t be prime as it would have components.

Once it reaches the value of 2, this indicates that the number in question is not prime since it may be divided by one and an integer less than i.

Q4. Is Counta a legitimate function that may be used in Excel?

The COUNTA() function in Excel works in a manner that is similar to that of the COUNT() function, which counts the number of data cells included inside a certain row or column.

The COUNT() function in Excel can count just the data cells that include numbers; however, the COUNTA() function may count not only numbers but also symbols and characters that are present in the data cells.

Q5. Where did the name “Counta” come from, and what does it mean?

“COUNTA” is an acronym that stands for “count all.” COUNTA allows you to create the number of customers or workers in a list, but it counts every element in the list. It does not differentiate between entries that are duplicated and original entries.

To count unique entries, you must use the SUM function in conjunction with the COUNTIF function in your spreadsheet program.

Q6. What does it imply for anything to have a count value?

In the discipline of statistics, the term “count data” refers to a specific sort of data that is used to represent quantities that can be counted.

This particular form of data can only accept counting numbers, which are non-negative integer values such as 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. These integers are produced by counting the things in question rather than rating them in order of importance.