Which Program Should I Use? Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Their Alternatives Explained

If you need to write a letter, calculate a budget, or create a presentation, there are different computer programs designed to make each task easier. The challenge is knowing which one to use.

You may already recognize programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Google and Apple offer similar tools with different names, and once you understand what each type of program is designed to do, those different names become much easier to understand.

In this guide, we’ll look at some of the most common productivity programs, what they’re used for, and their Microsoft, Google, and Apple equivalents.

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Start With What You Want to Create

Before worrying about which company made the software, think about what you’re trying to accomplish:

If you want to…	Type of program	Microsoft	Google	Apple
Write a resume, letter, report, or recipe	Document/word processor	Word	Google Docs	Pages
Create a budget, list, tracker, or calculations	Spreadsheet	Excel	Google Sheets	Numbers
Create slides for a meeting, class, or presentation	Presentation	PowerPoint	Google Slides	Keynote
Save and access files online	Cloud storage	OneDrive	Google Drive	iCloud Drive
Keep notes and organize ideas	Note-taking	OneNote	Google Keep	Notes

The programs aren’t identical, but programs within each row are designed to accomplish many of the same types of tasks.

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Documents: Word, Google Docs, and Apple Pages

A word processor is designed primarily for creating documents made up of text, although documents can also include pictures, tables, charts, and other elements.

Common examples include:

• Microsoft Word
• Google Docs
• Apple Pages

When should I use a document?

A document is usually a good choice when the information is primarily meant to be read from beginning to end.

For example, you might create:

• a resume
• a cover letter
• a school paper
• a business report
• meeting notes
• instructions
• a recipe
• a newsletter
• a letter
• a checklist
• a flyer with mostly text

Documents give you tools for formatting paragraphs, headings, fonts, margins, page numbers, lists, tables, and other elements you commonly see on a printed page.

Which document program should I use?

Microsoft Word is Microsoft’s document program and is widely used in workplaces and schools.

Google Docs performs many of the same functions but is designed heavily around working online and collaborating with other people.

Apple Pages is Apple’s document-creation program for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users.

You don’t necessarily need to use the same program forever. If you learn how documents generally work – things like fonts, paragraphs, margins, headings, and page layout – many of those concepts transfer when you use another word processor.

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Spreadsheets: Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers

A spreadsheet organizes information into rows and columns.

Common spreadsheet programs include:

• Microsoft Excel
• Google Sheets
• Apple Numbers

Spreadsheets are especially useful when you’re working with information that needs to be organized, sorted, calculated, compared, or analyzed.

When should I use a spreadsheet?

You might use a spreadsheet to:

• create a monthly budget
• track expenses
• make a list of contacts
• track job applications
• calculate totals
• compare prices
• manage inventory
• create a schedule
• analyze survey results
• track sales
• create charts from data

For example, you could type a list of monthly expenses into a Word document. But if you want the computer to automatically add those expenses, calculate the difference between your income and spending, sort transactions, or create a chart, a spreadsheet is a much better tool.

Which spreadsheet program should I use?

Microsoft Excel is Microsoft’s spreadsheet program.

Google Sheets is Google’s spreadsheet program and is particularly convenient when multiple people need to work with the same spreadsheet online.

Apple Numbers is Apple’s spreadsheet application.

They look somewhat different, but all three use the same basic idea: information is placed into cells organized into rows and columns, and formulas can be used to perform calculations.

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Presentations: PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Apple Keynote

Presentation software is designed to organize information onto a series of slides.

Common presentation programs include:

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Google Slides
• Apple Keynote

When should I use a presentation?

You might create a presentation for:

• a work meeting
• a school assignment
• a sales pitch
• employee training
• a project update
• a conference
• a business proposal
• an interview
• a webinar

Presentations are generally meant to help you show information to an audience, rather than provide several pages of information for someone to read independently.

Slides may contain:

• text
• photos
• diagrams
• charts
• tables
• videos
• animations

Which presentation program should I use?

Microsoft PowerPoint is Microsoft’s presentation application.

Google Slides provides similar slide-based presentation tools through Google.

Apple Keynote is Apple’s presentation program.

If you’ve learned to create slides in one program, many of the basic concepts transfer to the others: you create slides, choose layouts, add text and graphics, rearrange slides, and eventually present them as a slideshow.

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What’s the Difference Between a Document and a Spreadsheet?

This is an easy place to get confused because both can contain text, tables, numbers, and even images.

A helpful way to decide is to ask:

Am I primarily writing something, or am I organizing and working with information?

If you’re writing a two-page report explaining your monthly expenses, use a document.

If you’re listing each expense and want the computer to calculate how much you’ve spent, use a spreadsheet.

Similarly, you might put a small table into a Word document because it helps explain your report. That doesn’t mean the entire report should have been created in Excel.

Choose the program based on the main purpose of the file, not simply one type of information it contains.

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What’s the Difference Between a Document and a Presentation?

Documents and presentations are also sometimes used for similar information.

The biggest difference is generally how the information will be consumed:

A document is usually designed to be read.

A presentation is usually designed to support someone who is presenting information to an audience.

For example, if you’re providing a detailed 10-page project report for your manager to read, a document probably makes sense.

If you’re giving a 20-minute update about that same project during a meeting, you might summarize the most important points in a presentation instead.

Sometimes you’ll create both.

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Cloud Storage: OneDrive, Google Drive, and iCloud Drive

Another group of tools you’ll encounter isn’t primarily used to create files. Instead, these services help you store and access files online.

Common examples include:

• Microsoft OneDrive
• Google Drive
• Apple iCloud Drive

This type of storage is commonly called cloud storage.

Instead of a file existing only on your computer, cloud storage can allow you to access it from other devices and share it with other people.

This distinction is important:

• Microsoft Word creates documents. OneDrive stores files.
• Google Docs creates documents. Google Drive stores files.
• Apple Pages creates documents. iCloud Drive can store files.

These products often work together so closely that the difference isn’t always obvious when you’re using them.

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Note-Taking: OneNote, Google Keep, and Apple Notes

Note-taking programs give you a place to quickly capture and organize information.

Common options include:

• Microsoft OneNote
• Google Keep
• Apple Notes

These aren’t exact copies of one another.

OneNote can be used like a digital notebook, with information organized into notebooks, sections, and pages.

Google Keep is designed around simpler notes, lists, reminders, and quick pieces of information.

Apple Notes provides note-taking and organization tools on Apple devices.

You might use a note-taking app for:

• meeting notes
• shopping lists
• ideas
• research notes
• reminders
• information you want to reference later
• planning a project

If you’re creating something polished that you plan to submit, publish, print, or send to someone else, a document may eventually be more appropriate. If you’re simply capturing information for yourself, a note-taking app may be all you need.

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What About Email and Calendars?

Microsoft, Google, and Apple also provide tools for communication and scheduling.

Microsoft offers Outlook for email and calendars.

Google provides Gmail and Google Calendar.

Apple provides Mail and Calendar on its devices.

These applications aren’t quite the same type of productivity tools as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, but you’ll frequently use them alongside your other programs.

For example, you might:

1. Create a resume in Word.
2. Save it to OneDrive.
3. Attach it to an email in Outlook.
4. Add an interview to your calendar.

Understanding how these different tools work together is another important part of becoming comfortable using a computer.

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Are Microsoft, Google, and Apple Files Compatible?

Sometimes.

Programs from different companies can often open or export common file formats, but the experience isn’t always identical.

For example, you may encounter Microsoft Office file extensions such as:

• .docx for Word documents
• .xlsx for Excel spreadsheets
• .pptx for PowerPoint presentations

Other programs may be able to open these files or export files in these formats.

You may also choose to save or export certain files as a PDF, which is useful when you want someone to view a finished document without easily changing its contents.

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You Don’t Have to Memorize Every Program

The important thing isn’t memorizing a long list of software names.

Instead, start by recognizing a few basic categories:

• Documents are primarily for writing and reading.
• Spreadsheets are primarily for organizing, calculating, and analyzing information.
• Presentations are primarily for showing information to an audience.
• Cloud storage helps you save, access, and share files.
• Note-taking apps help you capture and organize information for yourself.

Once you understand those categories, unfamiliar programs become much less intimidating. If someone asks you to work in Google Sheets after you’ve learned Excel, for example, you already know that you’re working with a spreadsheet. The buttons may be in different places, but many of the concepts you’ve learned will still apply.

You don’t have to know every program. You just need to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and choose a tool designed to help you do it.

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