Mac/Excel user since 1989. The last version of Excel on the Mac platform that I relied on was version 4 - 5 was OK, but that's where the schism started. Which version of Excel for the Mac? - none of them!
Excel on Windows is the far better tool, and I've owned an used every version since I got out of college over 20 years ago. The best version of Excel is the version you're accustomed to, on Windows OS. The Mac version of Excel is a sad, sad joke - it's missing features/proper extensibility/proper VB support/complete Macro support/proper scripting support/no or incomplete support for ODF & XPF formats/no Accessibility Checker, and more. I've written in these forums that Excel for the Mac is gimped, and it is gimped. All that, and no Add-In author of the Add-Ins I use on Windows support the Mac platform - therefore, no cross-platform support there either.
Excel 2004/2008/2011/2016 for the Mac were part of my arsenal and then cast aside a few weeks later for Excel 2003/2007/2013/2016.
I use Excel as a production and productivity tool, and I do explore the Mac version at every update. IMHO, MS should cut their losses with their Mac team and focus solely on Word and OneNote. Nobody I know uses PowerPoint anymore and nobody I know bothers with Excel for the Mac; the MS Mac team should be ashamed of their gimped version of Excel and MS should be ashamed for charging money for it. I've got about 50 employees - they're directed, by me, to use the Windows version of Excel only (I check file headers). Either we use Macs with Win 10 VMs with Office 2016 installed or PCs. I recommend not using Excel for the Mac - 2011's support is ending soon, and it has more issues with compatibility than 2016.
Numbers? It's pretty to look at, cumbersome to use when coming from Excel for Windows. Numbers is IMHO what a Mac user uses when it's what comes with the Mac - I liked it in 2006, but the newer version is a dumbed-down of the 2006 version. I can't offer a recommendation - it's just not a useful tool IMHO... My 2¢.
