Everything You Need to Know. Did you know that Microsoft Word and Google Docs have been quietly waging a war for the title of best word processor While most of us have been steadily using Word to draft everything from school essays to resumes to important work documents for the last 3. Googles web based platform is a total game changer for editing and sharing documents in the connected age. So which is better That depends entirely on what you need from a word processing program or mobile app. Today were going to cover the benefits and downsides of both Microsoft Word and Google Docs so you have the intel you need to decide for yourself. How to use and access Microsoft Word and Google Docs. You cannot purchase Microsoft Word as a standalone program. It comes as part of the Microsoft Office 3. Microsoft Excel, Power. Point, Outlook, One. Note, Publisher, and Access. Once you purchase this suite, you can only install Word on a select number of computers, depending on the plan level you choose. Microsoft Word tries to be helpful and format items based on what it thinks youre doing. Thats handy, if its what you want. If not, its annoying. Technology keeps you connected everywhere you go, helps you capture every moment makes your life a bit easier stay uptodate with tips tricks from eHow. InformationWeek. com News, analysis and research for business technology professionals, plus peertopeer knowledge sharing. Engage with our community. So if you install Word on your desktop, youll need to bump up your plan to get a copy for your laptop, which can get pricey. It wasnt until 2. Microsoft finally launched Word Online as part of its Office 3. Though Word Online boasts enough features for casual users, it is not the full version of Word by any means. Select ribbons and toolbars were removed from the online version to help it load and run faster. It offers a more streamlined experience though it leaves others wanting more. For instance, Word Online isnt able to handle large or more complex documents and users find it clunkier to work around these bugs than using their regular Word program from the start. Instagram, Facebooks hotter, snootier subsidiary, may have a massive data breach on its hands. Ever since Microsoft first created MS Word, Ive been using the software to write articles, college essays, important letters and just about any other document I. If youve used a modern version of Microsoft Word, therell be no learning curve when you switch to Writer the word processing component of WPS Office Free. All of that is different with Google. As an internet based company, Google Docs started out as a cross platform word processor that works entirely online. You dont have to download any software or purchase a suite of programs you dont wantneed to use it. Simply log in to your Google account from any browser and head over to docs. Thats it. Unlike Microsoft Word, which can only be installed on Windows and OS X computers, you can use Google Docs from any computer and browser, including Windows. Mac OS XLinux. Chrome OSThe Google Docs app is available for both i. OS and Android devicesbut not on Windows based phones like Black. Berry. The Word app comes pre installed on Windows Phone devices and as a free very bare app for i. OS and Android. Our winner You can access the full version of Google Docs, with all its features, from any browser. You have to purchase the entire Microsoft 3. Word. And the online version of Word lacks certain features which may render it useless for you. Unlike Microsoft Word, Google Docs is free to useGoogle Docs is free for the average user. If you want to purchase a Business version of G Suite, monthly plans start at 5 per user. Its going to cost you more to get started with Microsoft Word. Youll need to pay either a One time fee of 1. Yearly fee of 6. Yearly fee of 9. Business plans are priced differently. Most of these packages include the desktop versions of all the Office apps and online access for their web based counterparts. Our winner You cant beat free Google takes the cake here. But free comes with limitations and a lack of control. We know Google Docs is entirely online. You access your docs online, you write and edit in browser, and your documents are saved to your online Google Drive cloud. But what happens when your internet goes out thanks to a big thunderstorm Or Googles servers go down right before your huge AM presentation Though you can work in Googles offline mode after following a series of steps, you cant normally access the platform when Googles servers are in chaos or when you lack Internet. Google lets you check for outages using their G Suite Status Dashboard tool. At the time of this screenshot, all the Google apps were running without problems But when theres a service outage or reported service disruption, youll see a bar like in this example The most commonly reported problems with Google Drive, according to Down Detector, include Not being able to access files online 5. Apps like Docs and Sheets not loading 3. File syncing 1. 0This could cause major stress if youre unprepared. Youll need to download or email physical copies of your documents for times you wont be connected to the internet. Microsoft may have the upper hand here since you can get your work done in the offline desktop version of Word. Irecovery For Windows 7 64 Bit. Plus, your Word documents will be saved locally on your computer or device instead of in the cloud so youre always in control of them. Our winner MS Word removes the what if factor of relying on Googles servers and lets you work without an internet connection. Similar layouts and interface Google wins on user friendliness, but Word has tons of features. Seasoned Word vets know there are SO many options and features built into Word that it can be exhausting navigating all the ribbons and toolbars just to find the one button you need. After all, youll probably click on ribbons like References, Mailings, and Acrobat, which will replace your toolbar with even more buttons, maybe twice in your whole life. Google Docs solves that problem by drastically simplifying the layout and toolbar situation to create a more user friendly, easily manageable workspace. Just check out the differences to see what we mean. Heres what Microsoft Words ribbon looks like in both Windows and OS X versions Now check out the Google Docs toolbar Pretty big difference, right Google places all your most frequently used buttons right in your easy access toolbar. Everything else, like inserting images or tables, can be found in one of the dropdowns. With Word, any time you change one of the ribbons, like if you clicked on Layout, all the buttons in your toolbar change as well. Though Word does let you customize your toolbar so all your most used buttons are in reach, narrowing down these options can be overwhelming for a novice or casual users. The less time you have to spend hunting for the exact tool you want, the quicker your work will be accomplished. Our winner An easy to use interface doesnt mean much if the tools you need arent available. Choose Google if you need light word processing features stick to Word if youre on a more advanced features level. Google saves the day when it comes to saving your files. Ever forget to hit the save button on your Word doc before you lose power or accidentally close out of the program Though youve crossed your fingers and recovered several Word documents in your lifetime, wouldnt it be great if you never had to replay this terrible nightmare again Google Docs not only automatically saves your work every few minutes or so, it also continually saves as youre working. This means you can log in on your desktop and see the changes made live from your smartphone at the same time. Plus, Docs backs up your saved files to Google Drive instead of your local hard drive. So Google saves your work and backs up your work to give you extra protection should you spill coffee all over your laptop and wreck your hard drive. Our winner Google is the automatic save hero you never thought your docs needed. Comparing document compatibility and file formats. You can use Google Docs to open and edit Microsoft Word documents. You can even download your Google doc as a Word document so it has a standard Word extension.