WPS Office for Windows

Free alternative to Microsoft Office

WPS Office Free is a productivity application developed by Kingsoft Office. As the name suggests, it is a free alternative to solve your day-to-day office needs. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation creator.

WPS Office Free is compatible with Microsoft Office and can work as a cost-effective alternative. It even manages to mimic pretty much the entire look and basic features of the popular office suite. Moreover, it works well with other well-known packages from the same category, such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Best of all, it uses less space and resources than the rest of its competition.

All the tools you need

WPS Office Free has features that many office suites offer. It can create new documents or edit existing ones. Beyond the typical tools, such as adjusting font style and size, adding slides, and creating formulas, it also has some advanced features to its suites. Among them is the ability to track changes, print using Google Cloud Print, and encrypt files. You can also install extra fonts to add your favorite ones.

The app also further advanced its spreadsheet program by adding built-in formulas and supporting charts. Meanwhile, the presentation suite has a presenter mode that plays your slideshows with a laser pointer. You can use this pointer by drawing on the screen. Finally, the Writer App—WPS Office Free's version of Microsoft Word—has a read-only view. Here, you can flip through the pages like a book. Moreover, it comes with a PDF viewer, although you cannot edit your files with it.

Like its competitions, the app also provides cloud storage for free. However, you can only save small files as they cannot exceed 1GB. Moreover, despite its exhaustive list of features, WPS Office Free still misses some important things. Unlike Microsoft Office, there are no built-in templates in its suites. Users will have to manually download them from Kingsoft's website and load them in the apps to use them. Additionally, the presentation has no nifty tools like the animation feature.

Familiar and fluid controls

WPS Office Free offers an interface reminiscent of Microsoft Office's new version. If you ever used one, then using this app will be a breeze. It employs the same ribbon with all the most commonly used tools and options displayed prominently. With this, you won't spend ages looking for the setting menu or the tools you need. As mentioned, the app has a light system requirement, ensuring swift performance.

Users must note, however, that WPS Office Free does not work like other free office suites. It does not allow users to utilize all its features. Instead, certain features are timed access. To gain the time to use them, users will have to watch advertisements. It is a small sacrifice that you will need to take to enjoy this superb software suite.

Final thoughts

All in all, WPS Office Free is a valuable alternative to MS Office. Its suites come with an exhaustive list of handy features. It is also versatile and integrates well with other similar programs. Moreover, it comes with a familiar ribbon interface, allowing you to use it with ease. However, it lacks some features that MS Office offers. Some tools are also only available after watching ads. Nevertheless, it is still an excellent choice.