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About Google Docs

Web-based platform designed to store, create and edit spreadsheets, use templates, create charts, comment on documents, and more.

Learn more about Google Docs

Pros:

This is a ubiquitous tool to create and share secure and free documents. It provides most of the prominent features of MS Office365 without the subscription fee.

Cons:

When my internet is bad, it get stuck and I can’t type anymore. When you live in the mountains thats frustrated sometimes.

Google Docs ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.7
Customer Service
4.3
Features
4.5
Value for Money
4.8

Likelihood to recommend

9.2/10

Google Docs has an overall rating of 4.7 out 5 stars based on 28,208 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (28,208)

Nadir
Nadir
MBA Career Management in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Higher Education, 10,000+ Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Best Free Web-Based Document Editor

5.0 last year

Comments: Overall, I love using Google Docs. I have moved most of my day-to-day collaborative tasks to Google Docs. Once the product is in the final version, I usually move it to MS Word for finer editing and presentation, but all the work on content is done in Google Docs.

Pros:

The interface is very intuitive, if you have used a word processor like Word before, you will find most things where you expect them to be. The system runs inside a browser and can function fully without any plugins, so it is almost entirely platform agnostic. Nothing changes from Mac to PC to Linux. Very easy to collaborate in real-time, editing together, making comments, adding people to make suggestions, assigning tasks. All of these are very simple to do. Integrates seamlessly with Google Drive and other Google products to make it easy to use/share.

Cons:

The app interface for mobile is not as intuitive. Compatibility with MS Word formats is hit or miss. Offline editing requires a plugin and is somewhat limited.

Shane
Owner in US
E-Learning, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Google Docs - Great word processing tool

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: Google Docs is my word processing tool of choice. The ability to integrate with other Google tools and to share easily make it my clear number one choice.

Pros:

Google Docs is an easy-to-use word processing program. It has all of the needed elements to create and share a document of any size. It integrates seamlessly with other Google products. Sharing is an easy task that can be done for others to view or to collaborate.

Cons:

The downside of using Google Docs is that it operates the majority of the time in the cloud, so no internet access can be detrimental.

Robert
Website Administrator in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 1,001–5,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Budget Alternative

4.0 last month New

Comments: Use it to convert PDF to MS WORD Documents for fast editing when away from office and do not have access to ADOBE. Less expensive to give every member of the Executive board ADOBE full program.

Pros:

Easily convert from one format to another for fast editing. Use it in place of ADOBE for staff located away from office.

Cons:

It is not that intuitive and takes some time to navigate tools.

K
Producer in US
Entertainment, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

One solution among many

3.0 10 months ago

Comments: We use it share creative files back and forth across the country, when better applications aren’t available for whatever reason. One of makes changes to a file, uploads it to Google docs, and the next user down the line can access it for further augmentation. For those purposes, it’s fine, but not the best option out there.

Pros:

It works as expected, and is going to be compatible on most modern devices, whether mobile, or in the studio (or office).

Cons:

It’s owned and operated by Google. This is just not a company I’d trust with personal information or documents. The nature of our work doesn’t really share such things with Google though. So, I think we’re safe.

Morgan
Chief of Staff in US
Health, Wellness & Fitness, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

An Essential Software

5.0 3 months ago

Pros:

Google Docs is my favorite. I use it everyday in some capacity--whether it is taking notes, collaborating with my team on a project, tagging outside organizations into a document, creating various informational sheets, etc. It works very well for our industry.

Cons:

My only true complaint I have is the formatting when printing. If this could be fixed to work more similar to Microsoft Word, then I would have zero complaints.

Advaldo
Director in UK
Automotive, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Google Docs

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: Google Docs is a free document management app with all the features that I could find in paid apps. It works well, I can export as PDFs or other extensions I need.

Pros:

The most I like at Google Docs is that it is a web app and does not need to be installed as software. Document management is made with Google Drive, which makes all the documents available from any device. Another great feature is the sharing, it can be easily shared with viewer or edit permissions, and more people can work on the same document.

Cons:

In my opinion, there are no cons to using Google Docs.

Jon
Consultant in US
Marketing & Advertising, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Not a panacea, but very useful

4.0 4 months ago

Comments: Have used for group projects as well as solo projects, from single page quick docs to year-long projects

Pros:

Easily accessed. Quick to start if using basic features.

Cons:

Confusing feature set. Surprisingly buggy for a Google product.

Jodi
CEO in US
Individual & Family Services, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Excellent use for free software

4.0 2 months ago

Comments: it works and suits the need it solves for well

Pros:

its universally used and its easy to send and pdf files for view.

Cons:

there are very few templates to choose form online

Charlie
Director in UK
Financial Services, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great document collaboration tool

5.0 3 weeks ago New

Pros:

Incredibly easy to collaborate on document creation with other members of our team. The tagging feature is also great, and adds to the collaborate nature of the product. The signature creation field and auto-send is also fantastic.

Cons:

Sometimes it's a little tricky to find and search for past docs that have been made.

Will
sales in Australia
Real Estate, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1-5 months
Reviewer Source

Google Docs is a game changer

5.0 last month New

Comments: I will continue to use google docs and it integrates amazing with the other google software

Pros:

sharing documents with colleague's and clients has never been easier

Cons:

coming from word it has taken some time to adjust but once you are used to the interface its a breeze

Samantha
Independent contractor in US
Hospital & Health Care, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Life saving Google docs

5.0 last year

Comments: I recommend Google docs to anyone that has any kind of files folders or documents of any kind and is on a budget because it's very inexpensive and compared to other doc event managers is definitely something I would recommend using

Pros:

Makes my life so much easier as far as customizable templates template generators the surge helps me find my files and my docs more efficiently and effectively and saves time other than have to do it manually one by one so it's definitely something I would recommend doing if you have an organized files and folders or docs and have a hard time finding them I would definitely use Google docs search options

Cons:

I didn't really find anything not to like it's very inexpensive so it's definitely also budget friendly

Sarah
Director of Operations HR in US
Medical Practice, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great for Team Collaboration and File Sharing

5.0 last year

Comments: Google Docs is easy to use, update, and share. Most of our policies and procedures have been converted to Google Docs to allow added efficiencies in how we communicate with our team.

Pros:

Google Docs is an easy way for our team to keep policies and protocols up to date and easy to share. Having the ability to share with specific team members is huge and allows team members to edit, change, and suggest add-ons.

Cons:

I would like to also have the ability to password-protect the document just as an added security.

Jorge
Operations Associate in Panama
Financial Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Document generation and collaboration made seamless

5.0 last year

Comments: Google Docs is a go to for work and document generation. The ability to seamlessly collaborate with anyone in the organization or third parties is crucial to my job. Its integration with other Google Drive software like Sheets or Slides is excellent too.

Pros:

Google Docs is a very easy-to-use software. Integrated directly into Google Drive you can easily create and organize your documents. The ability to collaborate in real-time is exceptional and truly boosts productivity in group settings. Sharing documents and managing access is very simple and straight forward.

Cons:

Personally I am not a fan of the home screen where Google suggests which documents you are more likely to access. I prefer the default "My Drive" layout where it presents my documents exactly as I have organized them. No other complaints about this excellent tool.

Melanie
Digital Marketing Manager in Canada
Marketing & Advertising, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

A bonus within the Drive Implementation

5.0 last year

Comments: We moved our storage to Google Drive, and didn't even plan on utilizing Docs and Sheets that much. But they've completely replaced Microsoft Word and Excel internally. We use it internally for WIP, collaboration content and just about everything. It was incredible to use when we shifted to a work from home style of working and we've all kept it going since returning to the office.

Pros:

I love the ability to share and collaborate in real time within the document with our team. The ease of sharing a document within our Drive team, as well as clients that aren't using Drive is an incredible resource that our whole agency utilizes.

Cons:

I'm struggling to find a downside about Google Docs. We love it internally and have never run into an issue sharing the files externally.

Zoe
Data Analyst in UK
Utilities, 5,001–10,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great for collaberation

5.0 last year

Pros:

I love Google Docs for the collaboration options you get with it that you would not get with other notes based applications. I particularly like the comment and annotation options, and how easy it is to share documents. I also find Google Docs relatively user friendly with a good user interface.

Cons:

Some tools in Google Docs could be a bit more straight forward. For example, I would prefer for the word count to always be at the bottom of the screen.

Aveek
Aveek
Legal Content Writer in India
Verified LinkedIn User
Writing & Editing, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Google Docs is the best and the most highly compatible cloud based word processor

5.0 9 months ago

Pros:

The best thing is that it has high compatibility and supports almost any device, may it be high-end or low-end. Secondly, Google Docs has many collaborative features such as inviting other people to edit the document and also can put restrictions on edit. Many software like Grammarly and Google Drive. Thirdly the docs has some other interesting features like opening through Google Meetand also showing the number of users currently viewing or editing the documents, keeping their identities hidden. It can be shared through multiple ways like mail, link, etc and also has an option of downloading a .doc format for offline saving. Other than that it has got almost every feature a normal word processor should have.

Cons:

The Google Docs should launch a dedicated application for windows and mac because as of now it is totally cloud and network-based and people may not have proper network connectivity all the time. Because of network lags people may also lose their work as the changes may not get properly saved due to network lag. Furthermore the fonts styles maybe expanded and the background customization can be increased.

Nikita
Nikita
Marketing Manager CRM in Germany
Verified LinkedIn User
Machinery, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Great Notepad for Everyone to Use

4.0 5 months ago

Pros:

Best platform to manager documents and have them coedited across teams, organizations. Flexible and understandable UI on top of easy online editing. Almost every user has years of experience or familiarity with the tool. Easily extends filemanagement via apps on other devices and even phones. A lot of integrations available with existing CRMs and other tools.

Cons:

Sometimes copies can become annoying and get to be created mistakenly or due to sharing complexity. The tool works only online. Some utilities are done in an interesting manner which is not straighworfard.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Writing & Editing, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

My go to web application

5.0 8 months ago

Pros:

Google Docs is my go to Web application. I write all of my files and my notes in Google Docs. What I like most about this application is that it is easier for me to access my files or documents even when I am not connected into a Wi-Fi because it allows me to download my files offline.

Cons:

I like least about the Google Docs is, I can’t seem to figure out how to customize certain elements. However , I can easily find instructions on how to change the entire page's layout but I am having a hard time when it comes to to smaller details like headers or footers.

Karin
Karin
Executive Director in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Entertainment, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Google Docs is the gold standard of team document creation

5.0 7 months ago

Pros:

Producing plays requires a huge amount of team work. Collaborating on cast lists, costume inventories, prop plots, set designs and more are made far easier using Google docs. It's so easy to have all parties able to work on the same document, seamlessly, adding comments, tracking versions and seeing who commented what using tags

Cons:

Offline editing gets a little tricky for those with multiple accounts but overall it's great

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Leisure, Travel & Tourism, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Favourite word editor .

5.0 7 months ago

Pros:

In-class collaboration between users is Google docs strongest point ,and it is what I like most about it. This has proven beneficial to my team , as we rely on it for multi - user collaboration when creating documents for my team or department. Having multiple users being able to work together on documentations makes us more efficient and productive.

Cons:

Whenever I have imported word documents created with third party tools into Google docs, the formatting properties of such documents get distorted, leaving me spending extra time to reformat the file.

Maria Teresa
Freelance Content Writer in Philippines
Writing & Editing, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Google Docs: A Universal Document Processor World Wide

5.0 last year

Comments: My overall experience with Google Docs is Great. I use it for more than five years. Until now, I am still a fan of it.

Pros:

What I like most Google Docs is its simplicity without compromizing advanced features.

Cons:

The only cons I find is you often need an internet to use it.

Shola
Shola
Academic writing in Nigeria
Verified LinkedIn User
Writing & Editing, 501–1,000 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Google Doc Review

5.0 12 months ago

Comments: My overall experience with google doc is awesome, I will recommend google doc if you want to keep good records of your documents.

Pros:

I like the fact that I can write new documents like projects, letters and proposals using already generated templates. It makes my work so easy.

Cons:

It sometimes requires that I have a functional internet connection.

Patrick
Technology Coordinator in US
Information Technology & Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Good Product, Broken Promises

4.0 last year

Pros:

It is my go to document editor for quickly capturing ideas or data. It is convenient, easy to use, and readily available in my browser. The clean interface and easy-to-navigate menu keeps me coming back. It has not be "overdeveloped" and I think that is part of it's success. It is simple.

Cons:

Many users took advantage of Google's unlimited storage for Google Photos. Google later backtracked, and said those photos would now count against your total Google Drive storage. By making these photos count against users' overall storage, Google essentially ensured many users would suddenly be out of storage space in Google Drive -- the place where your Google Docs files live. This means users either had to delete files or pay for a premium subscription in order to gain more storage space. This was a very anti-consumer move, in my opinion. I mention this because all storage across Google Services (Gmail, Docs, Photos, Sheets, etc) is pooled together and counts against your total storage in Google Drive. Unless you choose to pay a premium subscription, you will likely need more storage than that provided by Google for free. For those reasons, I recommend Google Docs only as a tool for quickly taking notes, creating a draft document, or brainstorming ideas. It is likely best to move the final copy to a more permanent storage repository that you own, as storage in Google Drive gets eaten up fast, and the terms are subject to change, as we've seen with Google Photos. However, it is a great tool for simple collaboration. You can share and edit documents in the cloud, which is great for brainstorming and creating drafts. Google Docs offered these collaborative features before many competitors. Now it is a common feature across similar products, but Google should get credit for offering consumers a free service that included theses features first.

Karter
Karter
Owner of Blipdys Home in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Computer Games, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Google docs - A must use word editing software

4.0 last year

Comments: I have used google docs for so long and thing I've realized is how much I rely on google docs to turn anything I write to fancy wonders.

Pros:

Genuinely I have used google docs for so long but it doesn't get old... I have created so much using google docs and I think it will always be my favourite text editor.

Cons:

Sometimes I feel lost in the vast expanse of docs yet I still use it. For the slight inconvenience there's still no better option than google docs.

Sujan
Sales officer in Bangladesh
Computer Hardware, Self Employed
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Best working tool

5.0 4 months ago

Comments: I use it last 4 years and never find any kind of problem always it helped me more on my work place.

Pros:

Google docs is a very important app for me because i use it everyday's working life it is too easy to use and keep too security for my business!

Cons:

All the time i keep my all kinds of data kept here too safe