FreeOffice TextMaker vs Microsoft Word (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Microsoft Word: it is first in our ranking of writing tools, and they share a 3.4 GPA.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
FreeOffice TextMaker grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Microsoft Word grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FreeOffice TextMaker
Free word processor that opens and saves Microsoft Word files
Microsoft Word
Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser
Which one is for you
Pick FreeOffice TextMaker if
- Fits if you want a free word processor that opens Word files
- Works for a household or a small office on one or three computers
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: free products have no email support, only the user forum
- Watch out: the license allows 3 computers in a household or 1 in an organization
- Skip it if you want a browser-based editor, since none is listed
- Watch out: SoftMaker Office, the paid version, has email support and prices we did not check
Pick Microsoft Word if
- Fits if people send you Word files and expect them back looking the same
- Works for contracts and reports that need track changes and version history
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you only write the odd letter, because the free web version or Google Docs will do
- Pricey if Word is the only app you want, since the subscription bundles Excel and PowerPoint too, from $9.99 a month
- Tight if you want track changes or advanced formatting on a phone or tablet, which needs a subscription
- Not for you if you do your real writing on an iPad, going by reviews about crashes and lost pages
- Watch out: Copilot has usage limits and works only for the owner on Family, and Business Basic has no desktop Word
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAFreeOffice TextMakerVery good | 3.4GPAMicrosoft WordVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for personal and business use. Writing tools charge $5.83 to $12.50 a month. | C$9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year, which works out at $8.33 a month: dead on the middle for writing tools. You do get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and 1 TB of storage for it, but you can't subscribe to Word alone, and Google Docs is free. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no caps listed, for home or work use. | BWord for the web is free for one person, with real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar, basic templates, dictation and 5 GB of storage. The desktop apps and Copilot aren't in it, track changes on a phone needs a subscription, and the paid trial is a month. |
| Features | BA word processor with Office file compatibility, ribbon or classic menus and a touch mode. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. | ATrack changes, version history, co-authoring with people who haven't even got an account, thousands of templates. Plus Dictate transcribing a whole audio file into a document, Immersive Reader, an Accessibility Checker for contrast and wording, and Copilot drafting, which has usage limits. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but it's a program you install and start typing in. Menus can look like Office's. | A4.73 on the App Store from over 3 million ratings, and most people already know their way round it. What you get on the web, a phone and a desktop differs in confusing ways, mind, and phone reviewers report lost work. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, and it opens Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. No web editor is listed. | AWindows, Mac, iPhone, Android and the web, with OneDrive, Copilot and Microsoft Designer wired in, so every device type is covered. No Linux app is listed, so there it's the browser version. |
| Best for | a free word processor for any system | files that others expect in Word format |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: FreeOffice TextMaker and Microsoft Word. How we grade
Price against what you get
FreeOffice TextMaker has no paid plan and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft Word starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 4.0.
Microsoft Word scores higher, and starts $8.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than FreeOffice TextMaker for less, and none scores higher than Microsoft Word for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- FreeOffice TextMaker also covers long-form writing.
- Microsoft Word also covers dictation, templates and grammar & style.
At a glance
| FreeOffice TextMaker | Microsoft Word | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal) |
| Free plan | FreeOffice is free for personal and business use; there is no email support for free products. | Word for the web is free for 1 person: real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar, basic templates, dictation and 5 GB of cloud storage. The mobile apps cover basic editing without a subscription. |
| Free trial | None listed | 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SoftMaker Software GmbH | Microsoft |
| Price read from | freeoffice.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FreeOffice TextMaker
- There is no email support for free products; help comes from the user forum.
- The license allows 3 computers in one household or 1 computer in an organization.
- SoftMaker also sells commercial SoftMaker Office editions with email support; their prices were not checked here.
- There is no web or browser-based editor listed.
Microsoft Word
- The Windows and Mac apps need a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time Office purchase; only the web version is free.
- Copilot requires a paid subscription, has usage limits, and on shared plans works for the subscription owner only.
- On phones and tablets, advanced formatting and track changes need a Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7.00 per user / month paid yearly, or $5.40 without Teams) includes only the web and mobile versions of Word.
Key features
FreeOffice TextMaker
- Word processor
- A full word processor, part of a suite with the PlanMaker spreadsheet and the Presentations program.
- Microsoft Office compatibility
- The vendor says the suite is compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
- Ribbon or classic menus
- FreeOffice 2024 can switch between a ribbon interface and classic menus and toolbars.
- Touch mode
- A touch mode with larger icons and more spacing is available with both interface styles.
- Mobile apps
- The vendor offers TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations for iOS and Android free of charge.
- Business use allowed
- The site states the suite is free for business as well as personal use.
Microsoft Word
- Copilot in Word
- Drafts, rewrites and summarizes documents and answers questions about them. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription, and usage limits apply.
- Editor
- A built-in checker for spelling, grammar and writing style. The free web version includes basic spelling and grammar checks.
- Real-time co-authoring
- Share a document with anyone, including people without an account, and edit it together, with track changes and version history. Shared files are stored in OneDrive.
- Templates
- Thousands of customizable templates are available at no charge, and the free web version includes a basic set of templates, fonts and icons.
- Dictate
- Speech-to-text for writing by voice, plus transcription of audio files into a document. Dictation and voice commands are part of the free web version.
- Immersive Reader and Accessibility Checker
- Immersive Reader gives a pared-back reading view, and the Accessibility Checker recommends fixes to formatting, color contrast and word choice.
Plans
FreeOffice TextMaker
FreeOffice$0
TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations; the license covers 3 household computers or 1 organization computer.
Microsoft Word
Free$0
Word for the web for 1 person, with real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar, basic templates, dictation and 5 GB of storage.
Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
1 person signed in on up to 5 devices, 1 TB of cloud storage, and the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps with Copilot.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business$10.00
per user / month, paid yearly
Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for up to 300 employees, with 1 TB of cloud storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Family$12.99
per month, or $129.99 per year
Everything in Personal for 1 to 6 people, who share 2 TB of cloud storage between them. AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99
per month, or $199.99 per year
Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.
Office Home 2024$179.99
one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac
Classic 2024 desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, with no upgrade path to later releases.
Ways to pay less
FreeOffice TextMaker
No public discounts listed.
Microsoft Word
- Annual discount
Save up to 17% by paying yearly
Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, Family $129.99 against $12.99 and Premium $199.99 against $19.99.
- Education
Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal
Verified college and university students pay $4.99 a month for Microsoft 365 Personal. Student status has to be re-verified each year to keep the price.
- Education
Office 365 A1 free for eligible schools
Educators and students with an eligible school email address get Office 365 A1 at no cost, which includes the web versions of Word and the other core apps.
- Lifetime license
Office Home 2024 one-time purchase
$179.99 buys the classic 2024 desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for 1 PC or Mac, with no subscription.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreeOffice TextMaker or Microsoft Word?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FreeOffice TextMaker is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8.33 a month when paid by the year for Microsoft Word. FreeOffice TextMaker is free, and Microsoft Word starts at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal).
Which has a free plan, FreeOffice TextMaker or Microsoft Word?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both FreeOffice TextMaker and Microsoft Word have a free plan.
Which platforms do FreeOffice TextMaker and Microsoft Word run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only FreeOffice TextMaker lists a Linux app and only Microsoft Word lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.