3 Alternatives To Google Docs

You know we love collaboration and you know we like working where it’s easiest, so naturally we’re huge fans of Google Docs. We have talked about our virtual office before and our Google Docs are a big part of that. As great and as feature rich as Google Docs is, it is always good to be aware of some alternatives out there. Maybe you don’ t like the recent redesign? Who knows, either way, whether it be for collaboration on a school project, work assignment, or just maintaining security with a copy in the cloud, these 3 other collaborative document editors can each offer you something a little different that you may just like.

1. Zoho: we just talked about Zoho on our social media vocabulary day and demoing it was actually pretty impressive. Zoho has a bunch of similar features to Google Docs, but also has a ton of other business collaboration tools like an email system, file storage application, and even a  CRM application. A free account will get you a lot of this and reasonable monthly costs get you the full featured suite.
2. Microsoft Office Live: Microsoft actually provides a pretty good experience for accessing, editing, and sharing documents. In recent years they have pushed their web applications to be better in response to Google Docs and with the latest version of Office, have built in cloud capabilities and integration with the web editor. If you are really familiar with Word, PowerPoint, and the rest, you might try Microsoft’s solution, it has a ton of potential and a few features that are missing from Google Docs.
3. Buzzword: Normally flash based programs can kind of be a pain, but Adobe’s Buzzword is a really good collaboration suite. Of the three, it is easily the most visually appealing. It has a simple interface and is easy to use. While it doesn’t offer quite the features that Zoho and Office Live do, it does have enough to do what you need with your documents. With Buzzword, the emphasis is on the applications ability to track changes and versions which is does very well.

Depending on just what you’re doing or your personal preferences for features and style…or if you are scared Google may be taking over the world, one of these other collaboration tools may be just right for you. Give them a try, only Buzzword is paid and they offer a free trial anyway. Good luck with your own virtual office!