Comparison

Microsoft Word vs Zoho Writer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Microsoft Word

Create, edit, and share documents on your mobile device. This powerful word processor offers templates, formatting tools, and collaborative features to help you write impactful text documents, resumes, and more. Your office moves with you, allowing for seamless editing and sharing from anywhere.

Highlights
  • Create and edit documents
  • Modern templates
  • Rich formatting and layout options
  • Reading view
  • Collaborate with comments
  • Version history
  • Simplified sharing
Read full description

Send, open and edit Office files from your mobile with the full power of Microsoft’s word-processing tools. Whether you're a writer, freelancer, student or project manager, Word moves with you. Enhance your writing with Copilot in Word when signed in with your Microsoft 365 subscription.* Draft, edit, collaborate, and share with confidence – anytime, anywhere. Create impactful blogs, proposals, CVs, branding materials and more. Customise every document with rich formatting options and professionally designed templates. Create Documents • Kick-start projects with templates for letters, CVs, scripts, proposals, invoices and more • Use robust formatting and layout tools to express ideas clearly • Maintain a polished look across all your devices Read, Write and Edit Anywhere • Edit long documents, letters and scripts on your device with familiar writing tools • Open attachments with the built in viewer • Convert PDFs to Word for quick editing Collaborate and Share • Leave comments directly next to relevant text • Work with others in real time and track layout or formatting changes • Use version history to view and restore previous drafts Simplified Sharing • Invite others to edit or view in just a few taps • Manage permissions and see who’s active in the document • Copy formatted content into emails or attach your files instantly AI Assistance with Copilot* • Draft CVs, polish proposals and organise ideas in seconds • Summarise, refine and format content instantly • Get intelligent suggestions to make your writing clear and compelling *Unlock the full Microsoft 365 experience with a qualifying subscription on phone, tablet, PC or Mac. Microsoft 365 subscriptions purchased in app will be charged to your App Store account and automatically renew unless auto renew is turned off 24 hours before the billing period ends. Manage your subscription in your App Store account settings. Subscriptions cannot be cancelled during the active period. This app may be provided by Microsoft or a third party publisher and is subject to its own privacy statement and terms. Data may be transferred to, stored and processed in the United States or other regions where Microsoft or its affiliates operate. EULA: http://aka.ms/eula

About

Zoho Writer

Create and edit documents with a clean, distraction-free interface. Collaborate with others in real-time, import and export various file formats, and access your work across all devices. Your changes are automatically saved and synced.

Highlights
  • Create and edit documents
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Import/export MS Word, PDF, ODT
  • Sync across devices
  • Offline access
  • Automatic saving
Features
Read full description

Simple, slick word processing app to create and edit documents, and collaborate on them with your friends. Sync docs across devices and access them wherever you go.   Writer is carefully designed to create a clean, blank paper-esque writing experience across your smartphone, tablet and computer. And it's free forever! Collaborate with your team - Join discussions, even when you're away from your desk. Add your thoughts to documents, reply to friends' comments, or just appreciate them by clicking "like."   Work with multiple formats - Import and edit your existing Microsoft Word documents. Take stories off your world by exporting it as an MS Word, PDF, ODT, HTML, or TXT file.   Get access to the full-blown web version - One of the best advantages of using Writer is that it features a powerful word processor on the web. It's incredibly easy to jot down notes on the move, and continue working on it on the web when you're back to your desk. Create beautiful looking documents - Format your documents. Add images, tables, and more. Work offline - Apart from a "Make available offline" option, 20 of your most recent documents will available offline by default too!   Forget saving documents - Forget clicking save, and manual back up. Your changes are saved and synced across all your devices as you make them. What's stopping you now? Get started. Write away!

Screenshots

Microsoft Word4 screens
Zoho Writer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Microsoft Word at 4.7 against Zoho Writer's 2.9. Microsoft Word also leads on ratings volume (3M vs 136) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Zoho Writer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Microsoft Word sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Zoho Writer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Microsoft Word holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Word has 3M ratings behind it against 136, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Microsoft Word's written reviews are positive against 30% of Zoho Writer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Microsoft Word ships an update weekly, Zoho Writer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Microsoft Word versus Zoho Writer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicrosoft WordZoho Writer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3M ratings) — better2.9 (136 ratings)
Positive reviews37.0% of reviews — better29.8% of reviews
Number of ratings3M — better136
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#14 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size527 MB132 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationZoho Corporation

Customer experience

Microsoft Word

All ratings2,983,486 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews4,798 reviews
Positive37.0%
Neutral7.0%
Negative56.0%

Zoho Writer

All ratings136 ratings
Positive40.4%
Neutral14.0%
Negative45.6%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive29.8%
Neutral13.2%
Negative57.0%

User reviews

Microsoft Word

From 3M App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Zoho Writer

From 136 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface design
  • 🔒 Privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs
  • 📝 Good font variety and formatting options
  • 💾 Automatic document saving
  • 🌐 Cross-platform functionality (desktop, mobile, web)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
  • ⚠️ Severe data loss issues
  • 🐢 Significant lag and slow typing response
  • ❌ Missing core formatting features on mobile
  • 🔐 Permission and access errors

Bugs and requests

Microsoft Word

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Zoho Writer

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • App crashes on document open
  • Cursor jumps randomly in document
  • Keyboard disappears during typing
  • Punctuation disappears after saving
  • Text erased or goes missing
Show 18 more
  • Undo function behaves erratically
  • Diacritics cause app crashes and data loss
  • Apple Pencil input causes immediate crashes
  • Documents fail to load with permission errors
  • Data migration errors on new accounts
  • Offline mode loses documents on sync
  • Lag increases with document size
  • Copy-paste corrupts text formatting
  • App freezes on tutorial screen
  • Documents deleted after app update
  • Sync fails to reflect web version changes
  • Microphone input text disappears
  • App locks up during formatting operations
  • Blank page display in read mode
  • Random extra spaces between words
  • Cursor placement in middle of words
  • Update failure notifications
  • App crashes when using WorkDrive integration

Requested features

18 requests
  • Dark mode for mobile app
  • Text wrapping around images
  • Adjustable image sizing
  • Cover page and page formatting options
  • Document list view (not just icon view)
Show 13 more
  • Search within document contents
  • Ability to save to specific folders
  • Multi-select for batch operations
  • Select all functionality
  • Landscape view support
  • Split-screen iPad support
  • Cloud import from Dropbox/OneDrive
  • Track changes feature
  • Outline navigation on mobile
  • Font size customization
  • Margin adjustment controls
  • Document templates
  • Alphabetical document sorting

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Microsoft Word

Subscriptions12
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Office 365 Personal1 Month trial$6.991 Month
  • Office 365 Home1 Month trial$9.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Personal Student1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial$12.991 Month
  • Microsoft 365 Premium Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Microsoft Copilot Pro$20.001 Month
  • Office 365 Personal$69.991 Year
  • Office 365 Home$99.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Personal1 Month trial$99.991 Year
  • Microsoft 365 Family1 Month trial$129.991 Year
None

Zoho Writer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Microsoft Word free?
Microsoft Word is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zoho Writer free?
Zoho Writer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Microsoft Word or Zoho Writer?
Microsoft Word is rated higher. Microsoft Word averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3M ratings, while Zoho Writer averages 2.9 from 136 ratings.
Do Microsoft Word or Zoho Writer have ads?
Neither Microsoft Word nor Zoho Writer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Microsoft Word or Zoho Writer?
Microsoft Word ships an update weekly, and Zoho Writer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Microsoft Word was updated on September 24, 2026 and Zoho Writer on September 7, 2026.

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