The ability to add annotations is one of the newer features added to the AbiWord code.Theyre all free, theyre all capable of working with the ubiquitous.docx format, and they all offer some very useful features on top as well.Microsoft does offer a stripped-down online version of Word free of charge with your OneDrive account, so if youre committed to Office that should be your first stop.
If youre looking outside the blue box, though, here are five alternatives worth your time: 1. Closest Thing To Microsoft Word On App Store Mac OS XLibreOffice (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) If youre looking for a solid, dependable desktop tool in the mold of Word then LibreOffice is one of your best bets. Its Writer component is a more-than-capable replacement for Microsofts program despite a slightly old-fashioned appearance, and it comes with all of the features youre going to need such as auto-save, change tracking and a commenting. Word users will feel at home right away, particularly if theyre familiar with older versions of the Microsoft product. Closest Thing To Microsoft Word On App Store Software Is FreshAdvertisement The look of the software is fresh and clean, and the quick access toolbars make editing and formatting straightforward. Importing and exporting Word documents works finethough its not perfect all of the timeand theres also the option to export your documents as PDFs. All of the usual word processor mainstays, from spelling and grammar checks to header and footer support, can be found in LibreOffice. Advertisement There are some basic wizards you can play around with to create standard letters, agendas and so on, and the autocomplete feature is something a lot of users will find helpful. More complicated document layouts are handled with aplomb, or at least as well as theyre handled in Word, while the only significant feature you might miss is the format painter functionality thats built into Microsoft Office. LibreOffice split from OpenOffice four years ago, with the latter suite of products eventually taken over by the Apache Software Foundation. OpenOffice has got plenty going for it too, and is very similar in look and feel to LibreOffice thanks to their shared history; give OpenOffice Writer a whirl if LibreOffice doesnt grab you. Advertisement 2. Google Drive (Web) Google DriveDocs is improving all the time, and Microsoft is feeling the heat, forced into releasing its own free-to-use Web-based suite of products. But Googles effort feels more intuitive and comfortable on the Web than Microsofts app, perhaps as its been built from the ground up as an online tool rather than an adaptation of existing software. Now that QuickOffice has been merged with Google Docs, opening and editing Word files is more seamless than ever before, and you shouldnt run into problems working with contacts who are using Word. Advertisement There are all the usual benefits of using a cloud app as well: access to your files from anywhere, no need to save your documents, and the ability to collaborate on work with other people in real-time. Its more lightweight in terms of features than the desktop edition of Word, so dont expect to be able to pull off advanced layouts or mail merges using the online app. For those whove grown up on the Web, Googles software feels much more natural, but power Word users will bump up against limitations. AbiWord (Windows, Linux) One of the very few word processors you can get hold of without an attached office suite, AbiWord might look like it was last updated in 2004 but its got everything youre going to need from a desktop word processor. It recently added an online component called AbiCollab to make it easier to store documents on the Web and collaborate with other users. Advertisement AbiWords list of features reads like a checklist for the definitive word processor program: spelling and grammar checking, headers and footers, table and column support, templates, footnotes and so on.
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