Most users looking for a Mac office suite will probably have one option in mind—Microsoft Office. It’s still one of the best office suites out there, regardless of the platform, but there are other options available that you might not have considered (or even be aware of) for macOS.
- Free Word Processing Program For Mac
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Choosing the best office suite for Mac will depend on your budget, but there are plenty of free office suites for Mac that you can install without cost. To help you, here’s a look at eight of the best free Mac office suites available to install or use today.
Also, feel free to check out our YouTube channel from our sister site that goes through all the office suite options mentioned below in a quick video.
Apple iWork
After Microsoft Office, the next and best office suite for Mac users to immediately start using is the Apple iWork suite. Originally a paid-for product, the three Apple iWork office apps have been freely available for Mac devices since 2013.
- The word processor itself has a clear and friendly interface, managed via a Word-style tabbed menu along the top of the screen—it feels more like a desktop program than Drive does.
- Reviewers are raving that MS Word for Mac looks and acts like MS Word for the PC. So, if MS Word is what you’ve been pining for, your wait is over. For the rest of us, below are some free word processors for Mac that will get the job done for writers: WPS Writer by Kingsoft. WPS Office by Kingsoft is a free suite of software available for.
Pages is a Word processor, with ready-made templates for common documents like letters available, as well as the ability to insert tables, charts, images, and other objects. Apple also has a basic spreadsheet app called Numbers that supports multiple sheets and, like Pages, comes with pre-made templates.
Word for Mac doesn't support Family Sharing I personally had a lot of trouble understanding how to download the software for Word for Mac on my wife's MacBook Pro which has a different Apple ID than the iMac which I used to buy the Family version of this app. Apache OpenOffice. Streamline productivity with word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, graphics, formula editor, and database management. Apache OpenOffice.
Finally, Keynote works as a PowerPoint replacement, with similar features like transitions and animations included. You can download all three iWork apps from the App Store.
Google Docs (Docs/Sheets/Slides)
While iCloud offers iWork apps online, it isn’t the best office suite for Mac. If you want Microsoft Office features online without paying for Office 365, then you’ll need to give try the Google Docs suite.
Freely available for Google account users, the Google Docs suite comes in a package of three (four if you count Google Forms, too). Docs is a word processor, Sheets is a spreadsheet tool, while Slides is a presentation tool to rival PowerPoint and Apple Keynote.
Google Docs is well-equipped with many of the features you’d expect to see in a fully-fledged Office alternative, along with extensive collaboration features that allow you to share and edit documents in real-time with others.
LibreOffice
Few open-source projects have the size and polish to compete against the billion-dollar Microsoft Office suite like LibreOffice. Thanks to a community of volunteers helping to build it, LibreOffice has grown into one of the best office suites available for Mac.
This fork of the once-popular OpenOffice has products to match the typical Microsoft Office collection, with a word processor, spreadsheet tool, presentation designer, and database manager. It also takes things two steps further, with a vector graphics design tool and formulae designer for mathematicians.
Best of all, LibreOffice supports Office file formats such as DOC and DOCX perfectly. LibreOffice is a fully-fledged replacement with many similar features compared to Microsoft Office, plus a few extras to sink your teeth into.
FreeOffice
As the name suggests, FreeOffice is a free Office suite available for Mac, Linux, and Windows users. Like other free Office alternatives, it focuses on the big three Office products, with Excel (PlanMaker), PowerPoint (Presentations) and Word (TextMaker) style products.
If you want an Office-like experience, FreeOffice gives it. It looks a lot like its Microsoft counterpart, with a ribbon bar interface, basic features, and support for common Office file formats like DOCX.
Some features, such as mail merge and high-quality spell checking, require a paid-for upgrade to the SoftMaker Office suite. If that’s a deal-breaker, look elsewhere.
Calligra
Another free and open-source Office replacement is the KDE-created Calligra suite. Originally designed for Linux users, Calligra is a cross-platform office suite for macOS, Linux, and Windows PCs. To install it on Mac, you’ll need the Homebrew package manager installed first.
There are no less than ten Calligra apps for you to try, from a standard word processor (Words) and spreadsheet tool (Sheets) to more specialist apps, including a mind mapping tool (Braindump).
We won’t pretend that Calligra is the most polished Mac office suite—it isn’t. What it is, however, is functional, well-rounded and free, with more built-in tools than some of its more appealing (and costly) competitors.
Apache OpenOffice
Apache OpenOffice is the spiritual successor to the previously popular (but now discontinued) OpenOffice.org suite. It shares a common code base to LibreOffice, with similar features, although some important differences exist between them.
Unfortunately, the biggest difference is active development. LibreOffice has a vibrant community behind it, while things are a little slower for Apache OpenOffice, with releases happening roughly once-a-year. In recent years, those have largely focused on bug fixes, rather than significant new features or upgrades.
There are better Mac office suites out there, but if you want a solid, old-school experience on Mac, Apache OpenOffice could be the option for you.
WPS Office Free
As a free version of the paid-for WPS Office, WPS Office Free acts as a freemium, ad-supported taster for Mac users. That isn’t a criticism—WPS Office Free is still a good Mac office suite in its own right.
WPS Office looks like it was built with Mac in mind with an appealing and modern interface that blows some of its older competitors like LibreOffice out of the water. Like iWork and FreeOffice, WPS Office Free targets the Microsoft Office market with presentation, word processing, and spreadsheet creation tools.
It supports Office file formats, as well as support for PDF editing and creation. You can download WPS Office Free from the App Store or from the WPS Office website.
Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is a quick document collaboration and editing tool built-in to the Dropbox cloud storage interface. It’s also the only app on this list that isn’t a full-fledged Office replacement, but Dropbox Paper is still a worthy and honourable mention.
You can use Paper to build more unusual types of documents for project planning, note taking, portfolio building, and more. Like Google Docs, you can also collaborate in real-time with other Dropbox Paper users.
It might not be the Word replacement you’re after, but if you have a Dropbox account already, give it a try.
Choosing The Best Office Suite For Mac
If you want the best Office suite for Mac, you don’t need to pay. Microsoft Office is still a great Mac office suite, but it isn’t essential—you can create documents on macOS for free without it using Apple iWork or one of the other free or open-source alternatives we’ve mentioned.
Whether it’s Google Docs or Microsoft Office itself, let us know your favorite Mac office suite in the comments below.
Free Word Processing Program For Mac
The trusted app for Word documents
Microsoft Word, one of the most popular programs to create, view, edit, share, and manage Word documents, is available for your Mac device. With a simple and clean interface, the program lets you manage everything easily and quickly. Whether you’re a student, journalist, blogger, columnist, writer, or project manager, you'll find Microsoft Word will be an excellent choice.
Create and collaborate in real-time!
Designed for Mac, it’s all you need to manage Word documents.
Microsoft Word is one of the most popular word processing applications worldwide. It is the go-to app for document creation and management. While you’ll find several word processing apps on the App Store, Microsoft Word is the better choice for all its robust and advanced features.
Using the program, you can conveniently spell check, insert pictures, merge data from MS Excel spreadsheets, display charts, and choose from several embedded objects. One of the most important characteristics of Microsoft Word is the WYSIWYG interface. It instantly matches the text on screen with the final output on the page.
For those who are concerned that the design may look unfamiliar from the original Windows version, you can count that the transition from one platform to the next will be smooth and intuitive.
Simple and clean interface
Among the most popular word processing programs for Mac, Microsoft Word has the cleanest interface. In fact, it’s supported by the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, making it easier to work on lengthy documents. Since Word also supports the revamped macOS Mojave Dark Mode, it allows you to eliminate distractions while working on important documents throughout the day.
Rich feature list and formats
Word for Mac comes with a wide range of pre-designed templates so you can start working instantly on projects, blogs, assignments, scripts, letters, notes, and CVs. With several layout options and rich formatting to express your thoughts and ideas, it’s the best program for document editing. Unlike its competitors LibreOffice and Pages, Microsoft Word retains the pristine layout and aesthetics on all devices.
Reduced errors with intuitive tools
Microsoft Word is packaged with several intuitive tools to help you with editing and proofreading. While using Word, you won't need tools like Grammarly, since the program gives grammar, spelling, and stylistic writing suggestions as you type. With numerous tools available, you can switch among pen, paper, and digital inking conveniently.
Real-time collaboration for project management
With its real-time collaboration features, Microsoft Word takes the lead. Office 365 gives you the ability to work on the Cloud and ensure seamless integration among several apps. With just a single click, you'll be able to share your documents with anyone, anywhere.
By the same token, anyone who opens the document will be able to add comments or edit in real time.
Easy sharing options
While most word processing programs provide you with easy sharing options, Microsoft Word goes a step ahead. With just a few clicks, you can give each person a different kind of access and permission.
In general, a main problem with sharing options in other programs is the distortion of formatting in email messages. However, when you copy the content from your Microsoft Word document to an email message, there’s no distortion. You can even attach and share documents over email without worrying about the recipient receiving error messages or misrepresented formatting.
Where can you run this program?
Microsoft Word for Mac is available both as part of the Microsoft Office 365 package and as a standalone app. Both options will require you to purchase an Office 365 subscription. Microsoft Word for Mac is compatible with Mac OS 10.12 and above.
Is there a better alternative?
While Microsoft Word is a good choice for Mac, you might want to consider a few alternatives. The Mac OS already has a good word processor called Pages. It offers some great collaboration features and lets you export files to Word format. However, exchanging documents with people who work on Word can be tedious. Moreover, the app doesn’t have advanced features, such as master documents and mail merges.
If you’re considering an alternative for Microsoft Word, Google Docs will be your best bet. In fact, Google Drive offers Docs, Sheets, and Slides, which together become the perfect alternative for the entire Office suite. The only drawback is that Mac doesn’t support a desktop app for these programs. When you can’t find a good option, it’s best to settle with Office.com. It gives you free Microsoft Office for Mac. Office.com is Microsoft’s basic and free browser-based service.
Our take
While Microsoft Word is synonymous with Microsoft Windows, most people don’t know that it was first released on the Mac. Though both companies have shared a constant rocky relationship, Microsoft Word has always been a mainstay on Mac devices. With ample features, clean interface, and rich formatting, Word is still a viable option for creating, editing, and managing documents on Mac.
Should you download it?
Yes, without a doubt! Microsoft Word is an excellent word processing app backed by one of the most trusted companies in the world. Over the years, updates have introduced several new features, including integration with Office 365.
Highs
- Rich feature list
- Simple and clean interface
- Real-time collaboration features
Free Word Like Program For Mac 2019
Lows
- No embedded fonts
- Doesn’t support ActiveX
- No integration with SharePoint and VB
Microsoft Wordfor Mac
Free Word Like Program For Mac Download
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