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.
- Best Free Word Processor Download
- Best Free Word Processor For Mac 2018 Collections
- Free Word Processor For Imac
- Best Free Word Processor For Mac 2018
IA Writer, Byword, and Emacs are probably your best bets out of the 12 options considered. 'A mode that brings focus to the sentence you're working on' is the primary reason people pick iA Writer over the competition. This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision. All of the free word processors below can create, edit, and print documents. Many of them can open and edit Word documents, automatically check your spelling, use a wide selection of free MS Word templates, create tables and columns, and much more.
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
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
Best Free Word Processor Download
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 Free Word Processor For Mac 2018 Collections
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
Free Word Processor For Imac
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.
Best Free Word Processor For Mac 2018
Image: Mashable composite. iStock, spxChrome, Wikimedia Commons