Creating formulas requires typing them in longhand, without the benefit of Numberss custom keyboard or Excels formula dictionary.

To answer the question, AppleInsider went hands-on to compare the top three iOS contenders: Apples iWork, Microsofts Office 365, and Google Docs.

For the purposes of this review, we will look only at those features available on iOS iWork for iClouds web-based document editing, for instance, is not included.

Office Vs 365 Free With The

Each app is free with the purchase of a new iOS device, but users who need to get up and running on their current handset or tablet will still need to purchase them in the App Store for 9.99 each.

We chose the 12.50-per-month Office 365 Small Business Premium plan, which is the least-costly option that grants access to the companys Office Mobile for iOS app.

Unlike Apples native app strategy, Microsoft has chosen to integrate its entire suite in to a single application, Office Mobile, though that strategy may soon change as rumors indicate an iOS version of the companys Word, Excel, and Powerpoint applications is on the way.

Upgrading to Google Apps for Business does not add any additional features within the scope of this review, and the accompanying Google Drive iOS app is available free of charge to all users.

Office Vs 365 Mac IOSOS X

The ongoing Back to the Mac iOSOS X strategy combined with the companys renewed push into the enterprise and education markets have made the iOS versions of longtime tentpole applications first-class citizens, so much so that many users of their desktop counterparts feel iOSs influence has grown too strong.

Document creation is easy, featuring most of the same predefined templates as Apples desktop applications, while retaining a significant degree of control over style and layout.

Editing existing documents including collaboration features like Apples implementation of change tracking and commenting works smoothly, with synchronization between devices happening quickly in the background whether on Wi-Fi or mobile data.

We also found some small, yet annoying, issues with the new Pages user interface, such as a situation where on-screen controls for swapping images disappeared if the image was enlarged such that its edges moved off-screen.

Because users cant pan around the Pages canvas on iOS, fixing this means resizing the images until the controls return, then enlarging it yet again after making changes.

Apple has packed an admirable amount of the desktop applications functionality into the iOS app formula creation is particularly fine, as Cupertino has taken full advantage of iOSs ability to customize the keyboard to each specific purpose.

Like its document and presentation siblings, Numbers can also import and export Microsoft Office-formatted documents.

Creating a simple presentation revealed no areas that we found lacking, and unlike Pages, Keynote did not allow us to enlarge photos so much that controls disappeared offscreen.

Microsofts Office Mobile app is currently only available for iPhone, though the company does promise an iPad version is in the works.

The app is well designed, striking a nice balance between Apples iOS 7 and Microsofts Metro, but functionality is severely limited in comparison to its competition.

Fonts and images cannot be swapped out, and we often experienced trouble selecting text for formatting.

The touch-based interface for basic spreadsheet functions appears to have been thoughtfully considered, and most of Excels advanced formula functionality has made the transition.

We did miss Numberss customized formula keyboard, however, and the included charting functionality is rudimentary.

Users cannot create a new PowerPoint document in the Office Mobile app, and editing is restricted to changing text though no formatting options are available rearranging slides and adding presentation notes.

On iOS, the company makes Docs available through its free Google Drive application, which matches Googles other iOS properties with a Google Now-style user interface.

The company has recently updated its entire iOS suite with single sign-on functionality, a convenient time-saving feature, especially for users with Googles two-factor authentication enabled.

Users can swap fonts, change font size, and edit text and background colors in addition to standard bolding, italicizing, and underlining.

Office For Mac Vs 365