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Google Docs Review: Price, Features and Score

Google Docs at a glance: Free, on web, iOS and Android. Below are its plans, what its own site says it does for an author, its score and the products to compare it with. We did not test it ourselves; the data was checked on October 7, 2026.

Prices and data checked October 7, 2026 · Author Score computed by a published formula, not paid for

Google Docs on the BookBird Author Score

Author Score · book writing software · #2 of 16 ·

Best for: Authors sharing drafts with editors at no cost

BookBird Author Score8.3/10 #2 of 16 book writing software. Worked out from Google Docs’s own pages, its price and US searches for its name, not typed in. Author jobs50 pts37.5/50Each of the 8 author jobs on the book writing software list is worth an equal share of 50 points, and counts only when Google Docs’s own pages confirm it. 6 of 8 confirmed = 37.5 points. A job the vendor does not mention earns nothing.Cost25 pts25/25A free plan, or a platform that takes no upfront fee, earns all 25 points.Adoption25 pts20/25Searches, 20 points: 20,400,000 a month for “google docs”, the most searched in this category, so the full 20. Trend, 5 points: down 54% (last three months against the first three of the year) = 0; a fall of half or more earns 0, no change 2.5, a rise of half or more 5. 82.5 of 100 points= 8.3 out of 10 The full method, with every product’s points →

Author jobs, from Google Docs’s own pages

  • Yes: Chapters and scenes you can reorder
  • Not stated: Word-count goals (not stated)
  • Not stated: Notes beside the manuscript (not stated)
  • Yes: Version history or snapshots
  • Yes: Works offline
  • Yes: Exports to Word (DOCX)
  • Yes: Exports a book file (EPUB or print PDF)
  • Yes: Syncs across devices

Google Docs pricing

Free. There is a free plan. Free trial: 14 days. The plans as Google Docs’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:

  • Google Docs (personal Google account): Free

Docs is free with a personal Google account. Paid Google Workspace business plans exist (14-day trial) but were priced in PLN for the fetching location; USD not verified.

What Google Docs offers

From Google Docs’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:

  • Real-time co-editing with comments and suggested edits
  • Document tabs and subtabs that can be dragged into a new order
  • Version history to browse and restore earlier versions
  • Offline editing in Chrome or Edge with the Docs Offline extension
  • Download as DOCX, EPUB, PDF, RTF, ODT, TXT or HTML
  • Imports Word documents
  • Gemini "Help me write" in Docs
  • Templates and building blocks

Runs on: web, iOS and Android. Exports: DOCX, EPUB, PDF, RTF, ODT, TXT and HTML. Works offline.

Who Google Docs suits, and what its pages do not say

Best for: Authors sharing drafts with editors at no cost.

Not confirmed on Google Docs’s pages when we checked: word-count goals and notes beside the manuscript. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.

About 20,400,000 people a month search Google in the US for “google docs”, down 54% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).

Google Docs alternatives

SoftwareScorePrice fromBest for
Novlr8.7Free plan; paid from $8 a month (billed yearly)Writers wanting a free web app with no built-in AI
LivingWriter7.8Free plan; paid from $179 a yearPlotters writing on web, desktop and mobile
Scrivener7.7$59.99 one-timeMac or Windows authors who want a one-time licence
Ulysses7.6$39.99 a yearApple-only writers who like plain-text markup
Storyist7.5$19 one-timeApple users who want a one-time purchase with ebook export

Compare: All book writing software · All software for authors

Google Docs questions

How much does Google Docs cost?

Free.

What does Google Docs run on?

web, iOS and Android, according to its own site.

Is there a free trial of Google Docs?

Yes, 14 days.

What file formats can Google Docs export?

DOCX, EPUB, PDF, RTF, ODT, TXT and HTML, according to its own site.

How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Google Docs’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.