Should You Use Google Docs or Microsoft Word Online?
While Google Docs may be the first online word processor that comes to mind for most of us, it is by no means the only option available online, and one of the best alternatives is the free web version of Word that Microsoft makes available .
In addition to paying a monthly fee for Microsoft 365 or a one-time payment of $149.99 for Office 2024, you can also use Word (and Excel and PowerPoint) in your browser for free—all you need is the Internet and a Microsoft account. There are fewer features to play with, but they won’t cost you a penny.
So how do Google’s and Microsoft’s writing apps differ from each other? And what should you use?
Google Docs vs Microsoft Word: The Basics
Google Docs and Microsoft Word on the web can be accessed for free in all popular browsers. Both are tied to cloud storage (with little free space and more available for a fee), and both come with free apps for your phone, although in the case of Word for Android and iOS , for document editing. On devices with screens larger than 10.1 inches, you’ll need a Microsoft 365 subscription.
You can start with a blank document or choose to work with a template in both of these applications, although Word has a more varied and expanded selection of templates. Both save your files while you work, but only Google Docs can work offline (if you’re using Chrome): it caches your changes in the browser and syncs them as soon as your internet connection is restored.
For file uploads, both support rich text, OpenDocument and Word, but Google Docs also adds PDF, plain text, and markdown formats. When it comes to exporting, both platforms have Word and PDF, and Google Docs again adds a few more options – plain text, rich text, or markdown. As you’d expect, Word online works great with Word on the desktop; There is no desktop version for Google Docs.
Both of these apps cover all the basics of text formatting, including support for lists, alignment, indentation, tables, columns, and inline links—both of these tools even have a format drawer for copying formats between blocks of text. Both also support styles (such as headings and body text) to ensure consistency across documents.
Google Docs vs Microsoft Word: More Features
These two online apps have many more features, with some minor variations. Both support document collaboration, so you can work on files with other people and see who’s changing what. Both support voice dictation to give your fingers a rest. Both support a table of contents, footnotes, bookmarks, and headers and footers.
Google Docs and Word Online can both import images and offer some basic editing options that are slightly different (for example, only Google Docs can adjust transparency, and only Word Online can add shadows). Google Docs can import charts from Google Sheets, but Word Online cannot import charts from Excel online, although charts added to documents in the desktop version of Word will appear online.
Both of these online apps allow you to track changes, revert to earlier versions, display word counts, and check spelling and grammar. Both also include translation tools provided by Google and Microsoft. There are a lot of similarities, but overall there is a sense that Google Docs was made for the web and Word Online was transformed from a desktop program – you can just feel that in several of the design choices and interactions.
Google Docs offers several additional features, including smart chip inserts that let you add dynamic information about people, places, dates, and Google Calendar events. Its Gemini AI is also tightly integrated into Google Docs, in case you want to rewrite something or give up the responsibility of writing emails to an AI bot. Copilot has yet to come to Word online in any significant way, although it’s probably only a matter of time.
Verdict
There are many benefits to both Google Docs and Word online, and I have to admit that, having not used the Microsoft app for a while, it is better and more flexible than I remember. Microsoft may have been in no hurry to catch up with Google when it comes to online office apps that run in the browser, but there’s far less choice between the two web suites than there used to be.
As with any choice between apps and gadgets these days, when choosing between Google Docs and Word online you need to consider the wider ecosystem: Google Docs works very well with Google Keep and Gmail, for example, while Word online can quite Easily interact with Excel and PowerPoint online.
Based on my testing, Google Docs probably still has the edge in terms of web app usability and speed, and also has additional features such as additional import and export options, as well as offline editing support (which can be critical , if you use a lot of moving). It originated as an online application that lives in a browser, and it shows – although the feature set is similar in many cases, Google Docs seems a little more intuitive and faster.
However, Microsoft Word online is a great alternative, especially if you’re used to the desktop app and are heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. For example: While Google Docs does a good job of importing and exporting Word files, to ensure the exact formatting and layout of the desktop version of Word (and files created in it), we recommend using the official Microsoft web app.