No one can dispute the usefulness of Google Docs. In theory and practice, you could even uninstall Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, and other text editing software from your computer to keep everything portable and online which are great Google Docs alternatives. Given that almost every part of the world now has access to the web and that cloud computing is secure choosing to keep your documents in the cloud is convenient with no real drawbacks. Better yet, this form of document editing lends itself quite nicely to remote working and other forms of collaboration.
But even so, does it really have to be Google Docs, or has one of its alternatives managed to outclass it?
A Flood of Google Docs Alternatives Has Emerged
Competition drives change, inspires brushing up on the product quality, and gives us the freedom to pick something that best suits our needs. Given that some of the alternatives provide better and more specialized features, it’s worth taking a look at what’s available in 2020:
Microsoft Office Online
Without a shred of doubt, Microsoft Office Online is the first cloud-based text editor that comes to mind as an alternative to Google Docs. It offers rather much the same features – the first differences become apparent when looking at what’s available in the advanced features.
Although Google Docs offers a drawing tool, it’s little compared to the Office’s dedicated tool for taking notes. In terms of user-friendliness, Office also takes more than a couple of steps forward with its Tell Me feature. Here’s how it works: whenever you get stuck on something and don’t know how to proceed, all it takes to get a hint is typing in what troubles you, and the Office will automatically serve you suggestions.
Do bear in mind that while Google Docs lets you work on a document offline, Microsoft Office Online requires a working internet connection.
Paper by Dropbox
In terms of user-friendliness, when it comes to remote collaboration, Paper by Dropbox is one of the best Google Docs alternatives. If Hackpad comes to mind, it’s no coincidence – Paper is its successor. Since this is a product by Dropbox, it comes as no surprise that it allows you to insert whatever files you have in your Dropbox account. In addition to that, it allows you to tag other Dropbox users.
Apart from the standard multimedia elements such as videos and pictures, Paper also allows you to add blocks of code, calendar timelines, and to-do lists. As you can tell, it’s a recommended option for a workflow that requires lots of commenting. Despite its secure architecture, it’s a good idea to make an effort to learn all about what is a VPN (https://nordvpn.com/what-is-a-vpn/) and other preventive measures, such as how to apply encryption to your cloud-hosted documents and files.
Zoho Docs
Apart from being a text editing tool like any other, Zoho Docs offers a slew of extra CRM and bookkeeping features. One of the first things you’ll notice in the sidebar that does away with unnecessary clutter and only keeps useful and relevant information. You can add both headers and footers. At any time you’d like to publish the content directly to your blog, you can do so through its interface.
Moreover, Zoho Docs supports electronic signatures. If you are working with a large team, it’s great to know that you can use the embedded live chat, which is a huge stepping stone toward a more streamlined communication.
Collabora
This online collaboration tool is based on LibreOffice and introduces a rich set of editing tools. Aside from the standard text-editing toolbar, you also get to add comments for other collaborating parties to see.
As soon as something is complete, you can resolve the comment and move on to other tasks. Should you choose to, you also have the option of replying to a comment or delete it if it’s getting in the way.
Quip
Combining an intuitive interface with cross-device compatibility, this is one of the better online collaboration tools if you often find yourself accessing documents from a wide variety of desktop and mobile devices. Note that most alternatives are geared toward the PC, so Quip stands out in this regard.
There is a live chat session if you need to coordinate the document editing efforts with your team in real-time. Editing can be done online as well as offline. There is a handy newsfeed-like feature that lets you keep the loop regarding any changes being applied to the document.
Conclusion on Google Docs Alternatives
These are only a couple of suggestions, and there are other alternatives to explore. But the underlying theme is diversity – why limit yourself to one specific tool that happens to be popular, but may not be the best choice for your project needs?
If you’re interested in working with documents then check our article How to get Adobe Acrobat for Free.