Do you need to create a document but don't have Word? Here are some good alternatives that you can use for free from your browser
When it comes to software for creating text documents, the first thing that comes to mind for the vast majority of people is Word. The software created by Microsoft has dominated the industry for decades now, but it is certainly not the only solution available on the market. Not only that, with the development of cloud technologies, many developers have created online productivity suites that wink at business users. Among them, it's far from complicated to find alternatives to Word for free online, which allow you not only to create text documents, but also to create shared workspaces where multiple users can work simultaneously. This, however, is one of the many features that alternative productivity suites to Office make available to users: just read the following paragraphs to find out the best alternatives to Word for free and choose the one that best suits your needs.
Google Docs
An integral part of Google Drive, Docs is the online text editor (but not only, as we'll see shortly) of the Mountain View giant. To use it, all you need is a Gmail email address or a Google account. The interface is definitely different from that of Word, but that doesn't make it more complex or less effective. The creation and management of documents goes through the Google Drive interface and, in some ways, this is the most "annoying" part of Google Docs. For the rest it's an application with few frills but many, many features: the files are stored on the cloud space, but you can decide to save them offline so you can continue writing even if you're not connected to the network; you can access them from any device that has a browser and Internet connectivity; it can manage and save files in DOCX format.
In addition to being accessible from the web browser, Google Docs can be used on Android and iOS smartphones thanks to the native apps on the Play Store and App Store. From here you'll be able to directly access the files stored in our space on the cloud or create new texts that you can then take back to your PC or share with your colleagues and friends.
Zoho Writer
In many ways similar to Google Docs, Zoho Writer is one of the most valuable options to consider when looking for a free online alternative to Word. This productivity suite lets you not only create text documents, but also spreadsheets and presentations: all of this will be accessible from a device connected to the Web and equipped with any browser. Not just PCs, in other words, but also smartphones and tablets.
Zoho Writer features an extremely clean and straightforward user interface, which facilitates the user in using the application, as well as the rest of the productivity suite. Thanks to the free space on Zoho cloud storage you'll be able to create files with your smartphone and continue writing from your PC (or vice versa); share documents with colleagues or friends and collaborate in the drafting of the text; archive it offline so you can edit it even when you're not connected to the Internet. Zoho Writer, finally, smoothly handles files with DOCX extension, allowing you to work without problems even on files created with Word.
Pages for iCloud
Do you have an Apple ID? Then you can use Pages even without having an iMac or Macbook. The text editor made in Cupertino, in fact, can be used from any device with web connectivity: simply connect to iCloud, enter your Apple ID credentials and wait for the cloud platform of the house of the bitten apple to load. At this point you'll just have to double-click on the Pages icon to access the online text editor created by Apple. From here you'll be able to manage all your text documents created on the web or stored in your iCloud space: they can be shared with other users, edited from your smartphone or PC, and much more.
Word online
Looking for a free alternative to Word, however, doesn't necessarily mean you have to give up Microsoft's software. The Redmond-based company, in fact, offers a free online productivity suite that has little to envy to Office. It's called Office Online and it lets you access most of the software in the productivity suite to install on your PC. It doesn't miss, obviously, Word Online: all you need is a Microsoft account (for example, the one you use to log in to your Windows PC) to use Word for free online. The interface identical to that of the Microsoft text editor and the simplicity of use are two of this solution's strong points. But they are not the only ones: with Word online you can save your documents directly to the Microsoft cloud; share the file with other people and export files to work while you are offline.