Google Docs came out in the year 2006 and it transformed the way we collaborate pretty quickly. You were not required to attach files to your emails, no more of hitting the “Save” button every few minutes, and no more Report_v15.docx. However, you can’t ask for all the features in one app and Google Docs might not cater to all your needs. As a result, you will need to take the help of other Google Docs alternatives available in the market for a better experience. Don’t worry! I have the list of the Top 10 Best Google Docs Alternatives 2021 that you can check out. So without further delay, let’s start with the article.
1. Microsoft Office Online
If you are having an issue or you want to step down from Google Docs, then Microsoft Office Online is without a doubt a great alternative. This is basically Microsoft’s answer to Google Docs and will offer you all the basic to average features that Google Docs has.
However, the only difference comes from the advanced features. Both of them will offer you some unique advanced features that create the competition. Office Online comes with OneNote that is a complete note taking app and you will see the “Tell Me” feature that will allow you to ask the app if it gets stuck. I feel this feature is super cool and all you need to do is to just type what you feel like and you will be able to see the answers.
Moreover, if you are a big fan of Microsoft Office Suite but you don’t want to pay so much, then you can surely consider Office Online as a free alternative.
2. OnlyOffice
Another great alternative to Google Docs is none other than OnlyOffice. It will provide you with all the average editing as well as collaboration tools that you have in Google Docs. However, it has a paid version that you can use for a 30 days trial. Here, I am going to only review the free version that is suitable for personal use. In case, you want it for your company or small business, then you can opt for the paid version. It has tools such as mail servers, CRM tools, and domain.
Using OnlyOffice, you will be able to create documents, presentations, as well as spreadsheets. Moreover, you will be able to add comments to the document and can have a live chat right on the document. This helps you remain focused and prevents you from changing between different apps while working on a document, just like in Quip.
What I like more about this app is that you will have the option to attach a cloud storage account where you can save your work in one place. In fact, you will be able to connect DropBox, OwnCloud, Google Drive, and OneDrive. You will be able to download, delete, move, and share documents and interaction becomes easy as well.
3. Quip
Just like the rest of the Online Office suite, Quip might not offer you all the advanced document editing features. But, if you want to have a free tool that will provide some of the robust collaboration features that too on all your devices, then you can go for Quip. This has a very intuitive as well as collaborative interface on all the devices such as tablets, PC, and smartphones which I personally like.
In fact, all the documents will have a chat section where you will be able to discuss the document with your team. Then again, it is easy to edit the documents both offline and online and discuss the topic on the go. This comes with a news feed option that will list down all the changes that you made to the documents. I think it will be helpful to keep up with the changes made.
This has all the basic writing as well as formatting features and will allow you to insert pictures along with tables at max. I think these tools will be pretty much good to go for writing some quick articles, posts, or any documents that don’t need that much formatting.
If you ask what is the primary reason to get Quip is the high power and ability to sync across all the devices. Quip can be the answer if you want to have the best interface for collaborating with your colleagues.
4. Paper By Dropbox
Paper is one of the easiest to use collaborative editing tools that is capable of being counted as one of the best alternatives for Google Docs. This is a great successor to Hackpad which is also developed by Dropbox but comes with additional ability. Yes! It will let you add pictures, spreadsheets, and links to Dropbox files.
In fact, you will be able to directly tag other users of DropBox who are in your contact list or you can add your Google account. This will let you invite them to collaborate with you. Apart from tables, Dropbox files, and media, you will be able to add comments to your documents as well as calendar timelines, even To-do lists, and blocks of code.
If you compare to Google Docs, Paper is pretty much focused on comments and interactions. Moreover, you can dynamically add a lot of elements to the document without relying on other services. In case, you want to create plans or notes and share them with the team, Paper is one of the lightest options.
However, the editing options are quite limited and if you want to heavily edit your docs, then probably you can go with other options. But, if you are looking for something for your personal use or for your small business or company, then Paper can be a great choice. It will improve your workflow without much hassle.
5. CryptPad
If you are looking forward to buying the simplest and great Google Docs alternatives, then you can’t miss out on CryptPad. It is a supremely rich online editing tool that has a lot to offer you. CryptPad will provide you with all the primary features that one can ever need to decorate a document. It will let you create files in code, sheets, rich-text, poll, whiteboard, presentations, kanban, and more.
However, the website is powered by the ONLY OFFICE. But, I think CryptPad has managed to keep a difference from the ONLY OFFICE. And provides identical features to its users. The biggest disadvantage of Cryptpad is, that it only provides 50 MB of space to free users.
Furthermore, you will have the feature to chat with other participants and it got the name from the ability to encrypt documents. This feature ensures that the documents created will stay safe from intellectual property theft and you can access them using the encryption keys.
If you want a cheap yet not so cool but one of the best Google Docs alternatives, then CryptPad could be a good choice.
6. Zoho Docs
Zoho Docs comes from a big software company that creates software to cater to the needs of businesses. This has a great reputation with more than 2500 employees and has a great list of business oriented software to meet all the business needs. Zoho Docs is a great tool to let you create documents, presentations, as well as spreadsheets.
You will get similar features to Office Online but there are some unique features that will let you ditch the rest. It has both web-based and desktop-based options that will give you access to both online and offline. All that you edit on your documents, this tool will automatically be synced.
Zoho Docs will create a separate folder on your PC and all the documents will be added there which is great. You will have the “Tell Me” feature in the name of “Search the menus”. Overall, it can be a great alternative to Google Docs.
7. Collabora
Collabora is one of the based online collaboration as well as editing suites that is based on LibreOffice. This will let you create information-rich documents. With this online application, you will have a wide range of editing tools. Apart from the full-fledged editing toolbar, you will have the option to add comments and clarify doubts with your team.
If you compare it to Google Docs, the flow of comments in Collabora will look pretty friendly and you will be able to reply to each comment separately, delete it, or marked it resolved. It is available in both cloud-based as well as server-based versions and you get support from reliable services such as ownCloud, Pydio, and NextCloud.
Out of the three, you’re free to choose any depending upon which service provides the least latency of the three for you. It is most useful for clients in the EU and in the US and customers outside these regions might face some lag. I think it is a great option as an alternative to Google Docs with some of the additional features.
8. Coda
Just like Quip, Coda is a collaborative team planning tool apart from being just a text editor. You will be able to add several elements in form of modular elements such as tables, videos, graphs, etc. within a single Coda document. In fact, Coda makes it easier for you to start a new task or you can tag a team member by simply typing “@”.
Moreover, you will see a mix of all the commonly used editing tools on the toolbar. You can be more productive as well as you will be able to synchronize with your team using this. What is more interesting is that there’s a huge catalog of templates that you can utilize to get your job done quickly.
9. Graphite Docs
Graphite Docs is one of the best alternatives to Google Docs which is a blockchain-based text editor. It will let you invite collaborators. What I like about this editor is that it is easy to use and has a minimal user interface with interactive design and direct controls.
It is light in weight in terms of the interface but has all the useful editing features that make it a great choice. You will have a file vault that is backed with a storage drive where you will be able to store several documents protected with encrypted keys. It will offer you added security over Google Docs as well as other Drive applications. You can either share the documents and files with other users via public links or with saved contacts that are also using Graphite’s services.
10. Nuclino
Nuclino is not that popular as Google Docs but it has got all kinds of essential tools to help you in creating documents. You will be able to keep all your documents nicely organized and will be able to collaborate with your team in real time. Since I have personally used this document organizer and creator, I can say that it is pretty efficient for technical documentation.
In case, you feel Google Docs isn’t fully equipped for you to create technical documents, then I would suggest you give this one a shot. You will be able to create workspaces in which you can make several projects that are known as clusters. Apart from that, this app will let you navigate through a cluster graph that is very much engaging and cool to work on.
I feel it is pretty easy to use for beginners and you can have easy access to it from everywhere and anywhere. But, the free version of this app will provide 5 GB of storage. And since it is tightly integrated with Google Drive, it is a great alternative to Google Docs as you can still use Google Slides, Sheets, and Drawings.
Final Talk
Google Docs might be popular but it doesn’t mean it will cater to all your editing needs. And that is the reason, I have listed above the Top 10 Best Google Docs Alternatives 2021. You can check out any of the apps or tools mentioned or you can try out many of them as per your needs. Do let us know about your experience using the mentioned tools in the comment section below. If you have any queries, then you can comment below, I would surely help you out.
