| Join matching records | Stack rows | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Mostly horizontal | Vertical |
| Needs a key? | Yes—email, ID, SKU, etc. | No |
| Typical job | Add account data to customers | Combine monthly exports |
| Example | Contacts + purchases | January + February + March |
Use a join when rows describe the same entities
Choose a join when two files contain different facts about the same customers, products, orders, employees, or accounts. The match column tells the tool which records belong together.
Read the complete common-column merge guide for examples of Matches Only, Master + Enrich, and Keep Everything.
Use Stack Rows for recurring files
Choose Stack Rows when the files contain the same kind of records for different dates, locations, teams, or systems. MergeStudio aligns values by column header and leaves a blank when one source does not contain a particular column.
Quick decision rule
Are the rows different records with similar columns? Stack them.
Are the rows related records with different information? Join them by a matching column.
Combine your files now
Choose Join or Stack Rows after selecting your spreadsheet sources.
Open the free tool →