INDEX MATCH vs VLOOKUP: the difference explained
INDEX/MATCH is the classic “pro” lookup that works in every version of Excel. MATCH finds the row; INDEX returns the value from that row in any column.
| INDEX/MATCH | VLOOKUP | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks left | Yes | No |
| Survives inserted columns | Yes | No |
| Number of functions | Two, nested | One |
| Exact match | MATCH(…, 0) | VLOOKUP(…, FALSE) |
| Available in | Every version | Every version |
Side by side
INDEX/MATCH
=INDEX(C2:C9,MATCH(1006,A2:A9,0)) → Omar
VLOOKUP
=VLOOKUP(1006,A2:F9,3,FALSE) → Omar
Examples use this sample sheet of orders:
A
B
C
D
E
F
1
Order
Region
Rep
Units
Price
Revenue
2
1001
East
Maya
4
12
48
3
1002
West
Omar
2
30
60
4
1003
East
Lena
7
12
84
5
1004
North
Maya
1
45
45
6
1005
West
Lena
5
30
150
7
1006
East
Omar
3
18
54
8
1007
North
Lena
6
12
72
9
1008
West
Maya
8
18
144
Which should you use?
On older Excel versions, INDEX/MATCH is the more robust choice. On Microsoft 365, XLOOKUP does the same job in one function.