Is Microsoft Office still worth buying in the age of Google Docs?

[Yozora]

Quality Posts

 

[Vitoka]

Even when I have access to Microsoft Office (at work or university) I find myself using Google Docs. I like to use it because I can use it everywhere, I can share the doc easy when I'm doing any project.

Whenever I need any Office I just get a Open Office and it works fine as well, so for me I don't think it's worth it to get Microsoft Office.

 

[burger]

I think no. But for PC, best office app is it.

You can use Office with OneDrive account.


For mobile, you can use Google Docs. I prefer Google Docs. This is free and Google Docs has sync-now feature.

 

[yusha]

If you are working offline, I recommend you using MS Office. Also as there are lot of tools and templates for MS Office though it's completely based on your choice. I use MS Office because I like working with the software running on my own system rather than any third party server.

 

[grocket001]

for basic spreadsheets and word docs, google docs can get the job done. however, if you're doing any complicated formulas or formatting It will fall flat on its face compared to Microsofts offering

 

[p1ayfu1]

Office Online supports live typing and co-authoring. But if you are working on the desktop suite, it is not as seamless as Google Docs. The good news is that Microsoft will be bringing real-time co-authoring to Microsoft Office 2016 later this year.

 

[Intro]

I think it's good to have Microsoft Office on the side (unless you can't afford it then you should keep Google Docs/something else).

I often find myself having to use certain Office programs like Publisher because Google Drive doesn't have a program to do the same. Also, from what I've seen, Google Drive doesn't seem to be ready to expand (we've been stuck with Docs/Slides/etc for a while...). Microsoft Office has a huge variety of programs that only seem to expand.

 

[Genesis]

I agree. I like my Microsoft Office programs and so far - through my employment - have always been able to purchase it for almost free. However since I'm unemployed, with my next generation of hardware and unemployed I see myself going for free alternatives only. I also like Publisher for the odd project and when I checked looks as though there is a free open source program available called Scribus. Think that's the beauty of the Net. There's always a work around.

 

[Freya009]

Definitely yes, if you looking for online docs why not go for Office 365 rather than going with old MS Office. One can get better and productive apps as compared to Google Docs. Businesses with under 300 employees can go with business plans like O365 Business Premium, essentials, etc.

 

[Dee13211]

[No message]

 

[Genesis]

Sadly, I haven't found another Word program as powerful as Microsoft. I have tried several of the free programs but they just don't measure up, not for my needs anyway. At one point, I was stuck without the ability to have Microsoft Office and I had to use an alternative for many months so I can say that I really did give others a real go. The moment I had the ability to have Microsoft Office again, I jumped on it!

I agree with you totally. However, was wondering whether you tried google version of "Word" etc. And what your findings were. I'm with you on disliking the need to use the Internet and Cloud to be able to use it. But I'd imagine for those who can't fork out the big bucks to get Microsoft Office possibly it's the better of all of the available alternatives that are available.

It still irks me though that I have to pay so much for Microsoft anything. Like if I figure out collectively over the time I've been using Microsoft Windows and Office how much I've spent on it in my life time, and all of their licenses and Microsoft being on a total roll since the 1980s, creating billionaires and contributing to inequality of fair competition - gobbling up all of their competition (and us indirectly supporting them to do just that). Something isn't quite right for me in this equation.

 

[Dee13211]

Opportunity is not monopolized.

You read my post in "What is your favourite method to make money on the Internet ?".

 

[Genesis]

Wish I had your selling abilities. Selling it for a little more expensive probably also gives the impression it's greater quality.

 

[Dee13211]

Wish I had your selling abilities. Selling it for a little more expensive probably also gives the impression it's greater quality.

I think it's more like they value the quality of the information. Many sellers seem to think that a low price alone will drive sales, which is completely inaccurate. The listing has to answer all of the customer's questions.

 

[dels]

10 years ago when I started using Google Docs it was like a miracle coated in both honey and chocolate, seeing a colleague type at the same time as you was almost spiritually moving !
Sadly they didn't go for the jugular and didn't bring the feature set up to what Office based desktop applications had to offer, so there was a gap for the advanced features users.
In the last year or two Microsoft caught up with the online offering and has left Google for dead.
Knowing how Google turn on themselves from time to time (butchering Photos sync to Drive) I wouldn't be surprised if they retired their Docs/Sheets offering in the coming years.

 

[arrnaya]

At one time Microsoft Office was the major word processing and spreadsheet software suite to buy, however, more recently free software and online alternatives such as LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Zoho Docs, which include a lot of the same features as Office, have become increasingly popular to use. With Microsoft Office slowly shifting to a yearly subscription model with the introduction of Office 365, is there any reason left to buy or subscribe to it?

Why do you use or not use Microsoft Office, and why or why not? If you use an alternative, what are you using instead, and why did you choose that particular software or service?

I would say - NO need for Microsoft Office! Though I myself have the Student version of Microsoft office subscribed to, I must say that I mostly use Google Sheet and docs. The biggest advantage of using Google Docs is that I get to keep my files online and share them with others who can make edits in real-time. Google Docs makes collaboration easy.

For business emails, I have been using Zoho mail and I have completely stopped using outlook or windows mail.

I rarely use Microsoft office now.

 

[chiyancheung]

At one time Microsoft Office was the major word processing and spreadsheet software suite to buy, however, more recently free software and online alternatives such as LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Zoho Docs, which include a lot of the same features as Office, have become increasingly popular to use. With Microsoft Office slowly shifting to a yearly subscription model with the introduction of Office 365, is there any reason left to buy or subscribe to it?

Why do you use or not use Microsoft Office, and why or why not? If you use an alternative, what are you using instead, and why did you choose that particular software or service?

Sorry to not give a definite answer, but it really depends on your use case. If the people that share documents with are all on GSuite, then there is really no reason to get MS Office. But if your coworkers and customers still use MS Office documents, then it is a necessity, as 3rd party office suites still do not offer 100% compatibility with MS Office files (either import nor export). Note that if you need to work with Office files and don't want to pay, you can see if you can get away with using the free web-only versions of those apps from Microsoft.