Microsoft Word vs Overleaf

Microsoft Word

• People who want a full desktop word processor on Windows or Mac
• Households: Microsoft 365 Family covers 1 to 6 people
• Occasional writers who only need the free browser version
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

Overleaf

• Researchers and students writing papers and theses in LaTeX
• Co-authors who need to edit the same LaTeX document at once
• Institutions that want LaTeX with SSO or on-premises hosting

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.

Overleaf

• The Free plan allows 1 collaborator per project and keeps only the previous 24 hours of history.
• Track changes, full history, reference-manager sync and the Git, GitHub and Dropbox integrations need a paid plan.
• Free accounts get a basic compile timeout; paid plans get 24 times as long for large or complex documents.
• Monthly billing costs more: Standard is $25 a month, against $199 for a year.

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.

Overleaf

Code Editor and Visual Editor

Write LaTeX in the Code Editor or switch to the Visual Editor to edit without writing code. A toolbar adds figures and tables and formats text.

Real-time collaboration

Several people can edit and comment on a shared project at the same time, invited by link or email. The Free plan allows 1 collaborator per project.

Track changes and history

Paid plans show collaborators' edits as tracked changes and keep the full project history to compare, label and restore. Free accounts see the previous 24 hours.

Templates

A library of free templates and example projects, from publisher-approved research article templates to CVs and business proposals.

Reference and Git integrations

Paid plans connect Zotero, Mendeley and ReadCube for references, add advanced reference search, and sync projects with Git, GitHub and Dropbox.

AI tools

An AI Assistant, LaTeX error help, table and equation generators and Writefull language feedback, capped at 5 uses a day on Free and Student and 10 on Standard.

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, each with 1 TB of storage. 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.

Overleaf

• Free$0

  Unlimited projects with 1 collaborator per project, a basic compile timeout and 5 AI uses a day.

• Student$8.25

  per month, billed yearly ($98); $13 billed monthly

  For students enrolled at a degree-granting institution: 10 collaborators per project, the AI Assistant and a 24x compile timeout.

• Standard$16.75

  per month, billed yearly ($199); $25 billed monthly

  10 collaborators per project, 10 AI uses a day, the AI Assistant and a 24x compile timeout, with premium features such as track changes and full history.

• Pro$33.25

  per month, billed yearly ($399); $45 billed monthly

  Unlimited collaborators per project and full access to every AI tool, subject to fair usage.

• OrganizationsCustom

  For 20 or more users: volume discounts of up to 35%, SSO, managed accounts, and optional on-premises or FedRAMP-authorized hosting.

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.

Overleaf

• Annual discount

  3+ months free with yearly billing

  The billing toggle advertises 3 or more months free on yearly billing: Standard is $199 a year against $25 a month, and Pro is $399 against $45 a month.

• Education

  Student plan at $98 a year

  Students at educational institutions, including graduate students, can buy the Student plan for $98 a year or $13 a month.

• Education

  40% academic discount on group plans

  Groups at degree-granting institutions can apply a 40% academic discount to Standard and Pro group licenses. It is meant for students or faculty using Overleaf mainly for teaching.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit discounts from 20 licenses

  Qualified nonprofits can get a discount on purchases of 20 licenses or more by contacting Overleaf's sales team.

• Other savings

  Group and volume discounts

  Group licenses on Standard and Pro save an extra 10%, and organizations with 20 or more users can save up to 35% on volume purchases.