Apple Pages and Microsoft Word: Which Word Processing Software Is Better?

Every major tech company out there offers its own version of the productivity suite. Apple provides the iWork suite of productivity apps. Google’s G Suite is immensely popular. While Microsoft’s Office 365 suite is considered the Gold standard among all.

Cloud storage solution providers like Dropbox and Box provide word processing software like Dropbox Paper and Box Notes for seamless sharing and collaboration. New players like Notion, Coda, and Airtable are trying to replace the game with a modular approach, but nothing can replace a local experience.

Microsoft is constantly improving the Word experience with more features. Recently, Apple sent out a major update to its iWork apps, including Apple Pages. Google is getting there slowly in this regard but with minor additions.

We have already covered a detailed comparison of Microsoft Word with Google Docs and in this article we will compare Microsoft Word with Apple Sheets. The comparison will focus on interface, features, sharing, collaboration, price, and more. Lets start.

availability

Satya Nadella laid out his vision of ‘Mobile First, Cloud First’ after becoming CEO of Microsoft. As a result, Microsoft Word can be used everywhere. You can access the software on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, iPad, and even the Web.

As with every Apple software, Apple Pages is limited to iOS, Mac, and iPad. The following comparison focuses on the Mac version.

Templates and User Interface

Both Microsoft and Apple offer many default templates. After comparing them side-by-side, I found Word’s list of templates to be richer and more versatile. Apple Pages, Business Letter, Resume, Invoice etc. Provides general and basic pages such as

However, you can always use third-party templates from the web.

Let’s talk a little bit about the User Interface. If you’ve ever used an older version of Microsoft Word, you’ll feel right at home with Word look 2019.

The familiar toolbox is at the top with the relevant sections. I felt that Microsoft Word’s interface was a bit old by today’s standards. However, since millions of enterprise customers use the same software, it’s understandable why Microsoft didn’t want a radical switch from the interface.

By comparison, Apple Pages looks better. Editing options are on the right and the ability to add tables, charts, media is at the top. It’s not messy like Word.

Important Functions

Apple Pages perfectly captures the basics. You can add images, videos, tables, integrate statistics, shapes and more.

For extra security, a password can be set to access a page. The default editing options remain simple. I recommend mastering Word’s keyboard shortcuts to fly between functions.

Microsoft Word is full of features but the media plugin remains the same as Apple Pages. The company has integrated other services such as Microsoft Translation and LinkedIn Resume Assistant. The Assistant will guide you to make impressive resume edits.

There is also a search function that retrieves all relevant information of the selected word from the web. Thesaurus features allow you to find synonyms for a word to increase vocabulary.

You can also add passwords, add equations, format pages with color, borders, and add watermarks to the document.

Storing Documents

You can save a document offline to Microsoft Word and Apple Pages. But that’s in the past, isn’t it?

Apple Pages is tightly integrated with iCloud. Once you hit the save button, the software will save it in the default iCloud folder. You can create a shareable link and send a link to others. With iOS 13 and the upcoming Mac Catalina update, the user can send entire folders to others.

Microsoft Word is all about options. It is not limited to OneDrive only. You can also save documents to Dropbox and Box. The trick remains the same. Save a document to the cloud, open it on another device, and start re-editing.

Sharing and Collaboration

Sharing and real-time collaboration are essential in 2019. Microsoft has had online sharing since 2013 (with the help of OneDrive). Apple is a little late to the sharing party.

Microsoft Word provides three options for sharing. You can send a copy to others using email. Upload a file to OneDrive and create a shareable link from there. You can also invite others to edit. You’ll see real-time changes, along with the author’s name.

Apple Pages leverages Apple’s ecosystem. You can directly share a document using mail and iMessage. Documents can also be sent using airdrop. It works seamlessly on Apple devices.

You can of course make permission changes and see real-time edits made by others.

Export

Microsoft Word offers a few options here. You can export a document as a pdf and HTML file. The software also allows you to create a basic layout of the document and export it as a template. Using the default file size reduction functionality, the file size can be reduced by compressing the attached images before exporting or sending them to others.

Similar to Microsoft Word, you can export a page as pdf, Word file, EPUB file, plain text and rich text with fancy elements. Apple also lets you share documents across Apple Books platforms from the app.

As always, you can save a page as a template for quick edits. This function is useful for making letterhead and default business letter style for your company.

Price

Apple Pages is completely free to use. Documents are stored in iCloud, which only offers 5GB of free storage. You can purchase additional space for $1 per month.

Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps, including Word, is free for screen sizes smaller than 9 inches. That is, you can use the software for free on mobile phones and tablets. To use the software on a laptop, you must purchase Office 365 Personal for $5 per month. You also get 1TB of OneDrive storage for free with the package.

Choose the Best

As you can see from the comparison above, Apple Pages emphasizes simplicity and basic functionality. Of course, the functions are not as rich as MS Word, but it gets the job done.

Microsoft Word is universally available, more flexible in storage options, and offers more features right out of the box. But at the same time, some may find it bloated. In that case, I’d recommend going for Pages and if that’s not the case for you, go with Microsoft Word.

Next: You can also edit images using Microsoft Word software. Read the article below to learn more.