

You can run it on Linux, Windows, Solaris and many other systems. The one feature that distinguishes it from the rest is that it is cross platform software. It is a freemium word processor that caters to documentation needs. You will be surprised to know how many softwares are modelled after MS Word.

While we can’t argue over the significance of MS Word in our lives, we sure don’t mind venturing out and exploring alternatives to it. It is our go-to editor whenever we are in need. Each one of us is extremely familiar with that app. if you're looking for an MS Word replacement, there are other lightweight word processors that outdo AbiWord.It is not every day that one finds interesting alternative to the all powerful text editing software called Microsoft Word. Pros: Most features you'd want from a word processor, lightweight, fast and free.Ĭons: Clumsy installation, no grammar checker.Ĭonclusion: Not bad, but no longer the clear winner it used to be. Dictionaries in a variety of different languages are available for free but it can be tricky to get them installed and working properly. The lack of grammar checking is another minus, especially when other free word processors have one. It's still stable and reasonably easy to use, but the installation is overcomplicated when compared to other packages. Once highly regarded, AbiWord has failed to keep up with the pack. It's lightweight and loads appreciably faster that some, particularly OpenOffice's Writer. Another plus is the capability to handle documents in Microsoft's proprietary formats such as docx and docm. The AbiCollab Web service lets you share documents online. It has all the capabilities you're likely to need, with a full library of fonts and effects, spellcheck, text highlighting and all the common formatting tools you'd expect. You also don't have to download a whole office suite just to get the word processing package.ĪbiWord performs acceptably as a basic word processor. Abiword sports most of the features you'll find in any other word processor, with the added benefit of being free and open source. It is reasonably easy to set up and has a standard interface, so it's not hard to master. AbiWord is a stand-alone word processing package.
