Documents & Writing
Best Word Processing Software in 2026
Writing tools differ in how they handle long documents, review, and shared work. Compare desktop apps and platforms with offline editing and real-time collaboration; track changes and maximum document size can also shape a fit.
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Calmly Writer It suits writers who want offline editing and tools such as writing targets, document tabs and multiple export formats.
Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux9.4 Visit Specs - 02 LibreOffice Impress Free plan Open source Web · Windows · macOS · Linux9.1 Visit Specs
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ONLYOFFICE Docs ONLYOFFICE Docs suits people who need document editing and collaboration across supported platforms, or teams looking to deploy editors in a web app.
From $8/mo Free plan Open source Web · Windows · macOS · Linux8.9 Visit Specs - 04 Dropbox Paper
Paper suits teams that need shared documents with assigned to-dos and timeline views.
From $0.99/mo Free plan Web · iOS · Android · API8.7 Visit Specs - 05
WPS Office WPS Office suits people who need office tools across desktop, mobile, and web platforms, including offline access.
From $3.50/mo Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux8.7 Visit Specs - 06
Collabora Online From $3.40/mo Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux8.6 Visit Specs - 07 FocusWriter Free plan Open source Windows · macOS · Linux8.6 Visit Specs
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GitHub CodeQL From $30/mo Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux8.6 Visit Specs - 09
Apple Pages Pages suits people creating documents, page layouts, or shared work, including users who need Word-file import or common export formats.
From $12.99/mo Free plan Web · macOS · iOS8.5 Visit Specs - 10 Ability Office
It suits Windows users who want an offline office suite with familiar file-format support.
Free trial Windows8.3 Visit Specs - 11 Atlantis Word Processor Free trial Windows · macOS · Linux8.3 Visit Specs
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CryptPad Rich Text From $0.13/mo Free plan Web · Self-hosted8.3 Visit Specs - 13 Google Docs
It suits individuals and teams creating documents across web and mobile, especially those needing real-time collaboration, offline editing, or Google-service integrations.
From $7/mo Free trial Web · iOS · Android · Browser extension8.2 Visit Specs - 14
Mellel Free plan macOS · iOS8.1 Visit Specs - 15 Fidus Writer Free plan Web · Linux · Self-hosted8.0 Visit Specs
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GNU TeXmacs Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux7.9 Visit Specs - 17 NJStar Chinese WP Free trial Windows · macOS · Linux7.9 Visit Specs
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Thinkfree Office Thinkfree Office may suit organisations that need an online office suite with self-hosted or private-cloud deployment.
From $75/mo Free trial Web · Windows · macOS · Linux7.9 Visit Specs - 19 Bean Free plan macOS7.8 Visit Specs
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Etherpad Etherpad suits groups that want shared editing on infrastructure they control and need an attributable revision history.
Web · Windows · macOS · Linux7.8 Visit Specs - 21 LyX
LyX suits writers producing structured documents, from academic work to books and scripts, especially when they need mathematical formulas, references, or bibliography tools.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux7.8 Visit Specs - 22 Nisus Writer Pro Free trial macOS7.7 Visit Specs
- 23 SoftMaker FreeOffice Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux7.7 Visit Specs
- 24 PolyEdit Free plan Windows7.6 Visit Specs
- 25 Quoll Writer Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux7.6 Visit Specs
Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add a cost dimension. The entries are ordered as a ranked best-of list, beginning with ONLYOFFICE Docs, Google Docs, and Zoho Writer. Apple Pages and LyX are among the other options shown. Consider which capabilities matter in your document workflow, then weigh the listed platform, editing, and pricing details.
Compare Calmly Writer and LibreOffice Impress Get a place on this list