XLOOKUP is the modern replacement for VLOOKUP — it searches in any direction, defaults to exact match, and handles missing values gracefully. We benchmarked it against VLOOKUP and INDEX-MATCH at up to 100,000 rows so you can weigh flexibility against speed. No sign-up, no fluff.
XLOOKUP searches a lookup array and returns the matching item from a return array — in any direction. Three arguments are required; three are optional.
=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, lookup_array, return_array, [if_not_found], [match_mode], [search_mode])
We benchmarked exact-match lookups in HyperFormula 3.3.1 — median recalculation time across four table sizes. This is original measured data, not republished.
| Table rows | VLOOKUP (ms) | XLOOKUP (ms) | INDEX-MATCH (ms) |
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Exact-match lookups on a sorted table, full-column reference, median recalculation time across four table sizes. Every result was correctness-verified before timing. This is directly relevant to web spreadsheet tools and indicative, not identical to native Excel. XLOOKUP landed in the middle: about 1.2x faster than INDEX-MATCH but ~1.4x slower than VLOOKUP in our exact-match test. You trade a little speed for left-lookups, default exact match, and built-in not-found handling.
Text drafted with AI assistance and edited by LookupLab. Every benchmark number is machine-measured and reproducible, not generated. Data licensed CC BY 4.0.
Edit the cells, change the lookup key, switch functions and match modes. The result and the generated formula update instantly.
14 failure patterns mined from actual user reports on Reddit, Stack Overflow and Super User — each with the authentic symptom, root cause, a fix, and a runnable formula. Not textbook theory.
Availability and syntax differences across desktop Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and the web spreadsheet engines — including the exact-match quirk we found in our benchmark.
| Platform | Support | Notes | Gotcha |
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Everything above is free. Go Pro for the deep end.