In today’s competitive era and with sound digital resources, you must have efficient software to stay ahead and serve your clients and customers in the best possible manner. While Microsoft Office is already a renowned name, having set a benchmark in the industry, WPS Office is giving tough competition and gaining popularity for all the right reasons.

Here we will deeply understand the features and functions of WPS Office and Microsoft Office and evaluate their offerings on common aspects for comparative analysis. So stay tuned as this article aims to provide a detailed analysis of  WPS Office vs Microsoft Office suites to help you make a well-informed choice.

contents

Overview of WPS Office and Microsoft Office

WPS Office vs Microsoft Office helps to know which Office suite helps best to work your way and make it more creative. Let’s dive into both Office Suites' overview, features, and market share.

Overview 

WPS Office is a free office software tool developed by Kingsoft Corporation that works on all Operating Systems like Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android, and other digital OS. It includes Word processing, Writer, Spreadsheet, and Presentation software and is similar to MS Office with high compatibility with most of its file formats. WPS Office is available in multiple languages and can be used for personal and business purposes.

Microsoft Office is a powerful suite of productivity applications developed by Microsoft and has popular apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher, Access, InfoPath, Outlook, and Skype for Business. It is also available on Windows PC, iPad/iPhone, Android, and Windows phone to configure the document’s attributes like content layout and style and help with productivity to complete common tasks.

Market Share and Popularity

WPS Office is quite popular as it offers all functions of the Microsoft Office suite at reasonable and comparatively cheaper price options. By 2022, it had over 494 million monthly active users and more than 1.2 billion installations.

However, today only 50 companies are using WPS Office with a market share of 0.01% (and 90% in China) compared to global leaders like Google Apps (48.97%), Microsoft Office 365 (45.13%), and Microsoft PowerPoint (4.14%). On the contrary, over 1.3 million companies use Microsoft Office in the US alone.

Features and Functionalities

WPS Office offers varied user-friendly features with a wide range of templates to create professional-looking documents. Moreover, it provides PDF to Word converter to edit or work with PDF files. It offers streamlined and user-friendly features for users prioritizing ease of use and traditional interface.

Microsoft Office is equipped with advanced features that are more comprehensive and custom-made to suit the different needs of users and manage their work more effectively. Its cloud-based approach makes it easy to access documents from anywhere and collaborate in real-time. Users can even use AI-powered features such as translation and dictation.

You May Also Like: An All-Around Introduction to WPS File Format >>

Comparison Chart Between WPS Office and Microsoft Office 

Let’s understand WPS Office vs Microsoft Office through a table to make it more transparent and find the difference between the two programs at a glance.

Aspects WPS Office Microsoft Office
User Interface and Design

User-friendly, modern, sleek, and polished tabbed interface

Customizable interface with a sidebar that houses commonly used tools like formatting and editing tools

Well-organized and easy to navigate

Classic interface with a customizable ribbon toolbar

Word Processing

WPS offers a range of formatting options to insert WordArt, set hanging indentation, double spacing, change the color of specific characters, clear formatting, etc. 

Provides free Word templates

Less advanced features and collaboration options

MS Office uses common text formatting tools like font, font size, font color, bold, italic, underline, WordArt, strikethrough, subscript, highlighter tool, etc.

Offers free and pre-built templates 

More advanced features and collaboration options

Spreadsheet Software

Fewer tools and formulas for data analysis 

Offers comparatively fewer charting options 

Exclusive features like Protection at different levels and Password hint

MS Excel provides more tools and formulas for data analysis or visualization 

Allows to create more types of charts

Presentation Tools

Offers a free and prebuilt library of templates 

Provides slide design tools like animations, icons, and transitions

Offers free templates

Includes Design, Animations, Transitions, Slide Shows, Reviews, etc.

PDF Solutions WPS Office lets create and edit PDF files and offers a comprehensive range of PDF tools like adding annotations, watermarks, passwords, etc., through its dedicated PDF editor to edit them

MS Office also has a dedicated PDF editor to make PDF files more manageable 

Requires installing additional plugins

Collaboration and Cloud Integration

No real-time co-authoring, but it allows users to share documents and collaborate on them

Offers cloud storage through WPS Cloud and built-in integration with Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. Comprehensive mobile app for iOS and Android

Advanced collaboration features with real-time co-authoring 

Integrates with MS Teams easily 

Offers cloud storage with OneDrive, Dropbox and, Google Drive but is not as seamless as WPS Office 

Less comprehensive mobile app

Pricing

Offers a free and paid version

One-time subscription

  • Subscription Plan: USD 39.99 for 12 months
  • License Subscription: USD 129.99

Offers only a free trial, and once it expires, users must upgrade to a pro version

Subscription-based pricing with a one-time subscription  

  • Microsoft 365 Family Plan: USD 9.99/month and USD 99.99/year
  • Microsoft 365 Personal: USD 6.99/month or 69.99/year
Platform Compatibility

Windows, Mac, Linux, Harmony, Android, and iOS

Requires lower system requirements 

Lightweight and runs smoothly without performance issues 

Highly compatible with MS Office file formats to open and edit files created in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS

Requires high system requirements 

Users may experience lag or slow performance on older devices 

Seamless integration with OneDrive and SharePoint

Accessibility Standalone desktop application Web-based application with desktop applications
Pros

Advanced features for professional 

Seamless integration with other Microsoft products

Compatible with multiple platforms with a user-friendly interface

Lightweight and free version is available

Cons

Limited cloud storage 

The free version lacks advanced features

High cost of the premium version 

Steep learning curve

Final Wrap

Both the Office suites, Microsoft Office and WPS Office, have a wide range of features and tools to create better documents easily. While the former is an industry leader with a more significant market share, it can be expensive for individuals and small businesses. On the contrary, WPS Office is affordable, with a free version for basic needs. Before settling down for any Office suite, you must thoroughly evaluate WPS Office vs Microsoft Office and consider your specific needs and preferences to make an informed decision.

Monica

Columnist