The simple word processor interface makes accessing the features easy. Saturn Writer v.1.0 Saturn Writer is a simple word processor that will take all the best features of all word processors on the market, and put them into an easy to use form. PageFour v.1.66 PageFour is a tabbed word processor and outliner for writers. Pages is the best looking, and has the best looking templates, of all the full word processing suites available on Mac. Unfortunately, Pages just isn’t as popular as the other apps, so you might have a hard time convincing the people you want to collaborate with to use it as well.
We've all used Microsoft Word, the most ubiquitous word processor on the market, at one point in our lives. It still proves to be a staple, especially in education, but there are plenty of competitors vying for our word processing loyalty.
If you aren't a fan of Word, aren't interested in purchasing a full office suite, or you really just need a new, free word processor, check out the best of the best below.
1. Google Docs
- All of these word processor programs are 100 percent freeware, which means that you won't ever have to purchase the program, uninstall it after so-many days, donate a small fee, purchase add-ons for basic functionality, etc. The word processor tools below are free to download at no cost.
- Windows comes with a basic word processor called Wordpad. It's very simple with few bells and whistles. You won't get much in the way of great formatting, but it's not hard to use and as simple as they come. The file format is RTF (Rich Text Format), which can be opened by basically all other word processing programs. However, Wordpad is limited to RTF and TXT files, and can't open MS Word docs, or any others for that matter.
- Basic Word Processor is simple application that provides you with a simple text editor that supports RTF and standard TXT files. It was designed to be easy to use, but also incorporate some.
Likely the most popular word processor after Microsoft’s own, this list couldn't exist without Google Docs. Docs is available by way of Google Drive, which lets you upload the usual suspects — documents, photos, videos and files — to your 15GB of free storage.
The clean, classic Google design makes Docs easy to use, and it syncs across your devices. Edit as much as you want, and if you change your mind, Docs saves and tracks all your changes from the moment you start typing.
Docs is known as the saving grace of group projects both near and far — see what your teammates are doing in real-time, or easily chat with them in the sidebar.
Be sure to look into the Drive’s many other apps: play with Quickoffice to quickly open and edit Docs on your phone or tablet, Keep to stay organized, Drawings to add visuals, or Sheets to collaborate on spreadsheets.
Download the free Drive app for your iOS or Android device.
2. Textilus — Microsoft Word Edition
Image: Knowtilus
iPad users are probably familiar with Textilus, Knowtilus' flagship word processor. This comprehensive, rich-text app supports more than 32 languages, is often updated and has a variety of formatting options — more than 60 different fonts has to do the trick, right?
Textilus lets you create and edit documents that can be opened in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, Scrivener and Nisus Writer. Insert photos, charts, signatures and drawings. Export your work in various formats, and sync with Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote or Scrivener to stay updated.
Use the snapshot feature to take a picture of the current state of the document. This picture is sent to the app’s snapshots folder, where it can be shared or saved indefinitely.
You can also search directly within the program via Google, Wikipedia or the dictionary, and customize the 25 toolbar buttons for your convenience. Textilus documents are compatible with hundreds of other word processors, such as Pages, Microsoft Word, Notes and more. Best dvd player for mac.
3. TextEdit
Image: Apple
Ever since Apple acquired computer company NeXT, it has distributed TextEdit on OS X to replace SimpleText.
Similar in design to PlainText, you simple need to open TextEdit and type away. You can format and lay out the page, create tables and lists, work with HTML, and import images, music and movie files. It automatically corrects spelling as you type, and on OS X Mountain Lion, you can also dictate using TextEdit.
4. Kingsoft Office Writer
Image: Kingsoft Office
Writer is part of the entire Kingsoft Office suite (along with Spreadsheets and Presentation), and it creates documents that are highly compatible with Microsoft Word.
The program supports rich text editing, document encryption, 'night read' mode, picture and table operation, and more. Writer also opens emailed documents in almost every format, and it’s easy to grab files from various locations.
The 2013 release added a sections tab and three different skins, and it made creating an in-text table especially intuitive.
Still, it may not be as elegant and clean-cut as other word processors — take, for example, the oversized toolbar. (It’s recommended that you set the document to full-screen.)
5. Pages
Image: Apple
Apple announced on Sept. 10 that it will give iWork for free with all new iOS devices. That means each newly purchased iPhone, iPad and fifth-generation iPod Touch receives Pages, normally $9.99, free of charge.
And although Pages is primarily geared towards iOS and Mac users, Windows users can use the web version Pages via the excellent iWork for iCloud. On the web users can create, edit and collaborate on documents with many of the same features in the iOS and Mac apps.
Additionally, the company announced at the iPad Air launch event on Oct. 22 that Mac OS X Mavericks and iWork would be free.
Pages gives you all the tools you need to create beautiful documents. Text automatically wraps around inserted images, charts and tables. Access more than 60 templates, or start with a blank slate.
You can also track comments, save documents as Word files, share them with your coworkers and access your work through iCloud.
Image: Mashable composite. iStock, spxChrome, Wikimedia Commons
Microsoft's titan of a word processor is used almost everywhere by almost everyone, but what if you don't want to spend seven bucks a month? Mac makeup appointment scheduling. Here are our favorite alternatives to Word. They're all free, they're all capable of working with the ubiquitous .docx format, and they all offer some very useful features on top as well.
Microsoft does offer a stripped-down online version of Word free of charge with your OneDrive account, so if you're committed to Office that should be your first stop. If you're looking outside the blue box, though, here are five alternatives worth your time:
1. LibreOffice (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)
If you're looking for a solid, dependable desktop tool in the mold of Word then LibreOffice is one of your best bets. Its Writer component is a more-than-capable replacement for Microsoft's program despite a slightly old-fashioned appearance, and it comes with all of the features you're going to need such as auto-save, change tracking and a commenting. Word users will feel at home right away, particularly if they're familiar with older versions of the Microsoft product.
The look of the software is fresh and clean, and the quick access toolbars make editing and formatting straightforward. Importing and exporting Word documents works fine—though it's not perfect all of the time—and there's also the option to export your documents as PDFs. All of the usual word processor mainstays, from spelling and grammar checks to header and footer support, can be found in LibreOffice.
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There are some basic wizards you can play around with to create standard letters, agendas and so on, and the autocomplete feature is something a lot of users will find helpful. More complicated document layouts are handled with aplomb, or at least as well as they're handled in Word, while the only significant feature you might miss is the format painter functionality that's built into Microsoft Office.
LibreOffice split from OpenOffice four years ago, with the latter suite of products eventually taken over by the Apache Software Foundation. OpenOffice has got plenty going for it too, and is very similar in look and feel to LibreOffice thanks to their shared history; give OpenOffice Writer a whirl if LibreOffice doesn't grab you. A lot of the differences between the two packages are minor.
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2. Google Drive (Web)
Google Drive/Docs is improving all the time, and Microsoft is feeling the heat, forced into releasing its own free-to-use Web-based suite of products. But Google's effort feels more intuitive and comfortable on the Web than Microsoft's app, perhaps as it's been built from the ground up as an online tool rather than an adaptation of existing software. Now that QuickOffice has been merged with Google Docs, opening and editing Word files is more seamless than ever before, and you shouldn't run into problems working with contacts who are using Word.
![Word Word](https://zapier.cachefly.net/storage/photos/fd8cdfc7704bbbc67bec7c41cafe3703.png)
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There are all the usual benefits of using a cloud app as well: access to your files from anywhere, no need to save your documents, and the ability to collaborate on work with other people in real-time. It's more lightweight in terms of features than the desktop edition of Word, so don't expect to be able to pull off advanced layouts or mail merges using the online app.
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That lightweight approach has its advantages though: Drive's word processor is quick and simple to use, and some of its best features—such as the option to research topics on the Web in a separate sidebar—leave Microsoft's word processor feeling a bit out of date. https://dearpotent.weebly.com/what-is-the-best-printer-to-buy-for-a-mac.html. For those who've grown up on the Web, Google's software feels much more natural, but power Word users will bump up against limitations.
3. AbiWord (Windows, Linux)
One of the very few word processors you can get hold of without an attached office suite, AbiWord might look like it was last updated in 2004 but it's got everything you're going to need from a desktop word processor. It recently added an online component called AbiCollab to make it easier to store documents on the Web and collaborate with other users.
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AbiWord's list of features reads like a checklist for the definitive word processor program: spelling and grammar checking, headers and footers, table and column support, templates, footnotes and so on. All of the standard character and paragraph formatting options are here too so you can get your documents looking the way you want them too.
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The application itself is compact and lightweight—worth considering on older, slower systems—and there are a pile of plug-ins available on the Web to enhance the software even further (by adding in auto-translation capabilities, for example). The ability to add annotations is one of the newer features added to the AbiWord code.
If you're after a capable and free word processor but don't want the hassle of a bundled office suite then AbiWord is ideal. It's perhaps not as slick and modern-looking as some of the other options, but it gets the job done with the minimum of fuss.
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4. Zoho Docs (Web)
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Zoho Docs may not be as well known as Google's online office suite, but it's actually far more comprehensive in some areas. As well as the word processor, you get finance, HR, and customer support tools, making it an all-in-one business solution you can run through a browser. Personal users are welcome too, and get 5GB of storage space for free.
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The word processor itself has a clear and friendly interface, managed via a Word-style tabbed menu along the top of the screen—it feels more like a desktop program than Drive does. Unfortunately it doesn't have the extensive pile of Google Web Fonts offered by its competitor, but there's an adequate selection that will meet most people's needs.
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You can import and export documents saved in the .docx format, while collaborating on documents and reviewing changes is intuitive and painless. https://dearpotent.weebly.com/best-picture-collage-app-for-mac.html. If mail merge is an important feature for you then Zoho Docs can handle that too. Images, tables, symbols, shapes, links, YouTube clips and document metadata can all be neatly dropped into your text as required.
The integration with other Google products and its polished mobile apps make Google Drive a convenient choice for online word processing, but Zoho Docs has plenty to offer, particularly if you're running a small business and want access to a full suite of complementary tools. There's also a desktop sync tool available to install on Mac or Windows for getting your files into the cloud more easily.
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5. Scribus (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)
Scribus is officially a desktop publishing package but we're including it here as a free option for those who need a Word replacement for more advanced layouts: think posters, flyers, newsletters and the like. It does a decent job of packing in a lot of features without being too overwhelming, though it might take you some time to adapt from the standard Word workflow.
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Once you get into the DTP mindset—as in, you need to create a text box before you start doing any typing—the strengths of Scribus soon become apparent. The application has no problems with tables, oddly shaped selection boxes and flowing text around objects, but you won't get some of the standard word processor features like the ability to create outlines and a table of contents.
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As we've said, this is a Word alternative specifically for those looking to get creative with their layouts. You can use it as a standard word processor but you'll need to launch the Story Editor module to apply most of your formatting and paragraph style effects. If you don't mind this way of working then Scribus has a lot to offer wordsmiths.
Scribus was first released more than 10 years ago, so there's a wealth of features and expertise to fall back on. It can punch above its weight in terms of a direct comparison with Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress too. While text can be imported from Microsoft Word, you can't export it back in the other direction, so it's not suitable for situations where you're sending documents back and forth between people.
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