# Microsoft Word vs AO Office

The clearest difference is ads: Microsoft Word at none against AO Office's shown. Microsoft Word also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (3M vs 1.5K). AO Office's advantage is iOS requirement (13 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Microsoft Word sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and AO Office sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Microsoft Word holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Word has 3M ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of Microsoft Word's written reviews are positive against 39% of AO Office's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Microsoft Word ships an update weekly, AO Office every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Microsoft Word | AO Office |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-word/id586447913/reviews)** | [4.3 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ao-office/id1177936371/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3M** | 1.5K |
| Positive reviews | 36.9% of reviews | **39.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | — |
| Size | 535 MB | 240 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Microsoft Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/298856275) | [Akikazu Yoshikawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1097657423) |

## What reviewers say

### Microsoft Word

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microsoft-word/id586447913)

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Free · Productivity, #15 Top Grossing · Productivity, #87 Top Free, #192 Top Grossing (US App Store)

Create, edit, and share documents with powerful word-processing tools. Enhance your writing with AI assistance, collaborate in real-time, and access your files anywhere. Offers templates and formatting options for various document types.

**Highlights:** Create and edit documents, AI writing assistance (Copilot), Real-time collaboration, Document templates, PDF to Word conversion, Version history

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Office 365 Personal | $6.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Home | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $9.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $12.99 | per month |
| Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Office 365 Personal | $69.99 | per year |
| Office 365 Home | $99.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Personal | $99.99 | per year |
| Microsoft 365 Family | $129.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless sync between devices
- 📝 Great for writing and editing
- 🔒 Secure document storage
- 💡 Helpful for school and work

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and data loss
- ⏱️ Laggy and slow performance
- 💰 Expensive subscription required
- 🤔 Limited functionality compared to desktop

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent saving and syncing between devices
- Cursor positioning issues when editing text
- Formatting problems when importing documents
- Unreliable text selection and highlighting

**Requested features**

- Improved mouse/trackpad support
- Built-in citation and bibliography tools
- More customization options for formatting
- Ability to edit documents offline


### AO Office

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ao-office/id1177936371)

This app provides a comprehensive office suite for mobile devices, allowing users to view, edit, import, and export a wide range of document types. It includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and equation editing capabilities, mirroring the functionality of desktop office software.

**Highlights:** View, edit, import, and export documents, Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tools, PDF export and import, Support for extensive file formats, Cloud storage integration, Recover unsaved work

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional Version | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Microsoft Word free?

Microsoft Word is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is AO Office free?

AO Office is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Microsoft Word or AO Office?

Microsoft Word is rated higher. Microsoft Word averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3M ratings, while AO Office averages 4.3 from 1.5K ratings.

### Do Microsoft Word or AO Office have ads?

AO Office shows ads; Microsoft Word does not.

### Which is updated more often, Microsoft Word or AO Office?

Microsoft Word ships an update weekly, and AO Office every 5 weeks. Most recently, Microsoft Word was updated on November 4, 2026 and AO Office on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*