Zoho Writer
Focus: google docs alternative. Shares word processor and documents with Google Docs. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.4 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.4Visit
Web App
Google Docs
Free online documents you can write and edit together in real time.
Rating
4.7 / 5
Pricing
Freemium
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Web, Android, iOS
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Google Docs?
Google Docs is Google's online word processor. Anyone with a Google account can create documents, comment and edit together in real time, import and edit Word files, and keep working offline. It runs in the browser and in apps for phones and tablets, and files count towards the account's 15 GB of free storage.
Pros: what Google Docs does well
- Free with any Google account
- Excellent real-time co-editing and comments
- Opens and edits Word files
Cons: where it falls short
- Files live in Google's cloud and are not end-to-end encrypted
- Some features need a paid Google Workspace plan
Who Google Docs is for
Anyone who writes documents with other people.
Who can skip it
People who need private, offline-only documents.
Google Docs alternatives
Not sold on Google Docs? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
CryptPad
Focus: encrypted, office suite and open source. Also in Writing and Collaboration, like Google Docs. Rated 4.3 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFree planWeb
4.3Visit
Microsoft 365 web apps
Focus: word, excel and powerpoint. Also in Writing and Collaboration, like Google Docs. Rated 4.3 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFree planWeb
4.3Visit
Craft
Focus: beautiful, apple and publishing. Shares documents with Google Docs. Adds macOS and Windows. Rated 4.6 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFree planmacOS, iOS
4.6Visit
Google Sheets
Focus: spreadsheets and excel alternative. Shares real-time collaboration with Google Docs. Rated 4.6 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFree planWeb, Android
4.6Visit
Typst
Focus: typesetting, latex alternative and open source. Shares documents with Google Docs. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.6Visit
Free alternatives to Google Docs
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors
Focus: office suite, docx and pdf editor. Shares microsoft office alternative with Google Docs. A desktop app, not a web app. Free (Google Docs: Freemium). Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.5 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.5Visit
Docmost
Focus: wiki, documentation and confluence alternative. Also in Collaboration and Team Productivity, like Google Docs. Free (Google Docs: Freemium). Same 4.7 rating.
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.7Visit
Grafana
Focus: dashboards, monitoring and metrics. Also in Team Productivity and Collaboration, like Google Docs. Free (Google Docs: Freemium). Adds Linux. Same 4.7 rating.
Web AppFreeWeb, Linux
4.7Visit
BookStack
Focus: wiki, documentation and self-hosted. Also in Team Productivity and Collaboration, like Google Docs. Free (Google Docs: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.6Visit
Gitea
Focus: git hosting, code review and issues. Also in Team Productivity and Collaboration, like Google Docs. Free (Google Docs: Freemium). Adds Linux, macOS and Windows. Rated 4.6 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFreeWeb, Linux
4.6Visit
Seafile
Focus: file sync, cloud storage and self-hosting. Also in Collaboration and Team Productivity, like Google Docs. Free (Google Docs: Freemium). Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Google Docs: 4.7).
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.6Visit
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