Google Docs vs Microsoft Word (2024): Which Tool is Better?

Best for online collaboration: Google Docs

Best for precise formatting: Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word and Google Docs are the most popular word processors in use today. Both are nearly ubiquitous and trusted by knowledge workers and corporate organizations. While both have the same basic functionality, they can be used in slightly different situations:

• Google Docs This is a better choice for remote workers who frequently respond to comments and appreciate the flexibility of an online word processor.
• Microsoft Word It has more robust offline functionality and may be more effective for organizations that frequently use the Microsoft 365 suite. Employees who prefer to manually store files in Google’s cloud rather than handing them over may be more comfortable with Word.

Google Docs vs. Microsoft Word: Comparison Table

Google Docs vs Microsoft Word: Pricing

Pricing varies depending on the version, but generally, Microsoft Word is most commonly used in workplaces as part of a Microsoft 365 suite of business plans. In contrast, Google Docs is free to use with a Google account.

You can access Microsoft Word in a variety of ways:

• Words for the web: A free, in-browser version powered by Microsoft OneDrive.
• A personal, owned copy of Word for PC or Mac: This app can also come as part of Office Home & Student 2021 for a one-time payment of $159.99.
• Microsoft Word Application: It comes as part of Microsoft 365 or Microsoft 365 for Mac. Microsoft 365 Personal costs $69.99 per year. Microsoft 356 Family (for one to six people) costs $99.99/year.
• Microsoft 365 for Business plans: Start at $6 per user, per month, for up to 300 users, with a one-month free trial. This includes web and mobile versions of Word only.
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: It has the desktop version of Word and costs $12.50 per user, per month.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: It costs $22 per user, per month, and adds some security features.
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: It includes the desktop version of Word and cloud storage, but doesn’t have Teams and other common business applications. It costs $8.25 per user, per month.

Google Docs is free with a personal email account. The Google Workspace business plans, which all include Docs, are as follows:

• Business Starter: $6 per user, per month with a 1-year commitment.
• Business Standard: $12 per user per month with a 1-year commitment. Includes malware and phishing protection, additional storage, and high-capacity meetings.
• Business Plus: $18 per user, per month with a 1-year commitment. This adds more storage and more meeting capacity, Google Vault and advanced endpoint management, and eDiscovery – a tool that lets admins search across Google Workspace services.

You’ll need to inquire with Google to find out pricing for enterprise plans, which include S/MIME encryption, noise cancellation, in-domain live streaming, data regions, and more.

Feature Comparison: Google Docs vs. Microsoft Word

word processing

Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word:

• Can be used for word processing.
• Take advantage of the spell check and word count functions.
• Provide many different font and formatting options.

Google offers pre-built templates such as Docs, meeting notes, emails (easily sent via Gmail), or calendar events for Google Calendar integration.

Like Google Docs, the online version of Microsoft Word saves your work to the cloud. As with the desktop version of Microsoft Word, you have to manage where to save the file yourself, but the application automatically saves your progress every few seconds. In Docs, you can press @ to link to other files in your Google Workspace account, add images, or add widgets. Both applications offer dictation or voice typing.

Both applications also enable you to add a table of contents. Google Docs creates a table of contents in the sidebar based on headings, while Microsoft Word requires creating a table of contents manually, which can be a tedious task.

In both applications, you can add and adjust headers, footers, margins, and page numbers. To do these things in Google Docs, make sure your document is in Pages format, not pageless format. In Word, just go to the Insert menu.

File Sharing and Collaboration

To share a Google Doc or invite others to collaborate, simply adjust your privacy settings under the Share menu and send the URL to your collaborator.

You can share Microsoft Word documents as individual files. Send editable files or change them to reading view so that the file is viewable in the browser version but not editable. You can add new comments, and others can reply to those comments. The browser version supports real-time co-authoring, just like Google Docs.

Customer Support

Customer support for Google Docs on business plans is payable, depending on the business plan. Workspace administrators have access to admin support. On any version of Google Docs, you can send feedback to Google. Explore different levels of support options Here,

Microsoft offers customer support for all of its products, available for both business or personal account issues. Microsoft 365 for businesses administrators have an additional option through the Microsoft 365 admin center. Small businesses — those with fewer than 25 Microsoft 365 user licenses — can purchase Business Assist for more personalized support for $5 per user per month. From there, support options for business accounts price hike,

Create a chart or include a picture

Google Docs lets you embed tables or images or code blocks. Word includes several different styles of tables. In both, you can insert images from your computer or the web – Microsoft uses Bing, while Docs naturally uses Google Images.

Online Features

Google Docs is entirely online, except for the offline mode option, which still works in a browser window.

In the web version of Microsoft Word, documents can be downloaded as PDF, .odt, or .ppt, or sent to a Kindle. But they cannot be downloaded as .docx files created in the full desktop application.

See: Want to transfer your work? Here’s how to export Google Documents from your iPhone to another device.

Artificial intelligence assistant

Both word processors have optional generative AI assistants available at an additional cost.

Users who subscribe to Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) or Copilot Pro (home) can use Microsoft Copilot in Word. Copilot can summarize, write, edit, and brainstorm information within a document. Microsoft 365 Copilot costs $30 per user per month, while Copilot Pro costs $20.00 per user per month.

Google’s version of AI, Gemini, is available in Docs with a Google Workspace subscription, as well as through the Gemini Business or Enterprise add-ons, the Gemini Education and Education Premium add-ons, or the Google One AI Premium plan. Gemini Business costs $20 per user per month with a one-year commitment; Gemini Enterprise costs $30 per user per month with a one-year commitment; and Google One AI Premium costs $19.99 per month.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Google Docs

Benefit:

• Attractive, easy-to-use mobile and web apps.
• Chrome integration.
• It’s easy to store and organize folders in Google Drive.

Shortcoming:

• Depending on the plan, very large files may exceed Google Docs’ storage space.
• Comments pile up rather than being fixed in one place, so it can be cumbersome to access them if there are a lot of comments.
• You’ll have to go into the menu to view the word count and set it each time you create a new document.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Microsoft Word

Benefit:

• Easy to use, especially once you figure out how to set up the font and style menus.
• The word count is displayed by default.
• Margins and reformat tables are easily adjustable.

Shortcoming:

• Relatively expensive, and often requires a monthly subscription.
• Collaboration may require an additional step (sending a file).
• The menu may seem cluttered or unwieldy due to the large number of options available.

Should your business use Google Docs or Microsoft Word?

If… then use Google Docs

• Your workforce is mostly remote.
• Several people can work on the material simultaneously.
• You might want to embed links to Google Calendar, other Google Documents, or tag people in your organization in a live document.

If you use Microsoft Word…

• Your business needs the security of locally stored applications or an application that allows documents to be saved and managed on a local device.
• Using a standalone word processing application rather than a browser-based application has the benefit of helping your team stay focused.
• You already use Microsoft’s ecosystem extensively.

Google Docs vs. Word for Writers

As independent contributors, the writers in your business will have personal preferences for word processors. Apple users, for example, may be accustomed to Pages, a free app that comes with Apple devices and offers a user-friendly interface as well as many convenient features. If your team feels more comfortable using offline files, Microsoft Word is the better choice. Of course, Google Docs and Microsoft Word aren’t the only word processors: free applications like LibreOffice can work as well.

review method

I use Google Docs for work, so I was already familiar with many of its features. I studied Google Documents to get better at some of its advanced features. I also watched demo videos and user reviews. I tested the browser version of Microsoft Word and also reviewed the official documentation and user feedback for additional information.