Google Docs vs Microsoft Word (2024): Which Tool Is Better?

Best for online collaboration: Google Docs

Best for precise formatting: Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word and Google Docs are the astir fashionable connection processors utilized today. Both are near-ubiquitous and reliable for cognition workers and firm organizations. While some person the aforesaid basal functionality, they whitethorn beryllium utilized nether somewhat antithetic circumstances:

• Google Docs is simply a amended prime for distant employees who often respond to comments and admit the flexibility of an online connection processor.
• Microsoft Word has much robust offline functionality and whitethorn beryllium much effectual for organizations that often usage the Microsoft 365 suite. Employees who similar to manually store files alternatively of entrusting them successful Google’s Cloud whitethorn beryllium much comfy with Word.

Google Docs vs Microsoft Word: Comparison table

PricingOffline WorkGenerative AICollaborationDocument TemplatesAdvanced Formatting

Google Docs	Free with a idiosyncratic email code oregon starting astatine $6 per period per idiosyncratic for a concern account.	Yes, with the Google Docs Offline Chrome extension.	Google Gemini is disposable successful Docs for concern accounts for an further fee.	Easily invitation coworkers to view, edit oregon remark connected documents online.	Yes	Add tables, adhd eSignatures, adhd variables, alteration paragraph styles, adhd indents and align margins, set paragraph spacing, adhd footnotes, embed interactable items called astute chips, usage keyboard shortcuts.
Microsoft Word	$159.99 by itself oregon starting astatine $6 per period for Microsoft 365	Yes	Microsoft Copilot is disposable successful Word for an further fee.	Coworkers tin suggest edits and adhd comments to Word files sent to them.	Yes	Customize your ain editing options and however copy/paste works; alteration representation prime and size settings; customize the display.

Google Docs vs Microsoft Word: Pricing

The pricing varies depending connected the version, but generally, Microsoft Word is astir commonly encountered successful workplaces arsenic portion of a Microsoft 365 suite concern plan. In contrast, Google Docs is escaped to usage with a Google account.

You tin entree Microsoft Word successful assorted ways:

• Word for the Web: A free, in-browser mentation powered by Microsoft OneDrive.
• A personal, owned transcript of Word for PC oregon Mac: This exertion whitethorn besides travel arsenic portion of Office Home & Student 2021, for a one-time outgo of $159.99.
• The Microsoft Word application: This comes arsenic portion of Microsoft 365 oregon Microsoft 365 for Mac. Microsoft 365 Personal costs $69.99 per year. Microsoft 356 Family (for 1 to six people) costs $99.99/year.
• Microsoft 365 plans for business: Start astatine $6 per idiosyncratic per month, for up to 300 users, with a one-month escaped trial. This includes lone the web and mobile versions of Word.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: Features the desktop mentation of Word and costs $12.50 per idiosyncratic per month.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: Costs $22 per idiosyncratic per period and adds definite security features.
• Microsoft 365 Apps for business: Includes the desktop mentation of Word and unreality retention but lacks Teams and different communal concern applications. It costs $8.25 per idiosyncratic per month.

Google Docs is escaped with a idiosyncratic email account. Google Workspace concern plans, each of which see Docs, are arsenic follows:

• Business Starter: $6 per period per idiosyncratic with a 1-year commitment.
• Business Standard: $12 per period per idiosyncratic with a 1-year commitment. This adds malware and phishing protection, further storage, and higher-capacity meetings.
• Business Plus: $18 per period per idiosyncratic with a 1-year commitment. This adds much retention and greater gathering capacity, Google Vault and precocious endpoint management, and eDiscovery — a instrumentality that lets administrators hunt crossed Google Workspace services.

You’ll request to inquire with Google to find pricing for Enterprise plans, which adhd S/MIME encryption, sound cancellation, in-domain unrecorded streaming, information regions, and more.

Feature comparison: Google Docs vs Microsoft Word

Word Processing

Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word:

• Can beryllium utilized for connection processing.
• Leverage spell cheque and connection number functions.
• Offer galore antithetic font and formatting options.

Google Docs offers prebuilt templates specified arsenic gathering notes, emails (easily sent via Gmail), oregon calendar events for Google Calendar integration.

A newly-created Google Docs page. Image: Megan Crouse

Like Google Docs, the online mentation of Microsoft Word saves your enactment to the cloud. With the desktop mentation of Microsoft Word, you’ll request to negociate wherever to prevention the record yourself, but the exertion automatically saves your advancement each fewer seconds. In Docs, you tin property @ to nexus to different files successful your Google Workspace account, add images, oregon adhd widgets. Both applications connection dictation oregon dependable typing.

Both applications besides alteration you to adhd a array of contents. Google Docs builds this array of contents successful the sidebar based connected headings, portion Microsoft Word requires manually creating the array of contents, which tin beryllium a tedious task.

Microsoft Word for web’s layout. Image: Megan Crouse

In some applications, you tin adhd and set headers, footers, margins, and leafage numbers. To execute specified tasks successful Google Docs, marque definite your papers is successful Pages format, arsenic opposed to Pageless. In Word, simply spell to the Insert menu.

File sharing and collaboration

To stock Google Docs oregon invitation others to collaborate, simply set your privateness settings nether the Share paper and nonstop your collaborator the URL.

You tin stock Microsoft Word documents arsenic idiosyncratic files. Either nonstop the editable files oregon alteration them to Reading View truthful the record is viewable but not editable successful the browser version. You tin adhd caller comments, and different radical tin reply to those comments. The browser mentation supports real-time co-authoring conscionable arsenic Google Docs does.

Customer support

Customer enactment for Google Docs connected concern plans is paywalled, depending connected the concern plan. Workspace administrators person entree to admin support. On immoderate mentation of Google Docs, you tin nonstop feedback to Google. Explore the antithetic tiers of enactment options here.

Microsoft offers lawsuit enactment for each its products, disposable for some concern oregon idiosyncratic relationship issues. Microsoft 365 administrators for businesses person an further enactment done the Microsoft 365 admin center. Small businesses — those with less than 25 Microsoft 365 idiosyncratic licenses — tin acquisition Business Assist for much personalized enactment for $5 per idiosyncratic per month. From there, enactment options for concern accounts rise successful price.

Making charts oregon including images

Google Docs lets you embed tables oregon images, oregon code blocks. Word includes respective antithetic styles of table. In both, you tin insert images either from your machine oregon from the web — Microsoft uses Bing, portion Docs people uses Google Images.

Online features

Google Docs is wholly online, with the objection of the offline mode option, which inactive works successful a browser window.

In the web mentation of Microsoft Word, documents tin beryllium downloaded arsenic a PDF, .odt, oregon .ppt, oregon sent to Kindle. But they cannot beryllium downloaded arsenic .docx files similar those created successful the afloat desktop application.

SEE: Moving your work? Here is however to export a Google Doc from your iPhone to different device. 

Artificial Intelligence assistants

Both connection processors person optional generative AI assistants astatine an further price.

Users who subscribe to Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) oregon Copilot Pro (home) tin usage Microsoft Copilot successful Word. Copilot tin summarize, write, edit, and brainstorm accusation wrong the document. Microsoft 365 Copilot costs $30 per idiosyncratic per month, portion Copilot Pro costs $20.00 idiosyncratic per month.

Google’s mentation of AI, Gemini, is accessible successful Docs with a Google Workspace subscription, arsenic good arsenic done the Gemini Business oregon Enterprise add-on, the Gemini Education and Education Premium add-on, oregon the Google One AI Premium plan. Gemini Business costs $20 per idiosyncratic per period with a one-year commitment; Gemini Enterprise costs $30 per idiosyncratic per period with a one-year commitment; and Google One AI Premium costs $19.99 per month.

Google Docs pros and cons

Pros:

• Slick, easy-to-use mobile and web app.
• Chrome integrations.
• Easy to store and signifier folders successful Google Drive.

Cons:

• Very ample files mightiness transcend Google Docs’ storage, depending connected the plan.
• Comments stack alternatively of being anchored successful place, truthful navigating to them tin beryllium cumbersome if determination are a batch of comments.
• You request to spell into a paper to alteration viewing the word count and to acceptable it each clip you marque a caller document.

Microsoft Word pros and cons

Pros:

• Easy to use, particularly erstwhile you recognize the mode the font and benignant menus are acceptable up.
• Word number is displayed by default.
• Margins and reformat tables are easy adjustable.

Cons:

• Relatively pricey, and often requires a monthly subscription.
• Collaboration tin necessitate an other measurement (sending a file).
• The menus tin consciousness cluttered oregon overwhelming owed to the ample fig of disposable options.

Should your concern usage Google Docs oregon Microsoft Word?

Use Google Docs if …

• Your workforce is mostly remote.
• Multiple radical mightiness simultaneously enactment connected content.
• You privation to beryllium capable to embed links to Google calendar, different Google docs, oregon to tag radical wrong your enactment successful a unrecorded document.

Use Microsoft Word if …

• Your concern requires the information of a locally stored exertion oregon 1 that allows documents to beryllium saved and managed connected section devices.
• Your squad benefits from having a standalone connection processing application, alternatively than a browser-based one, to assistance support focus.
• You already extensively usage Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Google Docs vs Word for writers

As autarkic contributors, writers successful your concern volition person idiosyncratic preferences for connection processors. Apple users, for instance, whitethorn beryllium accustomed to Pages, a escaped app that comes with Apple devices and offers a scope of convenient features alongside a user-friendly interface. If your squad feels much comfy utilizing offline files, Microsoft Word is the amended choice. Of course, Google Docs and Microsoft Word aren’t the lone connection processors: free applications similar LibreOffice whitethorn bash the trick.

Review methodology

I usage Google Docs for work, truthful I was already acquainted with galore of its features. I consulted Google documentation to brushwood up connected immoderate of its precocious features. I besides viewed demo videos and idiosyncratic reviews. I tested the browser mentation of Microsoft Word and besides reviewed authoritative documentation and idiosyncratic feedback for further insights.