Ms Word Alternative

Do you need a good quality word processor application for personal or business use?

Ms Word Alternative Text
Best Alternative To Microsoft Word
Free Word Program
Best Alternative To Ms Word

There is no doubt that Microsoft Word offers one of the best word processors out there. It has a huge range of features (a lot of which you will probably never use) and is accepted as the industry standard by most people.

Microsoft Word has been around for a long time and it has been refined over the years. The biggest problem with Word is the cost. It is expensive to buy the Microsoft Office suite to install on your computer and even the subscription model Microsoft Office 365 will cost you quite a bit over time.

So I have looked into Microsoft Word alternatives that don’t cost you a cent. Yes, you read that right they are completely free. A lot of free things are not really up to scratch but the alternatives I have for you here certainly are.

While most free alternatives to Microsoft Word try to provide at least some form of support for the word processing file format developed by Microsoft, only a few succeed. To ensure that your.doc and.docx document will look just like you want them to, we recommend you convert them to.pdf before sending them to colleagues, potential employers. The open-source provides support to.doc and.docx files. However, if it is the cloud base and real-time collaboration that seals the deal for you, then you might not find it truly a good alternative to MS Word. The basic features of MS Word are provided for free, though. You can make flowcharts and draw various diagrams using its Draw feature.

Best Alternatives to Microsoft Word

While Microsoft Office is still the ubiquitous choice for word processing, slideshow presentations, spreadsheet calculations, and many more digital tasks, there are still plenty of free alternatives. Avoid freeware full of ads and check out these free productivity suites. Full list of the top Business Software apps that are similar to Microsoft Word, including Apache OpenOffice, PDF to Excel, AbiWord, DocX Viewer, Jarte, yWriter 5, Nevron Writer, Microsoft Office.

If you have to distribute documents to a lot of different people you will probably find that they want them in docx format (Microsoft Word format) so I have taken this into consideration as well. You may have heard of some of these alternatives but even if you haven’t it doesn’t matter.

So let’s take a look at the best Microsoft Word alternatives that do not cost anything.

1. WPS Office

OK, I am going to start with what I believe to be the very best Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office alternative. WPS Office is a great software suite that you can download for free. If you are used to using Microsoft Word you will be delighted with the word processor app called ‘Writer” because it looks very similar.

It uses a ribbon interface as Word does and the icons used are almost the same. There are even features in Writer that you will not find in Word such as tabbed documents which is great when you are working on more than one document at a time. You can easily save any of your documents in the docx format as well.

When you download WPS Office you will also receive 1GB of free cloud storage which is useful for syncing and backup. For writing and editing documents on the go there is an app for iOS and Android devices that work with the different Microsoft formats which is really great.

If you use templates a lot then WPS Office comes with some of these already installed and if you need more you can download them. This is not open-source software. The free version of WPS Office will display ads but these are easy to deal with and should not be too distracting for you. So with WPS Office you get:

Interface very similar to Word
Ability to save in docx format
Good range of templates
Free 1GB cloud storage
Apps for iOS and Android

2. Libre Office

Libre Office is an open-source office suite application that is growing in popularity and there is a growing community attached to it. The word processor app is Libre Office Writer and this looks very similar to the older versions of Microsoft Word before they introduced the ribbon-style interface.

Even if you are used to and like the new ribbon-style interface it will not be a problem for you to get started with Libre Office Writer. You will be able to save the documents you create in either the old “doc” format or the newer “docx” format which is good if you need to share your documents with others.

There are a lot of similar functions that you get in Microsoft Office too such as the ability to add a graph from the Charts program. Libre Office has a strong community behind it and people have developed some great extras for this office suite including useful templates and plugins. Take a look at these great features:

Save documents in doc or docx format
Simple interface based on the old Word style
Great office suite functionality
Great community support with plugins and templates available
Regular updates to the software to keep up with new features in Microsoft Word

3. Open Office

You have probably heard of Open Office because it is an open-source office suite that has been around for years. In fact, Libre Office uses the Open Office code base so there are a lot of similarities between the two. With Open Office you get the same compatibility with doc and docx formats.

When you install Open Office you do not get as many templates as you do with Libre Office but this is not a problem at all because you can download thousands of others. The only real difference between Open Office and Libre Office is the updates. There is a strong community behind Libre Office so updates are more frequent for new features and bug fixes.

So with Open Office, you get:

Save documents in doc or docx format
Simple interface based on the old Word style
Thousands of templates available to download
Great office suite functionality

4. SoftMaker FreeOffice

If you have a Windows, Mac or Linux computer you can install SoftMaker FreeOffice. You will find a clutter-free interface that is intuitive and simple to use. This does not mean that FreeOffice doesn’t have a lot of good features. You may have to find them in sub-menus but they are there.

Creating documents is easy with FreeOffice. The application called TextMaker will let you create documents that contain bookmarks and fields if you want and you can even save your docs as PDF’s. You can actually choose between a ribbon-style or classic interface. There is a small selection of templates but these look great and should satisfy most people’s needs.

The biggest problem with the SoftMaker FreeOffice suite is that you cannot save your documents in Microsoft Word format. But there is a way around this. For around $60 you can go for the premium version which will allow you to save in docx format. So the features include:

Choice of either ribbon or classic interface (similar to new and older Word versions)
Good looking templates
Lots of features and office functionality

So which Microsoft Word Alternative should you choose?

There is no doubt in my mind that the WPS Office suite is the best alternative to Word. It looks almost the same and you can save docs in the commonly used docx format. You also get 1GB of free cloud storage with it too. The only drawback is the ads but they are not very distracting.

If you don’t like the idea of ads then the open-source offerings of Libre Office and Open Office are a good choice. You might as well go for Libre Office here because they are basically the same but there are more updates with Libre Office and the community is great.

For those people that do not need to worry about the docx format and sharing documents, the SoftMaker FreeOffice is a very good choice. This works really well and the list of features is impressive.

You have probably heard of Google Docs. I did not include this in the article as I do not consider it to be a true alternative to Microsoft Word. It is a great tool for collaboration but importing Word documents can be tricky at best.

Microsoft Word has its devotees, but find one person who loves it, and you'll probably find several who don't. From redesigns that hide familiar menu items to overly complicated and often unused features, there's a lot to be desired in a simple word processor that Microsoft Word doesn't deliver due to its complex nature. In addition, Microsoft Word and the rest of Microsoft Office is expensive (here's the pricing for the home edition of Microsoft Office).

If you don't need all the features that Microsoft Word offers, it can be hard to justify paying that price, especially in a small business environment where you just need a word processor. Don't pay for what you aren't going to use--take a look at one of these five free Microsoft Word alternatives instead.

Google Docs

Google Docs, which is easily the most popular Microsoft Word alternative on this list, is free to everyone with a Google account.

If you want the basic features of Microsoft Word, you don't need to look any further than Google Docs--it does all your basic word processing needs, and it is tightly integrated with Google Drive and other products. Since everything is saved in Google's cloud, you don't need to worry about losing your work--Docs autosaves after every single keystroke, so in the event of a crash you should be able to pick up right where you left off, down to the letter. Google Docs also supports Microsoft Word's .doc and .docx formats, so you shouldn't have any problems importing and editing those.

One of its best features for business users is real-time collaboration. If you share a document with another Google user, both of you can be in the document at the same time, see the other user's cursor position, watch what they're typing, and chat to each other as well. It's a great collaboration tool that stands out among word processors.

Advanced users may find the features lacking--it really is a bare-bones word processor.

Google

Apache OpenOffice Writer

Ms Word Alternative Text

Image: Apache

If you hate Microsoft Word because of the invention of the ribbon, then Apache's OpenOffice Writer is the 2003 throwback you want. It has a classic interface that, while it can look a bit cluttered, mimics the menus that Microsoft tossed out when Office 2007 was released. It will definitely feel familiar to Office 2003 users, with the added perk of still receiving updates and security patches, which is important for a business software suite.

OpenOffice Writer has its own document format, but it also supports .doc and .docx files, and it does a great job of maintaining formatting when importing those types of files. Many of the advanced features of Microsoft Word are included in OpenOffice Writer as well, so editing complex Word documents won't be an issue.

If online collaboration or native cloud support is a selling point, then you may want to pass on OpenOffice Writer because it includes neither. It is possible to store files in a cloud drive and access them using OpenOffice, but you'll need to have the desktop client of Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Apple iCloud installed so you can open your cloud storage like a local computer folder.

Apache

LibreOffice Writer

Image: The Document Foundation

LibreOffice Writer, like OpenOffice, is a completely free and open-source product that offers word processing, support for .doc and .docx file formats, and all the tools the average Microsoft Word user will need in a word processor. LibreOffice Writer and OpenOffice Writer are 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 are solid choices for those looking for a free alternative to Microsoft Word, and selecting one over the other largely comes down to preference.

One aspect of LibreOffice stands out, and it isn't what's in the app--it's the community-driven nature of the platform. Collaborating with users and developers to improve the product is front and center on LibreOffice's website, and that focus has grown LibreOffice into a thriving community of users and coders that keep making it better.

The Document Foundation

WPS Office Writer

Image: WPS Software

If you want a word processor that's just as feature packed as Word, but you don't want to pay a premium, check out WPS Office Writer. TechRepublic sister site CNET has been singing the praises of WPS Office Writer for awhile, and with good reason: It is a full-featured application suite that feels premium.

WPS Office Writer does most of the same things as Microsoft Word, and it includes native cloud support to make storing documents online a snap; however, it does lack real-time collaboration. Look at any review of WPS Office Writer, and you'll find statements that attest how much it's like Word. With its inclusion of more features than other free suites like OpenOffice, this might be the one to go for--especially considering you don't have to pay for it.

With anything free and high quality, there's a catch, and you might be able to guess what it is in our modern age of 'freemium' apps: Ads. Don't let that dissuade you from trying WPS Writer--you might not see an ad. There's no banner across the top of the app--ads only appear when you want to use select features like printing or exporting to PDF. If you need to do one of those things, you'll have to sit through a roughly 10-second ad, which unlocks the feature for 30 minutes. If you like what WPS Writer has to offer, you can opt to eliminate ads by paying a yearly subscription fee of $29.99, or you can fork over $119.99 for a lifetime license.

Best Alternative To Microsoft Word

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Microsoft Office Word Online

Image: Microsoft

Don't overlook Microsoft's free alternative to the paid version of Word: Office Online. Like Google Docs, Microsoft Word Online is a simplified, cloud-based version of Word. It lacks a lot of the advanced features of a locally-installed version of Word, but for users who want a free version of Word, this is as close as you can get.

Similarities between Google Docs and Word Online are present all the way down to the interface, but with a few tweaks to make it feel more like the Microsoft ribbon instead of the drop-down menus Google Docs users are used to. Documents created in Word Online are saved in Microsoft OneDrive, and real-time collaboration features like those in Google Docs are available as well. One big plus in Word Online's favor is formatting: If you create a document in Word Online and then import it to a local version of Microsoft Word, it's going to retain the formatting way better than if it's made in Google Docs.

Free Word Program

Microsoft

Best Alternative To Ms Word

Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect the current price of WPS Office Writer.

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