FR Create an account Create my account My documents
Sign in I have a code Create an account Create my account My documents

Word vs Google Docs, and a third way

Word is the format everyone exchanges; Google Docs is where people write together. Both are free online. Here is what each does better, and Paginel when you need both: real .docx files, written together.

Create an account Create my account My documents See the table

A single .docx file, opened by each tool: each has its cursor in it.

In short Which one should you choose?

Choose Word

if your documents go to clients, lawyers or public bodies as .docx, with track changes, tables and demanding layout.

Choose Google Docs

if you mostly write together, in the browser, and the final file matters less than the shared work.

Choose Paginel

if you want both: .docx files that stay .docx, co-edited with outsiders, and offline on your desktop. Without tables or track changes for now.

In detail What really changes

What Word does better

  • Fidelity: .docx is its format; what you see is what your recipient gets.
  • Depth: complex tables, track changes, tables of contents, mail merge, equations, styles.
  • The desktop: Word desktop works offline, on Windows and macOS.

What Google Docs does better

  • Writing together: simple, fast, proven for years.
  • Price: free with a Google account, with Sheets and Slides.
  • Sharing: a link is enough, even for someone without an account.

What they share: two US companies

Microsoft and Google keep their European customers’ data in Europe for part of their offers, but remain subject to US law (CLOUD Act). On 10 June 2025, under oath before a French Senate inquiry, Microsoft France’s director of public and legal affairs said he could not guarantee that French citizens’ data would never be handed to US authorities without France’s consent. See a sovereign Google Docs and a European Word.

The third way: Paginel

Paginel starts from the Word file and adds writing together. Open a .docx, invite with a code or a link, everyone sees the others’ cursors, and the file stays a .docx. The desktop app works without a network and merges everything when you reconnect. Three views of the same document: Markdown to write fast, Edit to polish, PDF to check the pages. French company, hosted in France.

Honestly What Paginel does not do (yet)

  • Paginel is in beta, open to everyone and free. It is a young product.
  • Tables cannot be edited yet: tables in a .docx show as plain lines (cells separated by tabs), on screen and in the PDF. Saving into the original file keeps them intact. A document full of tables is not for Paginel yet.
  • No track changes and no suggestion mode. Comments exist in Paginel, but are not yet written into the .docx.
  • Without Microsoft’s fonts, Paginel uses free fonts with the same metrics (Calibri becomes Carlito, Arial becomes Liberation Sans), unless the document embeds its own: the layout is close to Word, not guaranteed identical.
  • Desktop app for macOS (Apple silicon) and Linux; Windows is planned, with no date. On phones and tablets: the browser only.
  • No built-in AI assistant: you connect your own agent (MCP, API), from the provider you choose.
  • A word processor, nothing else: no spreadsheet, no slides, no email.

The table Word, Google Docs and Paginel

Word, Google Docs and Paginel
Microsoft Word Google Docs Paginel
Price Word for the web free with a Microsoft account; Microsoft 365 Personal €99 a year in France; Office 2024, €149 once. Free with a Google account; Workspace from €6.80 per user per month (excl. VAT). Free during the beta. Planned: a free plan, and €20 a year (VAT incl.) for unlimited use.
.docx files Yes The native format. Partly Opened and edited without conversion; Docs itself flags the Word features it does not support. Yes Read and written by Paginel itself; what it does not change stays as it was in the file.
Page layout Yes (lead) The reference. Partly Approximate: Docs has its own layout. Partly Close to Word; free fonts with the same metrics.
Tables Yes Complete. Yes No Not editable yet.
Track changes Yes Yes Suggestion mode. No Not yet.
Real-time co-editing Partly File on OneDrive or SharePoint, with AutoSave on. Yes The heart of the product, since 2006. Yes Browser and desktop app, on the same document.
Offline Yes Word desktop, on files on your computer. Partly Extension for Chrome or Edge, one account per profile; admins can turn it off. Yes Desktop app; changes merge automatically on reconnection, no conflicts to resolve.
Guests without an account Partly OneDrive “Anyone” link: editing in the browser without signing in (shown as “Guest”); in organisations, admins can forbid it. Partly “Anyone with the link” editing without an account (“anonymous animal”); visitors with a PIN in Workspace. Yes (lead) Code or link, for a time you choose; guests enter their name, no account.
Computers Partly Windows and macOS; on Linux, the browser only. Partly Browser only (Windows, macOS, Linux). Partly macOS (Apple silicon) and Linux; Windows planned.
AI Yes Copilot, included in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family (with usage limits); a paid add-on for businesses. Yes Gemini, in Docs with Workspace Business Standard and above. Partly Your own agents (MCP, API), in the sections you give them; no built-in assistant.
Where your data lives Microsoft (United States): European data stays in the EU (EU Data Boundary), but is subject to US law (CLOUD Act). Google (United States): European data regions on some Workspace plans, but subject to US law (CLOUD Act). French company, hosted in France.

Yes : the highlighted word marks the lead on that point.

. Our rule: say when another tool will suit you better, and what Paginel does not do yet. Spotted a mistake? Write to us and we will fix it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Docs compatible with Word?

Largely: Docs opens and edits .docx files without converting them, and flags the Word features it does not support. A complex document may look different.

Word or Google Docs for teamwork?

Google Docs is the simplest. Word co-edits too, provided the file is on OneDrive or SharePoint. Paginel co-edits .docx files, from the desktop app too, with guests who join with a code.

Which one works offline?

Word desktop, on files on your computer. Google Docs, in Chrome or Edge with an extension. Paginel, with its desktop app (macOS, Linux), shared documents included.

Which one is free?

Google Docs and Word for the web, with an account. Paginel is free during the beta; afterwards, a free plan and a €20 yearly licence are planned.

Try Paginel

The beta is open and free: create your account in a minute.

Create an account Create my account My documents See pricing

Other comparisons

Sources

Prices and features of other products checked on the date above, on their official pages. They change often: check before you decide.