Who doesn’t like Microsoft Office? With its vast selection of applications, it’s hard to beat MS Office when it comes to productivity software. However, sometimes we feel that the price is too high and we don’t really need all the features that MS Office offers, especially if we just need a simple word processor or spreadsheet application to get our work done. Luckily, there are some amazing free and paid alternatives available on the market today that give you the freedom to be more productive without breaking your budget or taking up too much space on your computer’s hard drive.
Free Microsoft Office Alternative
This suite includes WPS office. It is a free office software suite that can be downloaded to your PC or tablet device. It has offline capabilities as well as cloud storage options if you are worried about losing files. It offers programs for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, database management and drawing tools. These programs work offline as well.
The Cloud version of WPS Office is also a decent alternative for students who are looking for Microsoft Office alternatives in the future. This online-based option means you don’t have to download any software to get it onto your computer or tablet devices – just go online with your internet browser and you will be able to use all the features available on the website.
Paid Alternative – Google Docs
The most well-known option is Google Docs. With it, you can create word processing documents like documents, presentations, spreadsheets and forms to be shared with other users online. Google Docs has evolved over the years to include collaboration tools for Google’s other services. It also allows for video editing that is powered by YouTube. Unlike some paid options, you don’t need an email address or a credit card to use this service. All that is needed is an internet connection and browser access to go back and forth between a document on your desktop to the same document in Google Docs. If you want to share your document with others, all they need is a Gmail account.
Some people may not want their files stored on someone else’s servers so Google Drive should only be used if there are no privacy concerns. Plus, it doesn’t come with any type of customer support which could be a problem. On the plus side, Google Docs is free to use and easy to learn how to navigate through.
Paid Alternative – Quip
Quip is a less expensive alternative to MS Word that incorporates tools such as docs, slides, notebooks and collectives. Quip has collaboration features such as comments and track changes.
This office suite lets users share their work with co-workers or even other teams in the company for instant feedback on a document. The app also integrates seamlessly with G-Suite (Google Docs).
It does not require any personal information when signing up, but still has all the standard features one would expect from an office suite. There are various pricing options depending on how many people are using it, starting at $12 per user per month.
Mobile Apps for Word Processing
So the ultimate goal for most companies is to have an on-premise server that syncs up with the other in a setup referred to as a hosted system. This allows users to save documents from their PCs or mobile devices to the central office server. The downside? That initial investment can be expensive, especially for small business owners with limited funding.
Luckily there are some low-cost options out there–both online and mobile–to help them get started without busting their budgets. These apps typically offer document viewing but not editing capabilities; those limitations may not be a big deal depending on your needs. For example, I recently wrote this blog post using one called Unison rather than PowerPoint or Word to create it.
It’s not perfect, but it did get the job done. If you need to do more sophisticated tasks like publishing presentations or making slideshows, however, you’ll want something with more robust features like PowerPoint for Android ($4) or Slidebean (free).
One thing worth noting about Unison is that you’re never quite sure what kind of formatting the editor will apply when you open up a file. That can cause issues if you’re working with complicated styles that rely on precise margins and spacing. But if all you need is simple text formatting–and don’t care too much about collaborating with others outside your company–then this option might work well for you.
Tools for Document Collaboration
In recent years, many innovative new cloud-based options have emerged for handling text documents. These online platforms come with a variety of benefits over Microsoft Word. For one thing, collaboration is a lot easier when everything is centralized on the internet rather than saved on your personal computer.
Moreover, the programs are frequently updated with new features such as options for modifying fonts or reorganizing paragraphs. There’s even one free option to consider–Zoho Docs–which also has mobile apps available on iOS and Android so you can edit and update your document no matter where you are!
Below are some top choices in the market which can be used as alternatives to Microsoft Word: Google Drive Dropbox Zoho Docs Quip WPS Office Onenote Evernote Xodo iA Writer LibreOffice Preview 2Docs MindMeister – All for Free
Google Drive – File Storage
For users who primarily work from their computers, Google Drive provides an excellent suite of office tools. The interface includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and more without ever downloading anything onto your device–all done through the browser. You can create docs up to 30GB in size using this service and store all types of files up to 5TB at once.
The Chrome extension allows you to write directly into the webpage by hovering over it with a cursor while editing your text–a handy way to get around distractions if you need that sort of capability while working. One downside? Collaborating isn’t quite as easy since you’ll need to share with someone else before they can edit any file. If you’re looking for a tool that offers something different, check out Nextcloud (see below).
Another great option is Dropbox Paper (formerly known as Hackpad). It supports markdown formatting for those interested in doing coding or math equations, and a really neat feature called extract which pulls content from PDFs stored on your account automatically into the app–very useful if you want to reuse them in other projects. Another nice benefit is that they support comments inline instead of adding them below your text like other competitors do.
Presentation Software
Look out, world! Presentation software is making an incredible comeback. The free alternatives now exceed the few quality ones that were once worth paying for. They all offer features like multimedia support and real-time updates that are far superior to PowerPoint’s built-in features. This is your chance to innovate with new presentation software ideas without paying a dime.
Get ahead of the trends by investing in presentation software for your company now. No matter which one you choose, it will be cheaper than buying new presentations software from Microsoft later on. Many companies have already done this, and they’re all very happy with their decision.
Task Management Tools
In our modern digital world, having a clear and organized plan is essential. Many people depend on Microsoft Office’s powerful tools to accomplish this task. However, these can be expensive. Luckily for us, there are other great options available for less.
Google Drive is a wonderful place to create tasks or set reminders from a unified browser window or app on your mobile device that syncs seamlessly across all devices with the addition of Chrome as an alternative to Edge for use in both computers and Android phones.
Syncing does not have to be done through your browser; you can also set it up directly on your phone by going into Settings -> Sync on your Android Device in order to sync up with Google’s platform. There are some limitations, such as limited customization and lack of scheduling capability but if you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of your projects then this might be the answer. Another option is Trello which gives users unlimited boards where they can easily organize their tasks with comments, attachments, labels, members, etc.
For those who need something more hands-on when managing their tasks than what Google Drive offers then Quip may be worth looking into. Quip is much like Outlook but without the hefty price tag that comes along with its rival product.