Function by Color alternatives for Google Sheets™

For a quick total, Google Sheets’ own filter may be enough. For repeated color-based formulas, compare the calculations and refresh workflow you need before paying for an add-on.

We make ColorSum. Ablebits’ Function by Color offers a broader calculation builder, and Power Tools includes it alongside many other spreadsheet tools. Both are worth considering.

Compare the free offers and prices

These are the publishers’ listed US-dollar prices checked on 18 October 2026. Ablebits’ licensing FAQ ties a licence to one Google account; ColorSum Pro also belongs to the purchasing Google account. Check the linked plans and checkout for current discounts and applicable taxes.

Function by Color offers a 30-day trial and a broader dedicated tool; a short project may fit within that trial. ColorSum’s $9 purchase has no recurring charge, but its formulas need a successful purchase check in each spreadsheet at least every 30 days. Existing ColorSum subscriptions and trials retain their terms. Its continuing free allowance covers occasional sidebar summaries; formulas require Pro.

When Ablebits is the better fit

Function by Color’s documentation describes matching fill color, font color, or both together; building results for a whole range, each row or each column; and calculations including median, product and standard deviation. It also offers CELLCOLOR and VALUESBYCOLORALL for composing formulas. Choose it when those options matter. ColorSum does not replace that complete builder.

Ablebits documents a Refresh results action for color-only edits. Value changes recalculate its formulas automatically. Include recoloring and refreshing in your trial rather than assuming that every visual change will update a formula by itself.

If you also merge tables, remove duplicates, split data or clean text, consider the broader Power Tools collection. Function by Color is included; an existing Power Tools licence may already cover your job.

When ColorSum fits

ColorSum focuses on manually applied fill or text colors in the current spreadsheet. Select a range and click Count the selected cells for each color’s cell count, numeric sum and average. That sidebar job is available 10 times a day free.

Pro adds formulas with ordinary range references, including a separate range of amounts:

=COUNTBYCOLOR(A2:A50, D1)
=SUMBYCOLOR(A2:A50, D1, C2:C50)

The second formula sums C where A matches D1’s fill color. In the sidebar, count the colored range, choose a color and Sum, then type the numbers range or select it and click Use selected cells. Both ranges must be on the same sheet and have equal dimensions. Choose an empty output cell outside both ranges; ColorSum refuses an occupied destination.

Pro also includes average, minimum and maximum, their text-color versions, COLOROF/FONTCOLOROF, and optional Refresh them when a color changes. That option installs a change trigger; manual refresh is also available. ColorSum requests access to the spreadsheet where you use it, rather than your other files. It does not supply Power Tools’ merging or cleanup tools.

Free methods worth trying first

For one color at a time, select the whole table and choose Data > Create a filter. In the colored column’s filter menu, choose Filter by color, then the fill or text color. For a table in A1:C50, put =SUBTOTAL(109,C2:C50) in E1 to sum the visible amounts in C, and =SUBTOTAL(103,A2:A50) in F1 to count visible nonempty A cells. Those output cells stay above the filtered data rows. This count does not include empty colored cells. Other filters and manually hidden rows also affect these totals. Google’s filter guide and SUBTOTAL reference explain the behavior.

When color represents a stored status or a conditional-formatting rule, calculate from that condition directly. For example, =COUNTIF(A2:A50,"Paid") counts Paid statuses and =SUMIF(A2:A50,"Paid",C2:C50) totals their amounts. See Google’s COUNTIF and SUMIF references. These formulas follow the data without needing a color-reading add-on. ColorSum’s supported workflow is manual color; it does not promise conditional-formatting color detection.

If you prefer maintaining your own Apps Script, our count-and-sum guide includes a free script and explains its refresh limits. For the separate-column workflow, see sum by color in Google Sheets.