… But free comes with limitations and a lack of control Our winner: You can’t beat free - Google takes the cake here. Most of these packages include the desktop versions of all the Office apps and online access for their web-based counterparts.

Yearly fee of $99.99 / monthly fee of $9.99 (to install on up to 5 computers).

Yearly fee of $69.99 / monthly fee of $6.99 (for an install on 1 computer).It’s going to cost you more to get started with Microsoft Word. If you want to purchase a “Business” version of G Suite, monthly plans start at $5 per user. Google Docs is free for the average user. Unlike Microsoft Word, Google Docs is free to use… And the online version of Word lacks certain features which may render it useless for you. You have to purchase the entire Microsoft 365 software package just to receive a full version of Word. Our winner: You can access the full version of Google Docs, with all its features, from any browser. The Word app comes pre-installed on Windows Phone devices and as a free (very bare) app for iOS and Android. The Google Docs app is available for both iOS and Android devices-but not on Windows-based phones like BlackBerry.

Unlike Microsoft Word, which can only be installed on Windows and OS X computers, you can use Google Docs from any computer and browser, including: Simply log in to your Google account from any browser and head over to. You don’t have to download any software or purchase a suite of programs you don’t want/need to use it. It offers a more streamlined experience though it leaves others wanting more.įor instance, Word Online isn’t able to handle large or more complex documents and users find it clunkier to work around these bugs than using their regular Word program from the start.Īs an internet-based company, Google Docs started out as a cross-platform word processor that works entirely online. Select ribbons and toolbars were removed from the online version to help it load and run faster. Though Word Online boasts enough features for casual users, it is not the full version of Word by any means. It wasn’t until 2010 that Microsoft finally launched Word Online as part of its Microsoft 365 package. So if you install Word on your desktop, you’ll need to bump up your plan to get a copy for your laptop, which can get pricey. Once you purchase this suite, you can only install Word on a select number of computers, depending on the plan level you choose. It comes as part of the Microsoft 365 package (formerly called Office 365), which includes other programs like Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. You cannot purchase Microsoft Word as a standalone program. How to use and access Microsoft Word and Google Docs

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