Microsoft Word

The word processor that set the standard, and still sets the terms.

Benchmark review. Giants are reviewed rarely, to show what the tools in the directory are measured against. This one is not listed in the directory, and it is an example, not a recommendation. Scores are our opinion on the six questions, based on public sources and dated October 2026.

Most of us call every document a “Word file”, and that habit says what Word did to the market. It set the standard for word processing and by the mid-1990s already held most of it. The .docx format is an open international standard that other programs read, but formatting often shifts when a document leaves Word, and the software itself is proprietary.

Microsoft sells it mostly through a Microsoft 365 subscription that includes its Copilot AI features. A one-time Office purchase still exists, but those perpetual versions miss features added to the subscription. Word does its job superbly, so Delivery is a 4, and Power is a 1 because Microsoft sets the price and the terms. Compare it with the writing tools in the directory.

What stands out

• The standard for word processing since the 1990s
• The .docx format is an open standard, but formatting often shifts elsewhere
• Sold mostly through a subscription that includes Copilot