12 Best Google Docs Alternatives for Notes, Projects, and Knowledge Management

Google Docs is a powerful real-time collaboration tool, but it falls short in several key areas. Teams frequently hit friction with offline access issues, clunky change-tracking that creates confusion rather than clarity, and the challenge of keeping meeting notes organized and searchable across projects.

The biggest gap? Meeting documentation. Google Docs requires someone to manually take notes, organize them, and share them after every meeting. That's time-consuming, inconsistent, and means important decisions and action items often get lost.

If you're spending hours each week on meeting documentation, there's a better approach. Fellow is a secure AI meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes every meeting, making your conversations searchable across your entire organization.

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What should you look for in a Google Docs alternative?

The best Google Docs alternative depends on your team's primary documentation needs. Consider these factors:

1. Real-time collaboration capabilities: Can multiple team members edit simultaneously without conflicts?

2. Offline access: Does the tool work reliably without an internet connection?

3. Integration with your existing tools: Does it connect to your calendar, project management, and communication platforms?

4. Search and organization: How easily can you find information across all your documents?

5. Security and compliance: Does the platform meet your organization's data governance requirements?

6. AI-powered automation: Can the tool reduce manual work like note-taking and action item tracking?

For teams where meetings drive most of their important documentation, a dedicated AI meeting notetaker eliminates manual note-taking entirely and keeps everything searchable.

Best Google Docs alternatives for meeting documentation

If your team's most important documents come from meetings (notes, decisions, action items, follow-ups), you need a tool built specifically for capturing conversations, not just editing text.

Fellow

Best for: Teams that want to turn meetings into searchable, actionable intelligence without manual note-taking.

Fellow is a secure AI meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, in-person conversations, and Slack huddles. Unlike traditional document tools that require manual input, Fellow captures every conversation automatically so your team can stay engaged rather than scrambling to take notes.

One standout feature is Ask Fellow, which lets you query across all your meetings with natural language. Ask questions like "What did we decide about the Q3 roadmap?" or "What commitments are at risk?" and get answers instantly from your meeting history.

Fellow connects meeting intelligence directly to your workflow through 50+ native integrations with tools like Asana, Jira, HubSpot, and Salesforce, plus access to 8,000+ apps via Zapier and n8n. Action items are automatically extracted and tracked with owners and due dates.

For enterprise teams, Fellow offers SOC 2 Type II certification, HIPAA and GDPR compliance, and a commitment to never train AI models on your data. Privacy controls ensure only authorized team members can access specific recordings, with permission-based access aligned to organizational roles.

Key features:

• Automatic recording, transcription, and AI meeting notes across all meeting platforms

• Ask Fellow for organization-wide meeting intelligence

• Botless recording option for meetings where a visible bot isn't appropriate

• Searchable recording library with full transcripts

• 50+ native integrations, API, and MCP Server for custom workflows

Price: Paid plans start at $7 per user per month.

Best Google Docs alternatives for traditional word processing

If you need a straightforward document editor with robust formatting, track changes, and familiar word processing features, these tools deliver the classic editing experience online.

Microsoft Office Online

Best for: Teams already invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem who want a familiar Word experience.

Microsoft Office Online brings desktop Word features to the browser with real-time collaboration capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive cloud storage as part of Microsoft 365 plans.

Teams that struggle with Google Docs' Suggesting mode for tracking changes often find Office Online's approach more intuitive. The trade-off is limited document password protection and no macro support.

Key features:

• Online version of Microsoft Word with full formatting options

• Deep integration with Microsoft 365 suite

• Familiar interface for teams transitioning from desktop Word

Price: Available through Microsoft 365 plans at $6.00 to $12.50 per user per month.

OnlyOffice Docs

Best for: Teams needing advanced formatting with open-source flexibility.

OnlyOffice Docs emphasizes formatting capabilities and offers dual editing modes with built-in chat. You can compare and combine documents, add customizable layouts, and install add-ons for translation, video embeds, and more.

The abundance of features creates a steeper learning curve than simpler alternatives.

Key features:

• Customizable word processing layouts

• Dual editing modes and built-in chat

• Document comparison tools

• Extensive add-on ecosystem

Price: Lifetime license fees starting at $1,500 for enterprise solutions.

Zoho Writer

Best for: Teams wanting a writing assistant with built-in approval workflows.

Zoho Writer includes a writing assistant that provides readability, style, and grammar feedback. You can route documents directly for approval from collaborators and supervisors, and WordPress integration allows immediate posting to your website.

The limitation: tasks can only be assigned to one person at a time, which can slow down collaborative workflows.

Key features:

• Built-in writing assistant for style and grammar

• Approval workflow routing

• WordPress integration for publishing

• Part of larger Zoho ecosystem

Price: Free for one user. Zoho WorkDrive starts at $2.50 per user per month for teams.

Apache OpenOffice

Best for: Teams wanting a free, open-source document editor with math and illustration capabilities.

Apache OpenOffice streamlines adding mathematical equations and 3D illustrations to documents. Multi-language tools support collaboration across borders, though the user interface feels dated compared to modern alternatives.

Key features:

• Easy addition of mathematical equations

• 3D illustration creation

• Multi-language support

• Completely free and open-source

Price: Free.

Best Google Docs alternatives for knowledge management and wikis

If your team needs to build interconnected documentation, internal wikis, or searchable knowledge bases, these tools go beyond simple document editing to help you organize institutional knowledge.

Notion

Best for: Teams that want a flexible workspace combining documents, databases, wikis, and project management.

Notion has become popular for its all-in-one approach, letting teams build custom workflows with connected databases, wikis, and documents. Its block-based editor makes it easy to embed tables, kanban boards, and calendars within documents.

The learning curve can be steep, and teams sometimes struggle with information architecture as their workspace grows. Notion works best when someone takes ownership of organizing the structure.

Key features:

• Flexible block-based editor

• Connected databases and relational content

• Templates for various use cases

• API for custom integrations

Price: Free tier available. Paid plans start at $10 per user per month.

Nuclino

Best for: Teams that want a wiki-like knowledge base with easy linking between documents.

Nuclino takes a different approach to document organization by letting you link related files together for a wiki-like effect. Instead of just storing documents in folders, you can search across related content and link to one document within another.

This works well for building interconnected knowledge bases, though Nuclino scales back on some formatting features to enable its linking capabilities.

Key features:

• Wiki-style document linking

• Easy cross-referencing between documents

• Searchable knowledge database

• Clean, minimal interface

Price: Free tier available. Paid plan costs $6 per user per month.

Coda

Best for: Teams wanting to combine documents with tables, automation, and embedded media.

Coda lets you create documents with embedded tables, videos, and automated workflows. Task creation uses the familiar "@" mention syntax, and automation capabilities go beyond what typical document tools offer.

Font options are limited compared to dedicated word processors.

Key features:

• Embedded tables and videos

• Task automation

• AI-powered work assistant

• Building block approach to documents

Price: Free basic plan. Paid plans start at $10 per Doc Maker per month.

If tracking meeting decisions, action items, and context across your team sounds challenging with traditional document tools, you're not alone. Fellow was built specifically to solve this problem by turning every conversation into searchable intelligence.

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Best Google Docs alternatives for CRM and project tool integration

If your documentation needs to flow directly into Salesforce, ClickUp, or other business systems, these tools offer native integrations that keep your documents connected to your workflows.

Quip

Best for: Salesforce teams that need collaborative documents integrated with their CRM.

Quip is designed specifically for Salesforce customers, enabling sales teams to collaborate on documents from any device with real-time chat built in. The offline editing works reliably, and you can view all document changes in a news-feed-style interface.

The main limitation is basic formatting options, which makes Quip less suitable for complex document layouts.

Key features:

• Real-time chat with document collaborators

• Seamless offline editing

• Native Salesforce integration

• News feed of recent document changes

Price: Starts at $10 per user per month.

ClickUp Docs

Best for: Teams already using ClickUp for project management who want integrated documentation.

ClickUp Docs provides rich text editing with real-time collaboration, connected directly to ClickUp's task and project features. Documents can link to tasks, use relationships, and include nested pages for hierarchical organization.

Key features:

• Real-time collaboration with rich text editing

• Direct connection to ClickUp tasks and projects

• Nested pages for document hierarchy

• Comment assignment to team members

Price: Free Forever Plan available. Paid plans start at $7 per user per month.

Dropbox Paper

Best for: Teams already using Dropbox who want integrated document collaboration.

Dropbox Paper combines document creation with coordination features. A virtual assistant alerts you to newly shared documents and upcoming deadlines, and assigned tasks can include due dates. The annotation tools are extensive, though formatting options remain basic.

Key features:

• Virtual assistant for deadline and sharing alerts

• Task assignment with due dates

• Extensive annotation capabilities

• Integration with Dropbox storage

Price: Free with any Dropbox account. Team plans start at $12.99 per user per month.

Best Google Docs alternatives for privacy and security

If data privacy and encryption are top priorities for your team, these tools offer stronger security guarantees than standard collaboration platforms.

CryptPad

Best for: Teams prioritizing end-to-end encryption and data privacy.

CryptPad encrypts documents so only you and your collaborators can access the content. It includes in-document chat and embeddable sharing links. The main drawback is limited free storage (1GB compared to Google Docs' 15GB).

Key features:

• End-to-end encryption

• In-document chat tools

• Embeddable document links

• Open-source codebase

Price: Free plans available. Premium plans from €5 to €15 per month.

How do these Google Docs alternatives compare?

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Google Docs?

For general document collaboration, Apache OpenOffice and the free tiers of Notion, Nuclino, and Coda all offer solid capabilities without cost. For meeting documentation specifically, Fellow offers a free plan for teams of 10 or fewer that includes AI transcription, automatic summaries, and searchable meeting notes across all your conversations.

Can AI replace manual note-taking in meetings?

Yes. AI meeting assistants like Fellow automatically record, transcribe, and summarize meetings with accuracy that matches or exceeds manual note-taking. This frees everyone to participate fully in discussions rather than splitting attention between listening and typing. AI also captures details humans often miss and makes everything searchable afterward.

How do I make meeting notes searchable across my organization?

Traditional document tools require manual organization and consistent naming conventions to keep meeting notes findable. An AI meeting assistant like Fellow solves this by automatically creating a searchable library of all your meetings with full transcripts. Use Ask Fellow to query across your entire meeting history with natural language questions like "What did marketing decide about the launch timeline?"

Turn your meetings into searchable intelligence

The right Google Docs alternative depends on your team's specific documentation workflow:

• For meeting documentation: Fellow captures every conversation automatically and makes it searchable

• For traditional word processing: Microsoft Office Online or OnlyOffice deliver familiar editing experiences

• For knowledge management: Notion and Nuclino help build interconnected wikis and databases

• For CRM integration: Quip connects directly to Salesforce workflows

• For privacy-first teams: CryptPad offers end-to-end encryption

For teams where meetings generate the most important decisions, context, and accountability, traditional document tools require tedious manual effort that an AI meeting assistant eliminates entirely.

Fellow captures every critical conversation automatically across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, in-person meetings, and Slack huddles. Use Ask Fellow to query your entire meeting history. Connect meeting intelligence to 50+ tools your team already uses. And do it all with enterprise-grade security: SOC 2 Type II certified, HIPAA compliant, and AI that never trains on your data.

Teams at Shopify, HubSpot, Vidyard, and Motive already use Fellow to turn meetings into shared, searchable intelligence. See how it works for your team.

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