What is the Best Word Processor for Mac? Top 6 Document Editors to Try in 2025

Whether you're crafting a novel, drafting a work report, or simply jotting down ideas, having the right word processor on your Mac is essential.

While Apple's Pages processor comes free with every iOS device, there are numerous alternatives worth considering – many of which offer advanced features to enhance writing experiences.

You might not have realized it until now, but you have a wealth of choices that cater to your various needs: from completely free options to powerful office suites.

Mac users, whether you're a professional, a student, or a content creator, we'll help you find a word processor that matches your budget perfectly.

In this guide, we'll explore the best word processors for Mac, focusing on tools you can use both online and offline for distraction-free writing.

Plus, we’ll reveal a secret: you can access some of the top paid apps without spending a dime.

Let's dive into our top picks for the best Mac word processor!

Best overall: MobiDocs

MobiDocs is the ultimate choice for Mac users, combining power, flexibility, and a seamless writing experience across your devices.

Whether you're drafting, editing, or collaborating on a document, this word processor ensures smooth performance across different Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS versions.

Designed to streamline your writing process, MobiDocs offers a user-friendly interface, advanced features, and seamless compatibility with all major file formats, including Microsoft Word, iWork Pages, and Google Docs.

MobiDocs helps you to easily create your distraction-free, productive workspace. Its features include secure cloud storage and real-time collaboration, keeping your workflow uninterrupted, whether you’re working solo or in a team.

MobiDocs also offers specialized functions tailored for Mac, like:

Save as PDF: Convert your documents seamlessly into PDFs, so that your texts stay uniform and you can send them to virtually anyone.

Insert Header/Footer: Enhance document consistency and professionalism with headers and footers.

Insert Page Number: Customize the appearance and placement of page numbers to fit your writing style (and stay on track with how many book pages you've written a day.)

Word Count: Easily track your writing progress with detailed word, character, paragraph, and page counts.

Find and Replace: Make bulk edits quickly with the search and replace function, both very powerful tools in helping you amend your writing duplicates.

Best interface: Pages

Apple’s Pages offers an excellent interface for Mac users with its clean, intuitive design, which makes navigating the platform effortless–even for beginners.

The minimalist layout ensures that its features offer a smooth and distraction-free writing experience while creating a clean, clutter-free workspace with all the tools you need:

Export to different file formats: Easily convert your Pages documents into .pdf, .doc, .docx, and various other extensions.

Drag-and-drop: Functionality for inserting media like images and videos directly into your documents.

More than 90 Apple-designed templates: These can be tailored to suit your style with ease.

Custom design: Easily customizable fonts, styles, and graphic elements.

Additionally, Apple-exclusive technologies like "Split View" and "Handoff" provide a seamless transition between macOS and iOS, enabling users to work on projects across multiple devices without interruption.

If you want to access the "Handoff" feature, ensure your devices are connected to the Wi-Fi and have Bluetooth turned on. Make sure that you've logged into the same Apple Account on both your iOS devices.

Pages have a few limitations, such as occasional compatibility issues when sharing documents with non-Apple users.

Best old-school Mac word processor: Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word offers Mac users a comforting, familiar design and robust functionality.

Word’s sleek interface is classic and rich in features, catering to all writing tasks, from short letters to detailed reports with graphics and charts. Microsoft Word's expansive toolkit includes both old-school and hi-tech features like:

Editor: Suggests grammatical and structural improvements, enhancing clarity and professionalism in your writing.

Resume Reading: Bookmarks your reading position, letting you pick up where you left off when reopening a Microsoft Word document.

Smart Look Up: Allows you to instantly access web-based information for selected words or phrases.

You'll also have seamless syncing and flexibility when working on different devices, as Microsoft Word is integrated with Microsoft 365 and OneDrive.

Keep in mind that Word’s vast feature set may feel overwhelming to some users. The Microsoft Word software is also pricier than other options on our list.

Best online Word processor: Google Docs

You've probably heard of Google Docs – the most popular web-based, modern word processor that revolutionized the way we work remotely.

Google Docs excels in convenience, with no software installation required and the ability to import/export Microsoft Office files. Whether you're on a Mac, iPhone, or any device with a web browser, your documents are always accessible.

The best feature of Google Docs is its collaborative capabilities, allowing multiple people to work on a document simultaneously. That's perfect for co-authoring reports, creating shared documents, or keeping boilerplate text up-to-date for teams.

You'll see changes made by others instantly, with color-coded IDs showing exactly who edited what. Some of Goole Doc's key features include:

Real-time collaboration with multiple users.

Accessible anywhere with a Google account: Using Google Drive for sharing and storage.

Auto-save and version history: Ensure that your work is never lost.

However, as a web-based tool, Google Docs requires an internet connection and may have occasional formatting issues when importing documents.

Best free Word processor: OpenOffice

OpenOffice has been a staple in the world of free office suites for decades – a powerful alternative to Microsoft Office without the cost – with OpenOffice Writer being the star of the suite.

OpenOffice Writer has word processing tools comparable to paid software, including advanced formatting options and multi-page display.

The open-source nature of OpenOffice allows developers to easily create custom features and extensions, making it a fantastic option for students, freelancers, or anyone working on a budget.

Some of OpenOffice Writer's key features are:

Compatibility with Microsoft Office formats: You can also export your documents to HTML, PDF, and more formats.

Community-driven development: Offering custom extensions and templates.

Robust template library: For various document needs.

OpenOffice may present some challenges during installation, especially if your Mac doesn’t verify the developer.

Best for writers: Scrivener

Scrivener is not just a word processor but a complete writing studio, widely recognized as the ultimate tool for long-form writing, favored by novelists, screenwriters, and academics alike.

Scrivener's standout feature is its split-screen mode, allowing writers to work on their manuscripts in one pane while referencing research notes, an outline, or your notes in another.

The corkboard view and outline mode provide additional organizational tools, perfect for visualizing how different parts of a manuscript fit together.

You can even add keywords, metadata, and synopses to each document or chapter, ensuring that your manuscript is as organized as possible.

Scrivener has developed tools for:

Non-linear writing: Start anywhere in your manuscript and rearrange sections later

Extensive templates: Offers ready-made templates for novels, screenplays, non-fiction, and more

Compile feature: Seamlessly export your manuscript for print or digital formats, including Apple Books and Kindle eBooks

Scrivener's downside is that it lacks real-time collaboration tools.

What do great word processors offer?

We've just shown you the top word processors for Mac, but the right choice depends on what features matter most to you. Here are some key outcomes you need to consider when selecting a word processor; would it allow you to:

Be free to do your best writing

A great word processor should align with the type of writing you do. MobiDocs caters to both simple (taking quick notes or writing short blog posts) and complex writing (with more advanced features to write your novel or thesis).

Access various file formats

This one is especially important for Mac users, as Pages is compatible only with iOS devices.

Look for software that supports a wide range of file types like .docx, .pdf, and even LaTeX, so you can easily share your documents without worrying about compatibility or formatting issues.

Format and style your text

Whether you're formatting headers, adding styles, or working with equations, advanced formatting tools, like the ones in MobiDocs or Microsoft Word, are essential for professional-looking documents.

Work on multiple documents

When writing your thesis or book, you'd like to be able to access all the relevant research documents, quickly.

Consider investing in software like Scrivler to be able to read up all relevant information, which is just a keyboard command or mouse-click away.

Write on different devices

Great word processors allow you to switch seamlessly between devices. Ones with cloud integration allow you a safety net, so you can open your documents anywhere and ensure your work is automatically backed up.

Enter distraction-free writing modes

To stay focused, consider software that offers a user-friendly interface with a distraction-free mode. This feature removes unnecessary visual clutter and helps you concentrate on your writing.

Collaborate

If you often work with others, look for real-time collaboration tools. Google Docs is ideal for this, as it allows multiple users to edit and comment on a document simultaneously.

Stay up to date

The software you choose should be stable: bug-free, and compatible with the latest Mac OS versions. The simplest way to determine this is to double-check if your word processor offers updates.

Final thoughts

Choosing the right word processor for your Mac can greatly impact your productivity and writing experience. Whether you need advanced formatting, collaboration tools, or distraction-free writing modes, there's an option that suits your needs.

MobiDocs stands out as the top recommendation for its robust features and compatibility across devices. If you're ready to streamline your writing, get MobiDocs now!