Free Online Word Processors

Web-Based Word Processors

Word processing software is one of the most common applications found in offices and homes around the world. The top two word processors, Microsoft Word and Corel's Word Perfect, are very capable, but are also expensive and require a lot of disk space on your computer. There are some excellent free and open source word processors you can download, but you still have to install and maintain the software. And all of these are "landlocked" in the sense that it's difficult to collaborate and share documents with others online.

Fortunately, there are several free online web-based word processors that you can use to create, edit, publish and share files online -- without having to purchase or install any software. Here are reviews of the online word processors that are leading the pack...

Google Docs

Google Docs (formerly Writely) was not the first online word processor, but I mention it first becasue Google is a trusted name when it comes to online applications. Google Docs not only offers you a great online word processor, but it also provides you with online spreadsheet and presentation programs as well. This suite of products is similar to the Microsoft Office suite, and it is completely compatible with Microsoft Office products and files.

Google Docs offers most of the same formatting features that Microsoft's Word does, however, it also offers you the option of publishing and sharing your files online live. There's no software to install, and no hard disk space required. All of the software, as well as the files you create, are stored online. You can access your documents from any computer with an internet connection.

Buzzword

Buzzword is another free online word processor that you can use. It was created by Adobe and functions much like Google Docs, although the interface is a little sexier. You can save files created in Buzzword in DOC and RTF file formats. In order to use this WP you will need to have Flash Player 9 and sign up for a free Buzzword user account.

The current version of Buzzword is a "preview" version that allows you to compose, edit share and publish documents. It's possible that Adobe will release a fee-based version with advanced features at some point, but I hope they will find some other way to monetize this venture and keep it free. Regardless, you can take advantage of this slick online freeware word processing app now.

iNetWord

If you're looking for an online word processor that has nearly all the features that Word has, and that is also Internet friendly, then iNetWord could be what you are looking for. This free web-based word processor will allow you to format and compose documents similar to how you would in Word. Some differences between iNetWord and Microsoft Word: Word will allow you to customize your character styles, it has a grammar check and it has point level fonts whereas iNetWord doesn't. iNetWord allows you to share folders and publish to the web with a single click of the mouse whereas Word can't.

iNetWord takes a while to load, even with a broadband connection, but it does offer an impressive feature set including spell check, tables, merge fields, multiple document support, and the ability to track changes in a document.

ThinkFree

ThinkFree is yet another free online based word processor. It, like other online word processing suites, offers a word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation platform. What I like about this particular online word processor is that it offers you up to 1 GB of storage space for your documents and files. I also like that this Java based program will be offering several updates during 2008 including: better security architecture, enhanced AMI structures, enhanced scalability, new templates and a upgrade release scheduled for sometime between April and June 2008.

It is easy to see that many facets of business and personal productivity are quickly moving to the virtual realm. In order to keep up, most business tools and software programs will need to integrate themselves with the Internet in order to remain viable. Free online word processors are just the start of the virtual office transition, so keep your eyes open for new virtual tools that can make getting stuff done even easier.