How do CSV and HTMLcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Comma-Separated Values
CSV is the simplest tabular data format — rows of values separated by commas. It's the universal exchange format for data between databases, spreadsheets, and programming languages.
HyperText Markup Language
HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages. While primarily a web technology, HTML files are also used as a portable document format with rich formatting and multimedia support.
| Specification | CSV | HTML |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Comma-Separated Values | HyperText Markup Language |
| Extension | .csv | .html |
| MIME type | text/csv | text/html |
| Category | Document | Document |
| Developer | IBM (original concept) | W3C / WHATWG |
| Year introduced | 1972 | 1993 |
CSV and HTML serve different purposes. CSV is ideal for data import and export, while HTML excels at web pages and email newsletters.
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