As a user, purchasing Word is not always worthwhile. Behind the Microsoft giant are costs and functions that are sometimes not needed at all. Of course, this opens up the question of alternative software. We have selected 5 free text editing programs for you and will present you the advantages and disadvantages in detail and in the form of a tabular comparison .
LibreOffice
LibreOffice belongs to the OpenOffice family, but has recently been further developed and updated compared to OpenOffice. The updates can express themselves here as both an advantage and a disadvantage. In addition to the improvements and bug fixes, sometimes immature functions are built in, which can mean that you have to install a new update more frequently. The interface is similar to older Word versions from times when there was no ribbon. LibreOffice proves to be a real Word alternative, as many Word shortcuts also work here. And not only that, old Word documents can also be opened, edited and saved with it. This also makes LibreOffice a more suitable alternative than OpenOffice.In OpenOffice, Word documents can only be opened and not saved.
FreeOffice TextMaker
"Microsoft Word" from Germany: that is FreeOffice TextMaker. The software for word processing belongs to the free office package "FreeOffice" and is an older generation of the OfficeSuite from the German software manufacturer Softmaker. In addition to the more up-to-date, but chargeable offer, all you have to do is enter an email address for the free version. A big plus point of the TextMaker program is its compatibility. Documents from older versions of Microsoft Word can be opened problem-free and loss-free. A spell check is also implemented. When saving the documents, you can choose between the Microsoft Office file formats or your own FreeOffice TextMaker formats. The files can also be exported as PDF or EPUB..
With the menu view you have the choice between a classic menu structure with toolbars or - similar to the Word look - the ribbon view. 
AbiWord
AbiWord also supports opening, further processing and saving of Word documents. However, display errors sometimes occur here, so that even documents with a simple text structure are displayed shifted. With only 20 megabytes, AbiWord takes up very little space on your hard drive. You can use various plug-ins to expand the functionality of the software during installation. However, AbiWord does not offer the option of exporting documents as PDF. The latest version of the word processing software is only available for Linux. In older versions, however, also for other operating systems.
WriteMonkey
The program WriteMonkey offers you word processing without distraction. In full-screen mode, your view is not disturbed by additional menu ribbons or icons. Like a simple white sheet of paper, you can let your creativity run free. With a right click you can call up the menu, hide certain sections of text or jump to paragraphs. In addition, WriteMonkey has a built-in timer and a word completion function, which should make working even more efficient. With the help of the timer you can, for example, set a fixed time frame to work on your text in a focused manner. WriteMonkey does not need to be installed, which makes it easy to use on multiple devices. To open WriteMonkey, simply download the folder with application files and open the WriteMonkey.exe file. The texts that you write in WriteMonkey can be saved as txt or Word files. However, it is not possible to open Word documents..
Google Docs
It doesn't always have to be a program, as Google Docs shows. The web app also gives you the option of opening or writing text documents. To be able to use Google Docs, you only need a Google account. The Google Docs documents can also be used offline. Although the web application does not offer as much functionality as Microsoft Word, it runs independently of the operating system because it is opened in the browser. The app for tablet or smartphone is also user-friendly. So that you can continue working on your texts on different devices, your files are saved in the cloud and automatically synchronized.
Overview of the Word alternatives