# Microsoft Word

> Word processor sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser

Microsoft Word is a word processor for writing, formatting and reviewing documents. A free version runs in the browser, while the Windows and Mac desktop apps come with a Microsoft 365 subscription or the one-time Office Home 2024 purchase. Paid subscriptions add Copilot, which drafts, rewrites and summarizes documents inside Word.

- **Category:** Writing Tools
- **Made by:** Microsoft
- **Website:** https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word
- **Runs on:** Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Microsoft Word has a free plan. Paid plans start at $9.99 / month, or $99.99 / year (Microsoft 365 Personal).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** 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:** 1-month free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Microsoft Word before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Save up to 17% by paying yearly** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products
- **Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal** (Education): 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. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing
- **Office 365 A1 free for eligible schools** (Education): 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. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office
- **Office Home 2024 one-time purchase** (Lifetime license): $179.99 buys the classic 2024 desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for 1 PC or Mac, with no subscription. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-home-2024/cfq7ttc0pqvj

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 3,001,411 ratings in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id586447913

## Works with

OneDrive, Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Designer

**Tags:** Documents, Grammar & style, AI features, Real-time collaboration, Dictation, Templates, Works offline

## Alternatives

- [LibreOffice Writer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/libreoffice-writer): Free, open-source word processor for Windows, macOS and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/libreoffice-writer-vs-microsoft-word)
- [WPS Writer](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wps-writer): Word-compatible word processor in the WPS Office suite. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-word-vs-wps-writer)
- [Google Docs](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-docs): Browser-based word processor, free with a Google Account. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/google-docs-vs-microsoft-word)
- [ONLYOFFICE](https://toolgpa.com/tools/onlyoffice): Open-source office suite for documents, sheets, slides and PDFs. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/microsoft-word-vs-onlyoffice)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/free-office-online-for-the-web
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/p/office-home-2024/cfq7ttc0pqvj

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-word
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).