FreeOffice TextMaker vs Polaris Office (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FreeOffice TextMaker grades higher than Polaris Office: 3.4 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
FreeOffice TextMaker grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features 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
Polaris Office
Word, sheet, slide and PDF editor with an AI agent called NOVA
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 Polaris Office if
- Fits if you want Word, sheet and slide files on a phone and a laptop for a few dollars
- Works for people who open HWP files as well as DOCX
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want the full editor free, because the web version has limited features
- Pricey if you want AI: $10.83 a month, or $33.33 for AI Pro
- Watch out: the 50% AI discounts last the first year only
- Not for you if you need PDF editing on the cheapest plan, since it starts on Pro at $5
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAFreeOffice TextMakerVery good | 2.8GPAPolaris OfficeGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for personal and business use. Writing tools charge $5.83 to $12.50 a month. | A$3.33 a month billed annually for Smart, under 60% of the category's $5.75 cheaper-quarter mark. PDF editing sits on Pro at $5. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no caps listed, for home or work use. | CA free web version edits DOCX, PPTX, XLSX and HWP files, but with limited features, and AI needs a login. |
| 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. | BWord, sheet, slide and PDF editing, cloud storage, link sharing and a perpetual licence option. The listing names no gap in the core work. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. Plans, devices and a login to sort out, and the free web version is limited. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, and it opens Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. No web editor is listed. | BWindows, Mac, Android, iPhone and web, but no API or integrations are listed. |
| Best for | a free word processor for any system | cheap document editing on every device |
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 Polaris Office. 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. Polaris Office starts at $3.33 a month and scores 2.7.
FreeOffice TextMaker scores higher and starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than FreeOffice TextMaker for less, and 3 score higher than Polaris Office 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
- Polaris Office can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- FreeOffice TextMaker also covers long-form writing.
- Polaris Office also covers spreadsheets, presentations and pDF editing.
At a glance
| FreeOffice TextMaker | Polaris Office | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $3.33 per month, billed annually (Smart) |
| Free plan | FreeOffice is free for personal and business use; there is no email support for free products. | Polaris Web Office: basic document editing in the browser for free; AI features need a login. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SoftMaker Software GmbH | Polaris Office Corp. |
| Price read from | freeoffice.com | polarisoffice.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Polaris Office
- The free web version has limited features; AI features there need a login.
- Prices were read from the annual view of the plan table; monthly-billed prices were not readable.
- AI plans show a 50% first-year discount; the larger figure is the regular annual-billed monthly rate.
- Subscriptions list minimum systems of Windows 10, macOS 11, Android 7.0 and iOS 16.
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.
Polaris Office
- Word, sheet, slide and PDF editing
- Creates and edits documents, spreadsheets, slides and PDFs, and opens HWP files, on desktop, mobile and in the browser.
- NOVA AI agent
- Chats about your documents, analyzes tables and charts, drafts content and edits files; use is metered in monthly credits on the AI plans.
- Polaris Drive cloud storage
- Syncs documents across devices: 10 GB on Smart, 100 GB on Pro, with document history of 15 or 90 days.
- Link sharing and co-editing
- Share a document with a link and edit it together in real time, according to the subscription page.
- PDF tools
- Smart exports to PDF; Pro adds editing, merging, splitting and filling PDF forms.
- Perpetual license option
- Windows, Mac and iOS editions can be bought once for a single device, with no sign-in and offline use.
Plans
FreeOffice TextMaker
FreeOffice$0
TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations; the license covers 3 household computers or 1 organization computer.
Polaris Office
Web Office$0
Browser editing of DOCX, PPTX, XLSX and HWP files with limited features and no install.
Smart$3.33
per month, billed annually
Edit Word, slide and sheet files, export to PDF, 3 PCs and 6 mobile devices, 10 GB of Polaris Drive.
Pro$5.00
per month, billed annually
Smart plus PDF edit, merge, split and form fill, 5 PCs and 10 mobile devices, 100 GB of Polaris Drive.
AI$10.83
per month, billed annually
Pro plus NOVA with 3,000 AI credits a month and 10 GB of knowledge storage; $5.42 a month for the first year.
AI Pro$33.33
per month, billed annually
AI plan with 15,000 credits a month, 50 GB of knowledge storage and scheduled tasks; $16.67 a month for year one.
Ways to pay less
FreeOffice TextMaker
No public discounts listed.
Polaris Office
- Other savings
50% off the first year of AI plans
The AI and AI Pro plans show half price for the first year when billed annually, at $5.42 and $16.67 a month.
- Annual discount
Up to 16% off with annual billing
The plan table says annual billing saves up to 16% compared with monthly billing.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreeOffice TextMaker or Polaris Office?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FreeOffice TextMaker is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $3.33 a month for Polaris Office. FreeOffice TextMaker is free, and Polaris Office starts at $3.33 per month, billed annually (Smart).
Which has a free plan, FreeOffice TextMaker or Polaris Office?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FreeOffice TextMaker and Polaris Office have a free plan.
Which platforms do FreeOffice TextMaker and Polaris Office run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only FreeOffice TextMaker lists a Linux app and only Polaris Office 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
- FreeOffice TextMaker vs LibreOffice Writer
- FreeOffice TextMaker vs WPS Writer
- FreeOffice TextMaker vs Microsoft Word
- FreeOffice TextMaker vs Nisus Writer
- FreeOffice TextMaker vs Mellel
- Polaris Office vs WPS Writer
- Polaris Office vs Microsoft Word
- Polaris Office vs LibreOffice Writer
- Polaris Office vs ONLYOFFICE
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.