If we have to open a document on the smartphone many would use without any problem the Office suite offered by Microsoft on all platforms, so as to have familiar programs to interact with (Word, Excel and PowerPoint, just to mention the most famous). To this we add that, even if with reduced functionality, the apps are offered free of charge to anyone with a Microsoft account available, so that they can be used always and at any occasion. In fact there are many other Office apps available for Android and iPhone, which are just waiting to be downloaded and used (many of them free of charge and without the limits seen on Microsoft apps). We discover 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 be able to download the official apps of the Microsoft Office suite.
READ ALSO -> Microsoft Office for iPhone, iPad and Android official with Word, Excel and Powerpoint
1) Google Docs
The office suite that we recommend to try immediately on smartphones is Google Docs, available for free as separate apps, so we can choose whether to install all the components or only the app necessary for our purposes or our documents.
- Google Docs ( Android ) ( iOS )
- Google Sheets ( Android ) ( iOS )
- Google presentations ( Android ) ( iOS )
By installing one or all the recommended apps we will be able to manage any document created with Office (even the docx, xlsx and pptx) from our smartphone very well, with the possibility to always modify 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 also on the cloud and not lose any type of document and quickly access any files already saved in the Google cloud wherever we are.
READ ALSO: Free Office for Android: open, edit and save documents from mobile or tablet
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) and 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 that we always have everything under control when we receive working 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) and Polaris Office (iOS).
With this suite we will be able to open all documents made with Office, including PDFs (which we can both view and edit if necessary).
Among the prominent features of this app certainly support to 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, OfficeSuite could not be missing, available for free from here -> OfficeSuite (Android) and OfficeSuite (iOS).
This app presents itself as one of the most cured in terms of graphics, integrating perfectly with the style of the app 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 as to always have full control over the important files received via corporate emails.
5) Office Documents Viewer (Android)
If we are looking for a simple document viewer (without the editing features), we can focus on a light document reader such as Office Documents Viewer, available for 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 receivable by email or by direct contact: .sxw, .docx, .doc, .xlsx, .pptx, PDF and the various documents made 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 and iOS)
We are looking for a simple viewer for documents that works on Android and on iPhone "> Android and for iPhone .
This app allows you to open any PDF document, so that you can view it without problems on the screen of our smartphone. In addition to documents, it is also able to manage multimedia files and connect the device's internal memory to a PC via USB or wireless, so as to quickly add new files.
7) Microsoft Office
If we 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 possibility to modify them on the fly if necessary. Obviously excellent integration with OneDrive, so you can immediately view the documents saved in the Microsoft cloud without the need to download them locally; as cloud also Drobpox and Box are supported, but (strangely) Google Drive among the most famous ones is missing. If you did not feel comfortable with the alternatives that we recommended, install one or all of the Microsoft Office apps and you will be on the safe side.
As seen there are also the special Word, Powerpoint and Excel apps for iPad
