Online Office and Word Processing Sites

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Millions of people around the world use Microsoft Office everyday. Whether they want to type up a letter, make a chart on a spreadsheet or make a power point presentation, Microsoft Office has been the go-to software for more than a decade. However, in recent years we are starting to see more alternatives to Microsoft Office.

Microsoft Office’s word processor is known as Microsoft Word. This is the most popular program within the Microsoft Office suite. If you want to write a letter using a Microsoft Office program, you use Microsoft Word. Microsoft Excel is the spreadsheet program in Microsoft Office. If you want to make a graph, add numbers or do anything else on a spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel is what you want to use. Microsoft Outlook is the personal information program. Whether you want to send an email, keep track of events on a calendar or keep an address book, you’d want to use Microsoft Outlook. If you want to make a power point presentation, you’d want to use Microsoft PowerPoint.

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One of the leading competitors for Microsoft Office is Open Office. Open Office’s main selling point is the fact that it is free. Since Microsoft Office can be expensive, sometimes thousands and thousands of dollars for companies using a multitude of computers, Open Office being a free alternative has made it popular in a relatively short amount of time. While customer reviews still usually tend to rate Microsoft Office as the superior product, Open Office has started to gain in recent years. Add in the fact that it is free and many consumers are willing to make the switch!

Open Office Writer is the word processing program for Open Office and is the Microsoft Word alternative. Open Office Spreadsheet is the spreadsheet program for Open Office and is the Microsoft Excel alternative. Open Office Impress is the presentation program and is the Microsoft PowerPoint alternative.

A great aspect of Open Office is the fact that most Microsoft Office files are editable in Open Office. For example, you can open a spreadsheet file you made in Microsoft Excel in Open Office Spreadsheet. Open Office is also compatible with various operating systems and is being updated on a continuous basis. If you want to try it out, it’s easy and of course free to do. Simply go to OpenOffice.org and you can download your own copy and compare it to Microsoft Office to see which one you prefer.

IBM Lotus Symphony is another free option for those looking for a Microsoft Office alternative. It was first released in 2007, so it’s a relatively new alternative. Although it isn’t as popular as Open Office, more and more people are giving it a try on a daily basis. Like Microsoft Office, IBM Lotus Symphony has a word processing program (IBM Lotus Symphony Documents), a spreadsheet program (IBM Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets) and a presentation software (IBM Lotus Symphony Presentations).

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Another alternative to Microsoft Office is WordPerfect Office. While WordPerfect Office isn’t free, it does usually cost less than Microsoft Office. The reviews for WordPerfect Office are usually positive and it’s considered the option with the best built in security features. The Microsoft Word alternative is called WordPerfect X3, the Microsoft Excel alternative is called Quattro Pro X3, the Microsoft Outlook alternative is called WordPerfect MAIL and the Microsoft PowerPoint alternative is called Presentations X3.

For those who are on the go, online office and word processing sites are becoming a practical alternative to the typical software package. With online office and word processing sites, you can create, edit and share your work from any computer around the world. All you need is an internet connection and you will be connected to your work!

Perhaps the most well-known online office and word processing site is Google Docs. Google, which has become the most powerful brand name on the internet (not to mention the internet’s most successful search engine), has produced a high-powered alternative for those who want a way to use Microsoft Office-like programs via the internet.

To use Google Docs, all you have to have is a free Google account. Once you have your Google account, you can go to Docs.Google.com and get started creating your documents. Google Docs features a word processor program, a spreadsheet program and a presentation program. After you have created your document, you save the document and the information is stored on the Google servers. That means that wherever you can access Google, you can access your work.

With Google Docs, you can also collaborate on documents with your friend or co-workers. For example, if you are working on a project involving a spreadsheet at your place of employment, you and your co-workers can all work on the same document at the same time! This is true for not only the spreadsheet program, but also for the word processing program and the presentation program.

Another good thing about Google Docs is its files are very compatible to Open Office. You can save a Google Docs file onto your own hard drive and then open it in Open Office. Some of the files are even compatible with Microsoft Office.

The most common complaint about Google Docs is the lack of security. Since you login to Google Docs with just your Google username and password, all your files could be stolen if your username and password are stolen. Additionally, if you keep yourself logged into Google, anyone with access to your computer can quickly gain complete access to your Google Docs files.

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Zoho is another alternative to Microsoft Office that is becoming increasingly popular. Like Google Docs, Zoho is an online office and word processing site. Zoho, which is free for individuals and some businesses, offers a word processing program, a spreadsheet program, a presentation program and many other programs. In fact, Zoho offers over a dozen different programs including everything from email to web conferencing.

Zoho is extremely easy to use. All you have to do is signup a free account and then you can start creating documents within minutes. Like Google Docs, you can also use Zoho to collaborate with others on documents. Since the data is saved on the Zoho servers, you can access the information wherever you have the internet. Zoho is usually able to open both Open Office files and Microsoft Office files. As far as security goes, Zoho typically grades out as safer than Google Docs.

With all the alternatives to Microsoft Office, you don’t need to automatically purchase Microsoft Office when you are looking for word processing, spreadsheet and presentation solutions. If you are on a budget, there are plenty of free options that you can find and download online. If you want to make your work mobile and be able to create, edit and share your work anywhere you have an internet connection, there are now options to do just that.

If you run a company, this news should be especially important for you. Businesses spend millions upon millions of dollars each year purchasing Microsoft Office licenses. You can save a lot of money by going with one of the free (or cheaper) alternatives. Additionally, the collaboration features can save your business time and even more money!

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