Google Docs Alternative That Keeps Files on Your Device

If you want a Google Docs alternative that keeps your documents on your own device, try Word Processor. It runs in your browser and opens Word files, including old DOC files. You can save DOCX, ODT, RTF, TXT or Markdown with no account. Google Docs is built for writing together in real time, with every document stored in Google Drive. If you need several people editing the same page at once, stay with Google Docs. If you want a private file you can save straight back as DOCX, Word Processor is the simpler fit.

This comparison is based on what each product is designed for. Google changes its plans and storage limits over time, so check Google's own site for current terms.

The short version

	Word Processor	Google Docs
Built for	Writing and editing documents on your own device	Writing together online
Where documents live	On your device	In Google Drive
Account needed	No, for DOCX, ODT, RTF, TXT and Markdown	Yes, a Google account
Real-time co-editing	No	Yes, its main strength
Comments and suggestions	Track changes in the Review tab	Comments and suggesting mode
Opens DOCX and old DOC files	Yes	Yes, by uploading to Drive
Saves as DOCX	Yes, directly	Yes, through File then Download
Styles, tables, images, headers, footnotes	Yes	Yes
Works offline	Yes, once installed and loaded	Yes, after you turn on offline mode
Price	Free to use; Pro adds PDF export, transcription and My files	Free with a Google account; check Google's site for Workspace plans

Who each one is for

Choose Google Docs when several people need to work on the same document at once. A team writing a proposal together, a class editing shared notes, a family planning a trip in one doc. You share a link, everyone types, and you see each other's cursors. Comments, suggesting mode and version history make it easy to review each other's work. If your school or company already runs on Google Workspace, it also fits in with Gmail, Drive and the rest of that set.

Choose Word Processor when the document is yours and you want to keep it that way. A CV, a cover letter, an essay, a letter, a draft contract. You open a file, edit it and save it, and the file stays on your device. It is also a quick way to open a DOCX someone emailed you when there's no Office on the computer, and to send it back in the same format.

What Word Processor does well

• DOCX in and out. Open DOCX, DOC, DOCM, DOTX, ODT, RTF, Markdown and text files, then save as DOCX, ODT, RTF, TXT or Markdown. No account is needed for those formats.
• Full formatting. Styles, tables, images, headers and footnotes, all from the ribbon at the top of the window.
• Track changes. Turn it on in the Review tab and your insertions and deletions are marked, so the next reader can see what changed.
• Your documents stay on your device. They are not uploaded. The only exception is a recording you choose to transcribe, which is sent to be processed and deleted afterwards.
• Works offline. Install it from your browser and, once it has loaded, it works without an internet connection. On iPhone, use Share then Add to Home Screen in Safari.
• Markdown both ways. Open a Markdown draft and save it as DOCX, or open a DOCX and save it as Markdown or plain text.
• More formats with a free account. A free account adds HTML, XML, JSON and LaTeX.

What Google Docs does better

Be clear about where Google Docs wins. Real-time co-editing is its main strength, and Word Processor doesn't do it. If two people need to type in the same document at the same time, use Google Docs.

Google Docs also gives you comments, suggesting mode and a full version history, so you can step back to an earlier draft. It saves to the cloud as you type, so you can pick up the same document on any device where you're signed in. It has mobile apps and works with the rest of Google Workspace.

Word Processor saves files to your device. To open the same document on another device, you move the file yourself, or use My files with Pro.

What Word Processor doesn't do

Word Processor has no live co-editing, no share link and no automatic cloud sync. PDF export and saving to My files, which lets you open a document on another device, are part of Pro, as is Transcribe a recording, which turns an audio or video file into a document. The first load downloads the editor, so give it a moment the first time you open it.

How to move from Google Docs

You can take a Google Doc with you by downloading it as a Word file.

1. Open the document in Google Docs.
2. Choose File, then Download, then Microsoft Word (.docx).
3. Open Word Processor and open the DOCX, or drop it onto the window.
4. Edit as usual, then save as DOCX, ODT, RTF, TXT or Markdown.

Headings, tables and images usually come across in the DOCX file. Check any document with complex layout after it opens, because no two editors lay out a page in exactly the same way.

If you only want to try it, start a new document instead. There's nothing to sign up for.

Can you use both?

Yes. Use Google Docs for shared work, where several people edit together. Use Word Processor for your own documents, for files that must stay on your device, and for editing a DOCX someone sent you. Because both read and write DOCX, you can move a document between them whenever you need to.

Checking length before you hand in

Essays, applications and articles often have a word limit. Paste your text into the free Word Counter to see words, characters, sentences and reading time before you submit. Our guide to word count in Google Docs and Word explains why the numbers can differ between tools.