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Are you looking for free word processors that can be used as an alternative to Microsoft Word which is a paid service?
You have come to the right place.
The Microsoft Word alternatives covered in this article are free and contains features that you'll rarely miss the MS Word software.
All these free alternatives will allow you to perform routine task like:
- Create, edit and save as a document
- Print document
- Spell checker
- Create tables
- Save documents to the cloud
- Online collaboration
- And many more features
Thus, switching over to any of these free word processor software from MS Word will save you good money every year.
I have compiled 4 best word processors that are totally free and work as good as Microsoft Word barring some of its premium features.
Let's get started.
List of Best Microsoft Word Alternatives
1. WPS Office Writer
WPS Office comes with both the free version and the premium plan. You can download the free software from its official website. Here is the download link - WPS Office.
The free office suite package include Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheets.
Once you launch WPS Office, select Document to start the Writer. Inside the Writer you can use the blank template to use the free version.
Or use the premium templates for documents like letters, resumes, posters, brochures, work report and cards. However, you need to subscribe to premium plan to use these templates.
As we're only talking about free word processor, blank template is the option to get started with creating a word document in WPS Office.
Once inside the Writer in WPS Office, you may not feel like working outside of Microsoft Word. Interface of both the software are almost similar.
The free version of WPS Office is compatible with Google Docs, Microsoft Office, Adobe PDF and others. Thus, you can easily open any word documents inside WPS Office and edit it.
Key Features
The software is available to download on multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
If you need more advanced features you may consider upgrading to the premium plan.
Under the Premium Plan, you get the following privileges:
- All the features of Office Suite in desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet
- Advanced Writer, Presentation, Spreadsheets
- Ad free experience across all operating systems and devices
- PDF to Word, PDF Editor, Split/Merge PDF documents
- Optical character recognition,
- Convert images to Word/PDF
- Get up to 20GB of Cloud storage
- Extensive online templates that includes resumes, presentations, memos, finance, business, education, charts
- WPS office Premium support up to 9 connected devices - 3 PCs and 6 Mobile
- WPS Office supports 8 languages - English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian and Indonesian
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2. Google Docs
Google Docs is my favorite word processor as it is free and includes all the important features of Microsoft Word. Not to forget that it supports online collaboration too.
To use Google Docs all you need is a Google account (Gmail) and a working internet connection. If you have worked with Microsoft Word earlier, you would feel at ease while working with Google Docs as it contains all the essential features that are present in MS Word.
While working on it you don't need to always remember to save your documents as it automatically save it on Google Drive cloud storage.
Did I say earlier that Google Docs supports online collaboration? Yes, it indeed has this feature. If you have a team, you can invite team members to view, edit or comment on your document.
I think it is a great feature when you see other team members working and helping out to create a great document.
In terms of feature and benefits, it is one of the best and free Microsoft Word alternatives. And it is free too.
Key Feature
3. LibreOffice Writer
The third best alternative to Microsoft Word on our list is LibreOffice Writer. It is included inside the package when you download the LibreOffice.
LibreOffice Writer is part of LibreOffice, a free and open source software.
Due to its open source nature, Writer receives regular updates from contributing editors.
It is compatible with Microsoft Word. Thus, you can easily work upon documents created on MS Word. It also supports multiple cross platforms - MS Windows and Mac.
It's a full-featured free word processor that supports both the popular word format - .doc and .docx.
LibreOffice Writer allows you to create documents such as letters, resume, faxes and feature useful tools like spell checker, thesaurus and autocorrect.
Key Feature
4. Zoho Writer
Zoho offers many free online applications that also include Writer, a cloud based tool for word processing. The online application is another great alternative to both Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
You're not required to download any software to use this free word processor. You can create, edit and download your documents online from Zoho Writer website. To start creating your document you need to register from your email account or login with your Gmail ID.
Like Google Docs, it automatically saves your document as you edit it, saving you from the risk of losing data due to a lost network connection.
And it also support online collaboration where you can work with your team members in real-time.
Another wonderful feature of this free word processor is its ability to post your document on blogging platforms. If you're a blogger, you can create your document in Zoho Writer and publish it directly on WordPress or Blogger.
Prefer to work right on your mobile, Zoho Writer has got you covered here also. It has apps for Android, iPhone and iPad devices.
You can easily import your existing MS Word documents preserving the format, flow, and style intact. Zoho Writer allows to create document in the following formats:
- Microsoft Word (.docx)
- Open Document Text (.odt)
- Rich Text Format (.rtf)
- Text File (.txt)
- Epub Document (.epub)
- HTML (.zip)
Let's check out all the features that make it one of the best Microsoft Word alternatives.
Key Features
These word processors are some of the best alternatives to Microsoft Word. And yes, they all are free to use.
Wrapping Up
In terms of easy of use and feature, it's still hard to beat Microsoft Word. But that comes with a price.
If you're looking for a free alternative, you can choose any of the tools covered in this article.
Which free word processor you like the most and why? Please offer your comment below.
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