10 free alternatives to Word for Mac

Free alternatives to Word for Mac

Microsoft Word has always been the best application to create text documents far behind its rivals, rivals that, since they do not have the same resources as a company like Microsoft, cannot and will not be able to catch up.

However, free alternatives to Word for Mac, are more than enough for most users, especially among those who do not need the more complex functions that Word offers us and who do not have the need to work online with other users, store data in the cloud ...

Pages

Pages

Pages has always been the official alternative that Apple offers to macOS users, an application that over the years has been adding a large number of functions, functions that were already present in Word for many years.

The Pages app, uses its own format to create and save documents, a format that is not compatible with any other text document editing application, so it is not a good option if the documents you create have to be shared with other non-Mac users.

Fortunately, from Pages we can export the documents we create to other compatible formats, such as .docx, the format used by Microsoft's Word.

In most cases, we will not encounter any problem in the conversion, however, if it is a somewhat complex document, the structure can be affected forcing us to edit it later.

Pages, like Numbers and Keynote, the other applications that are part of iWork (Apple's Office) are available for your download completely free, like the version for iOS and iPadOS.

Google documents

Google documents

An interesting completely free alternative to Word on a Mac is Google Docs. Google docs, really it is not an application but it is a web service We can access it from any browser, so we can use it from any operating system.

As it is a Google product that works via the web, the operation of Google Documents it will be faster as long as we use Google Chrome, Google's browser or any other Chromium-based web browser, such as Microsoft Edge Chromium.

The number of features available in Google Docs it is much more limited Of which we can find in Pages, however, it is an excellent option for all those users who need a basic word processor and without additional functions.

Like Pages, Google Docs uses its own format, a format that not compatible with Microsoft Word or Apple Pages, so we must convert the file to a supported format before sharing it with other people who do not use Google Docs.

One of the most negative aspects of Google Docs is the user interface, a very unintuitive user interface and that in most cases, the icons of the functions mislead us.

Office.com

Office.com

If the solution offered by Google Documents does not satisfy your needs but you like the idea of ​​working from a browser, you should give a try to Office.com.

Through Office.com we can access a reduced version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others completely free but fully functional, at least for the majority of users whose needs are to create text documents without complications.

All the documents that we create through Office.com, we can store them in our OneDrive account, associated with the account that we need yes or yes to access this platform, or download the documents on our hard drive.

If you also have the need to create documents sporadically or regularly on your iPhone or Android smartphone, Microsoft offers us the Office application, an application that, like the Office.com website, allows us to create simple Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, without the frills that we can find in the version available under subscription.

LibreOffice

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is known as the best open source alternative to Microsoft Office suite. Being open source, it is completely free and available on a large number of platforms.

If you are used to old Microsoft Office user interface (before the ribbon), it won't take you long to get used to LibreOffice. Unlike Google applications, you do not need an internet connection to use LibreOffice.

LibreOffice offers compatibility with all major storage platforms, allowing sync files from Google Drive or OneDrive and edit them directly in LibreOffice.

LibreOffice also does a good job when it comes to formatting the import Microsoft Office documents, including complex Excel spreadsheets that offer greater complexity when converting them due to the functions they can incorporate.

Bean

Bean

One of the Lesser known alternatives to Word is Bean, a word processor for macOS, quite simple but that offers us the basic functions that we may need at any time to create a text document.

The interface is very simple and basic, but it offers us enough elements necessary to create documents without complications. It does not allow us to add footnotes or apply styles and it is not fully compatible with Word.

Bean offers up to Mac versions with PowerPC, so if you have an old Mac that you want to bring back to life and give it some use, you can use it as a word processor with this application.

Growly write

Growly write

Another interesting free alternative to Word and similar to Bean but with many more functions we find it in Growly Write, an application with a design similar to pages where the options to format the document are in a column located on the right side of the application.

With Growly Write we can create documents of all kinds with columns, chapters with different designs, embed images in any part of the text, tables, lists, links, add simple and complex borders ...

This application allows us import Word documents and in RTF, TXT format and pages in HTML format. When saving documents, we can export them to ePub, RTF, plain text ...

Growly Write is compatible from macOS 10.8 or higher and we can download it through this link.

ommwriter

ommwriter

Ommwriter is an application for those who want write without any distraction. It is based on a natural environment that isolates our mind from distractions by establishing a direct line between our thoughts and words.

This application is focused on people who write regularly and want to avoid all kinds of distractions, so not an ideal option to create text documents.

To help users focus on writing, Ommwriter offers us different wallpapers, audio and sound tracks by pressing on each key (if you don't have a mechanical keyboard).

ommwriter is available for your download for free. The free version includes 3 wallpapers, 3 audio tracks, and 3 key sounds. If you want to have more options, you must go through the checkout.

Neo Office

Neo Office

NeoOffice is an office suite that se based on OpenOffice and LibreOffice with which we can view, edit and save documents from Microsoft Word, OpenOffice and LibreOffice.

Neo Office  offers us some of the functions that are not available in the applications on which they are based, such as:

  • Native dark mode
  • Edit documents directly from iCloud, Dropbox, and network drives.
  • Grammar check using the macOS directory.

This app is available completely free of charge for download and offers us a large number of options that make it one of the best alternatives to Word, above OpenOffice and LibreOffice by offering exclusive macOS functions.

If you would like to collaborate with the project, you can do it with a donation of 10 dollars.

OpenOffice

OpenOffice

OpenOffice is another set of open source applications that are presented as a excellent alternative to Office for all those users who have very basic needs when creating text documents, presentations, spreadsheets, databases

Within Open Office, we find the Writer application, the alternative to Microsoft's Word that most closely resembles this application in terms of functions, despite being totally free. Despite not receiving official support, as it is discontinued, it works without any problems on any Mac.

WPS Office

WPS Office

WPS Office is a set of applications totally free and open source with which we can create all kinds of text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, pdf documents, convert documents to other formats, edit images ...

All the documents that we create with these applications, we can export them seamlessly to Word format .docx.

The WPS Office user interface is quite similar to the one offered by Office in the older versions, so if you are familiar with it, you will quickly make use of this free application without any type of subscription.


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