Best Free Microsoft Word Alternatives
Microsoft word has its perks and it has its own fans. But if you try to find one person who loves it, and you’ll probably find several who don’t. Many people find it hard a bit to use Microsoft word because of its complexity and complicated unused features. Also, Microsoft Word and the whole Microsoft office a pricy.
If you don’t use all the features of Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office, it is not justified to pay that hard-earned money to the Microsoft Corporation. Especially, if you are in a small business environment where you just need a word processor, it is not a good decision to pay the money. Instead, you can go with some free Microsoft word or Office alternative, in this article we have mentioned five Best Free Microsoft Word Alternative which you can consider.
List of Best Free Microsoft Word Alternatives
We have curated the list of best free Microsoft word alternatives that are at the top in the industry.
1. Google Docs
Of course, Google docs are the most popular alternative to Microsoft Word and the best part is it is free to everyone with a Google Account. If you are looking for some basic feature of Microsoft Word, Google is the best option to go with and you don’t have to think about any other tool else.
It has all the basic word processing features, and it is tightly integrated with Google Drive and other products which gives a great user experience. Also, everything gets automatically backup in Google’s cloud, you don’t need to worry about losing your work. It saves everything in real-time, so in the event of a crash, you should be able to pick up right where you left off, down to the letter.
Docs also support Microsoft Word’s .doc and .docx formats, so you don’t have any problems importing and editing those. Google Docs also provides a real-time collaborating feature which means If you share a document with another Google user, both of you can be in the document at the same time. If you are an advanced user you might find a difficulty to use it because of the lack of features. But, for a normal user who needs a word processing feature, it is just a great option.
2. Apache OpenOffice Writer
If you just don’t like Microsoft Word because of its ribbon, then Apache’s OpenOffice Writer is the 2003 throwback you want. Apache has the classic interface which looks a bit cluttered and mimics the menus that Microsoft tossed out when Office 2007 was released. If you are an office 2003 user, It will definitely feel familiar to you. However, it has the perks of still receiving updates and security patches, which is important for a business software suite.
Although Apache has its own format, it also supports .doc and .docx files, and it does a great job of maintaining formatting when importing those types of files.
Also, there are many advanced features of Microsoft Word are included in OpenOffice Writer as well.
3. LibreOffice Writer
Like Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice Writer is also free software and open-source program that offers word processing, support for .doc and .docx file formats, and all the tools and features the average Microsoft Word user will need in a word processor. The software which we have mentioned above and LibreOffice are quite similar in a lot of ways: Interface style, file format support, lack of cloud integration and real-time collaboration, and general word processing features. Both options are great for those looking for a free alternative to Microsoft Word.
4. WPS Office Writer
If you are looking for a word processor which is just feature-packed as Word, but you don’t want to pay a premium, check out WPS Office Writer. WPS Office Writer is a full-featured application suite that feels premium.
The software work and does the same thing as Microsoft Word, and it includes native cloud support to make storing documents online a snap; however, it does lack real-time collaboration.
If you read any review of WPS Office Writer, and you’ll find statements attached that how much it’s like Word.
5. Microsoft Office Word Online
Microsoft also has an online platform like Google Docs. It is a simplified, cloud-based version of Word. Although it lacks lots of advanced features of a locally-installed version of Word, for users who want a free version of Word, this is as close as you can get.
There are many similarities between Google Docs and Word Online that are present all the way down to the interface, but Microsoft Office Word Online has some more tweaks which makes it more like Microsoft ribbon instead of the drop-down menus Google Docs users are used to.
If you create any document Microsoft Office Word Online, it will save in Microsoft’s one drive, and it has real-time collaboration features like those in Google Docs are available as well.
Mustafa Al Mahmud is the Founder and CEO of Gizmo Concept and also a professional Blogger, SEO Professional as well as Entrepreneur. He loves to travel and enjoy his free moment with family members and friends.