# Google Docs vs Microsoft Word

A comparison of collaboration, Word files, built-in AI, and price, based on each vendor’s current plans and our contract-review test

By Artur Sapek. Published 2026-10-08. Updated 2026-10-08.

Summary

- Both are free in a browser. The main difference is that Word has full desktop apps and works in .docx natively, while Google Docs is built around the browser and a Google account.
- Google Docs suits teams that already use Google accounts. Word suits anyone who wants .docx as the working format or wants desktop apps, and its individual plan with AI has the lower list price.
- Both have real-time co-editing, comments, and a way to review changes, so the ecosystem your collaborators already use often decides it.

This comparison is for anyone choosing between the two for their own work, or for a team choosing between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Both are capable word processors, so the differences that matter are how you share documents, whether your files have to stay in Word’s format, and what the built-in AI costs and does.

I have spent the past year building Revise, a word processor that opens and saves Word files, and we ran both editors’ AI on the same contract. Plans and prices come from each vendor’s own pages, which are linked in the sources at the end.

## Google Docs vs Word at a glance

|  | [Google Docs](https://workspace.google.com/products/docs/) | [Microsoft Word](https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/word) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Yes (with a Google account) | Yes (Word for the web) |
| Paid from | $7/mo per user, annual plan (Workspace Business Starter, without Gemini in Docs) | $9.99/mo (Microsoft 365 Personal, Copilot with usage limits) |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| Real-time co-editing | Yes | Yes |
| Word files | Yes (edits .docx directly, imports and exports) | Yes (native format) |
| Built-in AI | Gemini | Copilot |
| AI capabilities | Gemini drafts, rewrites, and summarizes, refinements you accept or reject | Copilot drafts, rewrites, and summarizes, edits in place with highlight and undo |
| AI edits in our test | Comments under the user's name and Docs suggestions, after extra prompting | Changed text directly, with highlight and undo, when asked to fix an issue |

Table 1: Google Docs and Microsoft Word compared on plans, platforms, co-editing, Word files, and built-in AI, with how each AI presented its edits in our single contract-review test.

## Key differences

At the end of each difference, we say which one has the edge for that job.

### Collaboration

Both support real-time co-editing and comments. Google Docs builds the workflow around Google Drive in the browser, and Word builds it around Microsoft 365 on the web and in its apps.

Edge: a tie, so choose the ecosystem your collaborators already use.

### Suggestions, tracked changes, and history

Google Docs has [suggested edits](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6033474), which show changes in a new color and cross out deletions, and the owner accepts or rejects each one or all at once. Google says tracked changes from Microsoft Office files become suggestions, and suggestions become tracked changes in Office files. Its [version history](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/190843) shows who changed a file and lets editors restore or name versions. Word keeps [previous versions](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collab-files/view-previous-versions-of-office-files) of files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, and has [Track Changes](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/track-changes-in-word-197ba630-0f5f-4a8e-9a77-3712475e806a) on the desktop, the web, iPhone, and iPad. Track Changes underlines additions and strikes through deletions, and reviewers accept or reject changes one at a time or all together.

Edge: a tie, because both have mature review tools and Docs converts Word’s tracked changes into its own suggestions.

### Word files

`.docx` is Word’s native format, and in our test Word handled the test contract and exported it with its formatting intact. Google Docs can [edit Office files directly](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9406611), with changes saved in the original Office format, or convert them to Google’s format. We did not run a controlled formatting round trip through Docs, so check complex files in Word before you send them.

Edge: Word, because `.docx` is its own format and we tested how it handles one. Docs can also edit `.docx` in place.

### Built-in AI

Word’s AI is Copilot, which is included in Microsoft 365 Personal (and for the subscription owner on Family) with usage limits and runs on models Microsoft selects. In [our contract-review test](https://revise.io/blog/ai-document-review-tools-compared), Copilot found issues and listed them as cards in its chat panel rather than as margin comments. When we asked it to fix one, it changed the text directly and marked the change with a blue highlight and an undo button.

Gemini in Docs needs Workspace Business Standard or, for individuals, Google AI Pro. In the same test, Gemini first answered with a long chat reply. After some nudging, it left comments in the document under the user’s own name and made edits as Docs suggestions that you accept or reject.

Edge: Word on list price, because Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month) costs less than Google AI Pro ($19.99). The bundles include different products, though, and Copilot has usage limits. In our one contract test, Gemini presented edits as Docs suggestions, while Copilot rewrote the text in place with a highlight and undo.

### Platforms and apps

Google Docs runs in the browser and has apps for iOS and Android. Word runs on the web and has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, including desktop apps on Windows and Mac.

Edge: Word, if you want a full desktop app. Otherwise it is a tie.

## Which should you choose?

Choose Google Docs if

- your team or school already uses Google accounts
- you write in the browser and share by link
- you want AI edits as suggestions and have a plan with Gemini

Choose Word if

- you exchange .docx files with clients or colleagues
- you want full desktop apps on Windows or Mac
- you want AI included in a $9.99 personal plan

## Where Revise fits

Revise, which we build, is a separate browser word processor that opens and saves `.docx`. Its AI agent runs GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok models and proposes text and formatting edits as tracked changes that you accept or reject. Content pasted from Google Docs keeps its formatting, but there is no direct Google Drive import, and its higher-end models need a paid plan.

## What each costs

Both editors are free in a browser. The table compares the individual plans that add each product’s own AI, and the bundles differ in what else they include.

| Tool | Free | Individual plan with in-editor AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Google Docs | Google Docs with a Google account, without Gemini | Google AI Pro, $19.99/mo |
| Microsoft Word | Word for the web with a Microsoft account, without Copilot | Microsoft 365 Personal, $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr (Copilot with usage limits) |

Table 2: Free browser editor and the individual plan that adds in-editor AI, for each product. US dollars before tax.

## The bottom line

In most cases you should pick the one your collaborators already use. If nobody has decided yet, Google Docs fits teams that already work in Drive, and Word fits teams that deliver `.docx` files and want desktop apps.

For more options, see [Google Docs alternatives](https://revise.io/blog/google-docs-alternative) and [Microsoft Word alternatives](https://revise.io/blog/microsoft-word-alternatives).

Sources

Prices and plan details were checked against each vendor’s own pages on October 4, 2026. Prices are in US dollars as each vendor lists them, and some include local tax. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the linked page before you buy.

- Google Docs: [Edit Office files](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9406611), [Version history](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/190843), [Suggest edits](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6033474), [Workspace pricing](https://workspace.google.com/pricing), [Google AI plans](https://one.google.com/about/google-ai-plans/), [Gemini in Docs](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/14206696), [Gemini features by plan](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/13952129), [Gemini usage limits in Google apps](https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/14796585), [Edit Office files in Google Drive](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/9276408)
- Microsoft Word: [AI capabilities and access](https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/word/welcome-to-copilot-in-word), [Previous versions](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collab-files/view-previous-versions-of-office-files), [Track Changes](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/track-changes-in-word-197ba630-0f5f-4a8e-9a77-3712475e806a), [Navigation pane](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-navigation-pane-in-word-394787be-bca7-459b-894e-3f8511515e55), [Real-time co-authoring](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-word-documents-with-real-time-co-authoring-7dd3040c-3f30-4fdd-bab0-8586492a1f1d), [Save as PDF](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-or-convert-to-pdf-or-xps-in-office-desktop-apps-d85416c5-7d77-4fd6-a216-6f4bf7c7c110), [Compare documents (legal blackline)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/compare-document-differences-using-the-legal-blackline-option-dbfc7351-4022-43a2-a0c4-54d1898702a0), [Microsoft 365 plans](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products), [Word for the web](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/free-office-online-for-the-web), [Revise's AI review test](https://revise.io/blog/ai-document-review-tools-compared#copilot), [Copilot in Word](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/welcome-to-copilot-in-word-2135e85f-a467-463b-b2f0-c51a46d625d1), [Track Changes in Word for the web](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/can-i-use-track-changes-in-word-for-the-web), [Word options: General](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/word-options-general), [Print a document](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/Word/print-a-document-in-word), [Office for the web in OneDrive](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/using-office-for-the-web-in-onedrive), [Microsoft 365 mobile apps](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/microsoft-365-mobile-apps-0ffcba82-380f-43dd-ab96-dbac0894b542), [Removed Windows features (WordPad)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/removed-features), [Word for the web service description](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/office-online-service-description/word-online), [Similarity checking](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/check-your-document-for-similarity-to-online-sources), [Editing with Copilot and Track Changes (Microsoft 365 Copilot)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/copilot/transcript-for-copilot-with-word-with-screen-reader), [Copilot and document length](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/how-reference-and-document-lengths-affect-copilot-responses), [When you need a Microsoft 365 subscription](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/when-do-i-need-a-microsoft-365-subscription)
- Revise: [Pricing](https://revise.io/pricing), [Supported models](https://revise.io/articles/supported-ai-models), [Agent capabilities](https://revise.io/articles/agent-capabilities), [Word compatibility](https://revise.io/articles/docx-compatibility), [Import and export](https://revise.io/articles/import-export), [MCP server](https://revise.io/articles/mcp-server), [Suggesting mode](https://revise.io/articles/suggesting-mode), [AI usage limits](https://revise.io/articles/ai-usage-limits)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google Docs better than Microsoft Word?

It depends on the job. Google Docs is free, works mainly in the browser, and is built around Google Drive. Word works in .docx natively, has full desktop apps on Windows and Mac, and includes Copilot in Microsoft 365 Personal (and for the owner on Family). In most cases you should choose the one your collaborators already use.

### Can Google Docs open Word documents?

Yes. Google Docs can edit .docx files directly and save changes in the original Office format, or it can convert them to Google's format. Google says tracked changes from Microsoft Office files become suggestions in Docs, and Docs suggestions become tracked changes in Office files. Open the exported file in Word before you send it back to a Word user.

### Is Microsoft Word free?

Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account. The desktop apps and Copilot come with Microsoft 365, starting with Personal at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.

### Which has better AI, Google Docs or Word?

They present edits differently. In our single contract-review test, Copilot in Word changed text directly with a blue highlight and an undo button, while Gemini in Google Docs left comments under the user's name and made edits as suggestions. Copilot comes with Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month), and Gemini in Docs needs Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Workspace Business Standard.

### Which is cheaper, Google Docs or Word?

Both are free in a browser. Among individual plans with in-editor AI, Microsoft 365 Personal has the lower list price at $9.99 a month with usage-limited Copilot, compared with $19.99 a month for Google AI Pro. The two bundles include different products.

### Can I use Google Docs and Word together?

Yes. You can download a Google Doc as .docx to open it in Word, or upload a .docx to Google Docs. Google says Docs suggestions become tracked changes in the downloaded file, and tracked changes in an uploaded file become suggestions.