Comparison

Google Docs vs Polaris Viewer

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

Head to head
About

Google Docs

Create, edit, and collaborate on documents online in real time. Work together seamlessly with your team, even offline, and access a variety of file types. AI-powered features can help draft and refine content.

Highlights
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Offline editing
  • Template library
  • Multiple file type support
  • AI-powered drafting
  • Commenting and action items
Read full description

Create, edit, and collaborate on online documents with the Google Docs app. Work together in real time • Share documents with your team • Edit, comment, and add action items in real time Create anywhere, anytime—even offline • Capture spontaneous ideas on the fly • Get things done, even on the go, with offline mode • Save time and add polish with easy-to-use templates Edit and share multiple file types • Open a variety of files, including Microsoft Word files, right in Google Docs • Frictionless collaboration, no matter which application your teammates use • Convert and export files seamlessly Google Docs is part of Google Workspace: where teams of any size can chat, create, and collaborate. Google Workspace paid subscribers have access to additional Google Docs features, including: Use Gemini in Docs to quickly draft and edit content • Draft outlines, blog posts, briefs, and more on the go • Improve your writing with AI-powered suggestions Learn more about Google Docs: https://workspace.google.com/products/docs/ Follow us for more: • X: https://x.com/googleworkspace • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/googleworkspace • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/googleworkspace

About

Polaris Viewer

This app offers a mobile-optimized experience for viewing various document types, including Microsoft Office files, PDFs, and TXT. It provides smart document management features and supports cloud integration for easy access to your files.

Highlights
  • Mobile optimized document viewer
  • Supports Microsoft Office, PDF, TXT, Zip, CSV
  • Cloud storage integration (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
  • Smart document management
  • App lock with fingerprint, face, or password
  • Night mode and paper texture background options
Read full description

Polaris Office, selected by 100 million users across the world, provides mobile optimized document viewer at the requests of numerous users. Using compact and stable Polaris Office Viewer which takes some edit functions out and strengthens view function, quickly and easily manage all the document files such as Microsoft Office, TXT, Zip file, as well as Adobe PDF! ■ Supporting Languages ■ • English, Korean, Japanese, German, Russian, Indonesian, Brazilian Portuguese ■ Supported formats ■ • (NEW) Now we support CSV format. • Microsoft Word : DOC, DOCX • Microsoft Excel : XLS, XLSX • Microsoft Powerpoint : PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX • Other documents and files : PDF, TXT, ODT, Zip ■ Main functions ■ Mobile optimized document viewer : Supporting must-have functions to easily view the documents in Mobile. • Landscape mode / Portrait mode / Multi window mode • View per page, View in a row • Able to dim the screen and choose background (Providing Night mode and Paper texture) • Supporting text copy function in document Smart document managing : Supporting the functions for managing various documents more efficiently. • Able to check all the documents in My device storage & other cloud service (Supporting iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, WebDAV, FTP) • Able to manage main documents separately through bookmark settings. • Support various sorting methods. (Name order / Date order / Size order etc) • Support view function per document format. • Able to search document you need through search function. • Able to use App lock function (via fingerprint, face, password) ■ Note ■ • Homepage : Polarisoffice.com • Facebook : facebook.com/polarisoffice • Youtube : youtube.com/user/infrawareinc • Inquiry : support@polarisoffice.com • Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy : www.polarisoffice.com/privacy

Screenshots

Google Docs4 screens
Polaris Viewer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Google Docs at none against Polaris Viewer's shown. Google Docs also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (3.2M vs 74). Polaris Viewer's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Google Docs sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $199.99 per year and Polaris Viewer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Google Docs holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google Docs has 3.2M ratings behind it against 74, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Google Docs's written reviews are positive against 56% of Polaris Viewer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Docs ships an update weekly, Polaris Viewer every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Google Docs versus Polaris Viewer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle DocsPolaris Viewer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.2M ratings) — better4.6 (74 ratings)
Positive reviews69.8% of reviews — better56.4% of reviews
Number of ratings3.2M — better74
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#9 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size348 MB177 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGooglePolaris Office Corp.

Customer experience

Google Docs

All ratings3,243,575 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews3,469 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative24.3%

Polaris Viewer

All ratings74 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral5.4%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive56.4%
Neutral10.9%
Negative32.7%

Bugs and requests

Google Docs

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unexpected crashes and document loss
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Issues with image insertion and manipulation

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved document organization with folders
  • Expanded font and formatting options
  • Better integration with Microsoft Office
  • Smoother scrolling and navigation

Polaris Viewer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Google Docs

Subscriptions1
  • Google AI Pro (5 TB)$199.991 Year
1 purchases

Polaris Viewer

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$10.99

Questions

Is Google Docs free?
Google Docs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Polaris Viewer free?
Polaris Viewer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Google Docs or Polaris Viewer?
Google Docs is rated higher. Google Docs averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.2M ratings, while Polaris Viewer averages 4.6 from 74 ratings.
Do Google Docs or Polaris Viewer have ads?
Polaris Viewer shows ads; Google Docs does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Docs or Polaris Viewer?
Google Docs ships an update weekly, and Polaris Viewer every 3 months. Most recently, Google Docs was updated on September 24, 2026 and Polaris Viewer on September 22, 2026.

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