Greatest for on-line collaboration: Google Docs
Greatest for exact formatting: Microsoft Phrase
Microsoft Phrase and Google Docs are the preferred phrase processors used at the moment. Each are near-ubiquitous and dependable for information employees and company organizations. Whereas each have the identical primary performance, they might be used beneath barely totally different circumstances:
- Google Docs is a better option for distant staff who ceaselessly reply to feedback and admire the pliability of a web based phrase processor.
- Microsoft Phrase has extra strong offline performance and could also be simpler for organizations that always use the Microsoft 365 suite. Staff preferring to manually retailer information as a substitute of entrusting them in Google’s Cloud could also be extra snug with Phrase.
Google Docs vs Microsoft Phrase: Comparability desk
| Pricing | Offline Work | Generative AI | Collaboration | Doc Templates | Superior Formatting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Docs | Free with a private electronic mail deal with or beginning at $6 monthly per consumer for a enterprise account. | Sure, with the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension. | Google Gemini is obtainable in Docs for enterprise accounts for a further price. | Simply invite coworkers to view, edit or touch upon paperwork on-line. | Sure | Add tables, add eSignatures, add variables, change paragraph types, add indents and align margins, regulate paragraph spacing, add footnotes, embed interactable objects referred to as sensible chips, use keyboard shortcuts. |
| Microsoft Phrase | $159.99 by itself or beginning at $6 monthly for Microsoft 365 | Sure | Microsoft Copilot is obtainable in Phrase for a further price. | Coworkers can counsel edits and add feedback to Phrase information despatched to them. | Sure | Customise your individual modifying choices and the way copy/paste works; change picture high quality and measurement settings; customise the show. |
Google Docs vs Microsoft Phrase: Pricing
The pricing varies relying on the model, however usually, Microsoft Phrase is mostly encountered in workplaces as a part of a Microsoft 365 suite marketing strategy. In distinction, Google Docs is free to make use of with a Google account.
You may entry Microsoft Phrase in numerous methods:
- Phrase for the Internet: A free, in-browser model powered by Microsoft OneDrive.
- A private, owned copy of Phrase for PC or Mac: This utility can also come as a part of Workplace House & Pupil 2021, for a one-time cost of $159.99.
- The Microsoft Phrase utility: This comes as a part of Microsoft 365 or Microsoft 365 for Mac. Microsoft 365 Private prices $69.99 per 12 months. Microsoft 356 Household (for one to 6 folks) prices $99.99/12 months.
- Microsoft 365 plans for enterprise: Begin at $6 per consumer monthly, for as much as 300 customers, with a one-month free trial. This consists of solely the online and cellular variations of Phrase.
- Microsoft 365 Enterprise Commonplace: Options the desktop model of Phrase and prices $12.50 per consumer monthly.
- Microsoft 365 Enterprise Premium: Prices $22 per consumer monthly and provides sure safety features.
- Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise: Consists of the desktop model of Phrase and cloud storage however lacks Groups and different frequent enterprise functions. It prices $8.25 per consumer monthly.
Google Docs is free with a private electronic mail account. Google Workspace enterprise plans, all of which embody Docs, are as follows:
- Enterprise Starter: $6 monthly per consumer with a 1-year dedication.
- Enterprise Commonplace: $12 monthly per consumer with a 1-year dedication. This provides malware and phishing safety, further storage, and higher-capacity conferences.
- Enterprise Plus: $18 monthly per consumer with a 1-year dedication. This provides extra storage and better assembly capability, Google Vault and superior endpoint administration, and eDiscovery — a software that lets directors search throughout Google Workspace companies.
You’ll have to inquire with Google to search out pricing for Enterprise plans, which add S/MIME encryption, noise cancellation, in-domain dwell streaming, information areas, and extra.
Function comparability: Google Docs vs Microsoft Phrase
Phrase Processing
Each Google Docs and Microsoft Phrase:
- Can be utilized for phrase processing.
- Leverage spell examine and phrase rely features.
- Provide many alternative font and formatting choices.
Google Docs provides prebuilt templates akin to assembly notes, emails (simply despatched through Gmail), or calendar occasions for Google Calendar integration.
Like Google Docs, the net model of Microsoft Phrase saves your work to the cloud. With the desktop model of Microsoft Phrase, you’ll have to handle the place to save lots of the file your self, however the utility mechanically saves your progress each few seconds. In Docs, you’ll be able to press @ to hyperlink to different information in your Google Workspace account, add photographs, or add widgets. Each functions supply dictation or voice typing.
Each functions additionally allow you so as to add a desk of contents. Google Docs builds this desk of contents within the sidebar primarily based on headings, whereas Microsoft Phrase requires manually creating the desk of contents, which is usually a tedious process.
In each functions, you’ll be able to add and regulate headers, footers, margins, and web page numbers. To perform such duties in Google Docs, be certain your doc is in Pages format, versus Pageless. In Phrase, merely go to the Insert menu.
File sharing and collaboration
To share Google Docs or invite others to collaborate, merely regulate your privateness settings beneath the Share menu and ship your collaborator the URL.
You may share Microsoft Phrase paperwork as particular person information. Both ship the editable information or change them to Studying View so the file is viewable however not editable within the browser model. You may add new feedback, and different folks can reply to these feedback. The browser model helps real-time co-authoring simply as Google Docs does.
Buyer assist
Buyer assist for Google Docs on enterprise plans is paywalled, relying on the marketing strategy. Workspace directors have entry to admin assist. On any model of Google Docs, you’ll be able to ship suggestions to Google. Discover the totally different tiers of assist choices right here.
Microsoft provides buyer assist for all its merchandise, accessible for each enterprise or private account points. Microsoft 365 directors for companies have a further choice by way of the Microsoft 365 admin middle. Small companies — these with fewer than 25 Microsoft 365 consumer licenses — should purchase Enterprise Help for extra customized assist for $5 per consumer monthly. From there, assist choices for enterprise accounts rise in value.
Making charts or together with photographs
Google Docs enables you to embed tables or photographs, or code blocks. Phrase consists of a number of totally different types of desk. In each, you’ll be able to insert photographs both out of your pc or from the online — Microsoft makes use of Bing, whereas Docs naturally makes use of Google Pictures.
On-line options
Google Docs is fully on-line, aside from the offline mode choice, which nonetheless works in a browser window.
Within the net model of Microsoft Phrase, paperwork will be downloaded as a PDF, .odt, or .ppt, or despatched to Kindle. However they can’t be downloaded as .docx information like these created within the full desktop utility.
SEE: Transferring your work? Right here is methods to export a Google Doc out of your iPhone to a different system.
Synthetic Intelligence assistants
Each phrase processors have elective generative AI assistants at a further value.
Customers who subscribe to Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) or Copilot Professional (residence) can use Microsoft Copilot in Phrase. Copilot can summarize, write, edit, and brainstorm data inside the doc. Microsoft 365 Copilot prices $30 per consumer monthly, whereas Copilot Professional prices $20.00 consumer monthly.
Google’s model of AI, Gemini, is accessible in Docs with a Google Workspace subscription, in addition to by way of the Gemini Enterprise or Enterprise add-on, the Gemini Training and Training Premium add-on, or the Google One AI Premium plan. Gemini Enterprise prices $20 per consumer monthly with a one-year dedication; Gemini Enterprise prices $30 per consumer monthly with a one-year dedication; and Google One AI Premium prices $19.99 monthly.
Google Docs execs and cons
Professionals:
- Slick, easy-to-use cellular and net app.
- Chrome integrations.
- Straightforward to retailer and arrange folders in Google Drive.
Cons:
- Very massive information would possibly exceed Google Docs’ storage, relying on the plan.
- Feedback stack as a substitute of being anchored in place, so navigating to them will be cumbersome if there are loads of feedback.
- It’s essential go right into a menu to allow viewing the phrase rely and to set it each time you make a brand new doc.
Microsoft Phrase execs and cons
Professionals:
- Straightforward to make use of, particularly when you perceive the best way the font and elegance menus are arrange.
- Phrase rely is displayed by default.
- Margins and reformat tables are simply adjustable.
Cons:
- Comparatively dear, and sometimes requires a month-to-month subscription.
- Collaboration can require an additional step (sending a file).
- The menus can really feel cluttered or overwhelming because of the massive variety of accessible choices.
Ought to what you are promoting use Google Docs or Microsoft Phrase?
Use Google Docs if …
- Your workforce is generally distant.
- A number of folks would possibly concurrently work on content material.
- You need to have the ability to embed hyperlinks to Google calendar, different Google docs, or to tag folks inside your group in a dwell doc.
Use Microsoft Phrase if …
- What you are promoting requires the safety of a regionally saved utility or one that enables paperwork to be saved and managed on native units.
- Your crew advantages from having a standalone phrase processing utility, slightly than a browser-based one, to assist keep focus.
- You already extensively use Microsoft’s ecosystem.
Google Docs vs Phrase for writers
As unbiased contributors, writers in what you are promoting could have private preferences for phrase processors. Apple customers, as an example, could also be accustomed to Pages, a free app that comes with Apple units and provides a spread of handy options alongside a user-friendly interface. In case your crew feels extra snug utilizing offline information, Microsoft Phrase is the higher selection. In fact, Google Docs and Microsoft Phrase aren’t the one phrase processors: free functions like LibreOffice might do the trick.
Overview methodology
I exploit Google Docs for work, so I used to be already aware of lots of its options. I consulted Google documentation to brush up on a few of its superior options. I additionally considered demo movies and consumer critiques. I examined the browser model of Microsoft Phrase and likewise reviewed official documentation and consumer suggestions for extra insights.