Word Processors

LibreOffice is a fully-featured office suite that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and database tools. It supports a wide range of file formats, including Microsoft Office formats, making it easy to collaborate across platforms. The suite is community-driven, regularly updated, and available on all major desktop operating systems. Its open-source nature ensures transparency, security, and the ability to customize or extend functionality through extensions.

✦ Best for students, freelancers, and small businesses needing a free, cross‑platform office suite

OnlyOffice provides a full-featured office suite for creating, editing, and collaborating on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It offers both cloud‑based and self‑hosted deployments, allowing teams to keep data on‑premise or in the cloud. The platform integrates tightly with popular file storage services and includes real‑time co‑authoring, version control, and granular permission settings, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes that need a secure, standards‑compliant productivity solution.

✦ Best for enterprises needing secure, ms‑office‑compatible, self‑hosted or cloud collaboration

WPS Office provides a complete set of office applications compatible with Microsoft Office formats, including Writer, Spreadsheets, Presentation, and a built‑in PDF editor. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and also offers a web version, letting users work across devices seamlessly. The suite adds AI‑powered features such as smart writing assistance, data analysis suggestions, and automatic slide design, while offering cloud sync and collaboration tools for teams and individuals alike.

✦ Best for students and small businesses needing free, cross‑platform office tools

Etherpad is a web-based collaborative document editor that allows multiple users to edit a document in real-time. It is designed to be simple, intuitive, and easy to use, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.

✦ Best for small teams and educators needing basic collaboration tools