If we have to open a document on the smartphone, many would use the Office suite offered by Microsoft on all platforms without any problem, so as to have familiar programs with which to interact (Word, Excel and PowerPoint, just to name the most famous). To this we add that, even if with reduced functionality, the apps are offered for free to anyone with a Microsoft account available, so that they can be used always and on any occasion.
In reality there are many others Office apps available for Android and iPhone, which are just waiting to be downloaded and used (many of them for free and without the limits seen on Microsoft's apps). Let's find out in this guide the best alternative apps to Microsoft Office to be installed on Android devices and iPhones; if we really can't give up Office, at the end of the article we will show you the links to download the official apps of the Microsoft Office suite.
1) Google Docs
The office suite that we recommend trying on smartphones right away is Google Docs, available for free as separate apps, so we can choose whether to install all the components or just the app necessary for our purposes or our documents.
- Google documents (Android) (iOS)
- Google Sheets (Android) (iOS)
- Google Slides (Android) (iOS)
By installing one or all the recommended apps we will be able to manage any document created with Office (even docx, xlsx and pptx) from our smartphone, with the ability to always edit each file and save the changes on the same document or in a new file . Excellent integration with Google Drive, so you can have a copy of the documents created or modified with the apps even on the cloud and not lose any type of document and quickly access any files already saved in the Google cloud wherever we are.
2) WPS Office
An even more complete suite that we can use on smartphones to open any document is WPS Office, available for free download from here -> WPS Office (Android) e WPS Office (IOS).
With this suite we will be able to edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations made with Office on the PC and in addition we will be able to view and edit PDFs, so as to always have everything under control when we receive work documents via email or chat.
The free version allows you to view and edit with some limitations; to unlock all the features we will have to purchase the paid version.
3) Polaris Office
Another valid office suite that we can install on our smartphones is Polaris Office, available for free download from here -> Polaris Office (Android) e Polaris Office (IOS).
With this suite we will be able to open all documents created with Office, including PDFs (which we can both view and modify if necessary).
Among the prominent features of this app, certainly the support for a multitude of different clouds, so you can save your documents in a safe place and recover those already present on the main cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive etc.) .
4) OfficeSuite
Among the best office suites on smartphones they could not fail to report also OfficeSuite, available for free from here -> OfficeSuite (Android) e OfficeSuite (IOS).
This app is presented as one of the most accurate in terms of graphics, integrating perfectly with the style of the apps for Android and iOS, thus also showing itself fast in opening documents.
Like the other apps mentioned, it offers the possibility to open any type of office document and also offers a viewer and editor for PDFs, so that you always have full control over the important files received via company emails.
5) Office Documents Viewer (Android)
If we are looking for a simple document viewer (without the editing features), we can aim for a lightweight document reader such as Office Documents Viewer, available free for Android from here -> Office Documents Viewer.
This app is totally free (without limitations or packages to buy) and allows you to open any type of document that can be received via email or direct contact: .sxw, .docx, .doc, .xlsx, .pptx, PDF and the various documents created with OpenOffice and LibreOffice (OpeDocument Format).
Definitely the best solution for those looking only for a fast, practical and functional document reader.
6) Adobe Acrobat Reader (Android e iOS)
Are we looking for a simple document viewer that works on Android and iPhone?
We can download for free Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for Android and for iPhone.
This app allows you to open any PDF document, so you can view it without problems on the screen of our smartphone. In addition to documents, it can also manage multimedia files and connect the device's internal memory to a PC via USB or wirelessly, so as to quickly add new files.
7) Microsoft Office
If you really can't do without the original office suite, we can download it on our mobile device using the following links.
- Microsoft Word (Android) (iOS)
- Microsoft Excel (Android) (iOS)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (Android) (iOS)
By installing these apps we will get the maximum from the point of view of compatibility with all office documents, with the ability to modify them on the fly if necessary. Obviously the integration with OneDrive is excellent, so you can immediately view the documents saved in the Microsoft cloud without the need to download them locally; as cloud are also supported Drobpox and Box, but missing (strangely) Google Drive among the most famous ones. If you are not happy with the alternatives we have recommended, install one or all of the Microsoft Office apps and you will be on the safe side.
As seen, there are also specials app Word, Powerpoint e Excel per iPad
Best Office apps for Android and iPhone (besides MS Office)