Free Microsoft Word Alternatives – Mac
Choose an online or offline app according to your preference. Some of these apps have a free trial to check if it suits your needs or not.
1. Apple Pages
Apple Pages is one of the best free Microsoft Word alternatives for Mac and comes as pre-installed software. This native utility offers numerous features similar to Microsoft Word. You can find a collaboration tool to edit a group project with friends, templates, cloud storage, etc. In Microsoft Word, users have the OneDrive facility, whereas Apple Pages is integrated with iCloud Drive. Apple Pages has some of the essential features, but somehow it looks like something is missing. From the table, chart to image and video, you can insert anything into your document. Even if your friends are using Microsoft Word, you can export a Pages file to .docx. Although you can open a Microsoft Word file in Apple Pages, tables and charts may not appear as they are. That’s a significant drawback you encounter when you opt for this free Microsoft Word alternative. Pros:
Better compatibilityUncluttered UIPassword setupMultiple format supportiCloud Drive compatibilityPlay YouTube video inside the document
Cons:
Lack of DOCX table and chart support
Get Apple Pages (free)
2. Drafts
Drafts is more like a TextEdit alternative than a Microsoft Word alternative. Although it is available for free and you can use it from the official app store, you cannot open the .docx file with this application. However, creating and editing a native file is more comfortable since a file management panel is included in the interface. In other words, it saves files right on the UI so that users can open them by clicking once. You can add a tag to categorize all the files or notes and filter them to find anything specific. The highlight of this app is that you can save the file in almost any format or service compatible with various apps such as Google Docs, Evernote, OneDrive, etc. Entire list expands when you click on Actions. All these features and options are available in both free and paid versions. The paid version of Drafts offers even more handy features such as dark themes, workspaces, etc. Pros:
Easy to learn featuresTags for note managementsSave in multiple formats
Cons:
Unable to open .docx fileNo dark theme in free versionLack of free features
Get Drafts (free, in-app purchase)
3. Ulysses
The primary and most crucial feature of Ulysses is the multi-tab. At times, you may have to open multiple notes or documents. Instead of editing them one at a time, you can use open multiple tabs or windows to continue working simultaneously. The user interface is similar to the Drafts, but it is more fluent. Like most of the present days’ apps, Ulysses lets you set the dark theme. The next notable feature is the Editor mode. In simple words, you can hide all the other columns and show only the writing pane to focus on writing. Although it seems handy, you have to learn a few markups to style the document. For instance, #heading 1 will make the word as Heading 1. Pros:
Multi-tab and multi-windowsFluent UIFocus mode
Cons:
Custom markup
Get Ulysses (free trial, in-app purchase)
4. Scrivener
Scrivener is probably the best free Microsoft Word alternative for macOS – thanks to the UI and features. Most of the Microsoft Word features are available on Scrivener, including saving files in different formats, creating/using a template, setting up the page, etc. Apart from these, it is possible to insert an image, link, comment, footnote, and a mathematical equation, etc. Unlike some other apps, you can choose your favorite font type and size, paragraph/line spacing, etc. Although it shows two additional columns on both sides, you won’t have a problem because of the tree-view setup. One important option is the Layout that lets you change the overall layout of Scrivener. Pros:
Feature-richSave the file in multiple formatsFootnote, mathematical equation supportTree-view setup
Cons:
Lack of Word’s chart compatibility
Get Scrivener (free trial)
5. Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is comparatively a new online tool that opens and helps you create a Microsoft Word document. It is probably the simplest solution you can have to work peacefully without looking at tons of options here and there. The user interface is uncluttered that makes it easier for everyday writers to concentrate on the writing part first. Paper is fine as long as you want to create a simple document containing tables, bullet points, numeric lists, images, comments, etc. However, it lacks several features, such as it doesn’t let you insert a pie chart, heading, etc. It has template support, but the list ends very quickly. Pros:
Uncluttered UIWriting focused featuresOnline collaborationCloud storage support
Cons:
Lack of options
6. Word Online
Which is the best free Microsoft Word alternate solution to open a .docx file when you don’t have Office 365? Word Online, for sure. As the same says, it is a Microsoft-owned online version of Word’s desktop software. After evolving for the past couple of years, it has reached a place where you can rely on it up to some point. If you are moving from the Microsoft Word desktop version, you won’t have to go through the features since most of the options are placed in the same location on the web version. Being an online editing tool, it saves all the files to OneDrive so that users can access and share them easily. Collaborating with other users on Microsoft Word Online is straightforward, and it is quite similar to Google Docs. Pros:
Word desktop-like UICross-platform supportMultiple Microsoft service integrationEditor modeVoice typing support
Cons:
No free desktop version
7. Google Docs
When it comes to an online Microsoft Word alternative, Google Docs performs a better role than Word Online. You may not see a massive list of features like Microsoft Word for Windows or Apple Pages, but it features almost all essential everyday use options. It saves all documents in Google Drive, allowing you to access them from any device and anywhere. The next big thing about Google Docs is that it has add-ons compatibility. It implies you can enrich functionalities and productivity by installing the correct add-on required for your job. There is good news for font maniacs as well. As it is a Google-powered service, users can install any font from the Google Fonts repository. Online collaboration is available as long as your friend has a Gmail account. The last but not the least option is saving files in multiple formats, including .docx, .odt, .rtf, .pdf, etc. Pros:
More file format supportBetter online collaborationVoice typingAdd-on supportDownload file in multiple formatsNative table and pie chart support
Cons:
Complex image insertion
Wrapping up: Free Alternatives for Microsoft Word for macOS
Although there are more other apps, the list of free Microsoft Word alternatives ends here. You might not find all the necessary options in one app, so it is recommended to go through all these utilities.
