Microsoft Office For iPad Vs. iWork Vs. Google

Microsoft's Office for iPad wins praise from productivity software users, but is it right for you? We compare the free alternatives from Apple and Google.

If you're a work-minded iPad user, Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Apple iWork are the most widely used productivity software options. But which one is the best fit for you?

More than a year before Microsoft released Office for iPad, many critics had already dismissed the apps, then still purely theoretical, as late to the party. Fast forward to today. Microsoft's iPad suite has earned better reviews than almost anyone expected, especially after the company's rudimentary Office Mobile app for smartphones. Users downloaded Office for iPad 12 million times in its first week, and more than 27 million in its first month and a half.

The numbers are impressive, but it's unclear how much they've helped Microsoft's bottom line. Office iPad apps are free, but to create and edit documents users need an Office 365 subscription. Are those downloads actually translating into paying customers? Microsoft hasn't said, partly because it offers a 30-day trial to new Office for iPad users, which muddies download-to-subscriber conversion rates.

Still, it's safe to say Office for iPad hasn't hurt Office 365's momentum. Office 365 Home Premium subscriptions totaled 3.5 million earlier this year but have since jumped to more than 4.4 million. Microsoft has not disclosed figures for either Office 365 Personal, perceived by many as its most iPad-centric plan, nor various student-oriented options -- but with Home Premium evidently rolling along since Office for iPad debuted, it's likely the others have seen a boost too.