Whether you're a college student doing research or a professional drafting up proposals, these are the very best document editing apps for iPad!
The iPad is a great writing utility and that includes editing and drafting documents, no matter what kind of work you do. From embedding images and charts to writing a term paper for college, there are lots of App Store apps for iPad that specialize in document creation and editing. Not sure which one is right for you? Follow along for a list of my current favorites and who I think they're best suited for!
Pages
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Pages is part of Apple's iWork suite and focuses strictly on creating and editing documents. You can quickly and easily create invoices, resumes, outlines, and much more. You can also embed shapes and charts in just a few taps that are easy to manipulate and work with. All of your documents can also be stores in iCloud so you can access them on any other iOS device or Mac exactly as you left them on your iPad.
If you want a complete solution across iOS and OS X or prefer something with an easy to learn and use experience, look no further than Pages.
- Free w/ new iPads
- $9.99 - Download Now
Google Drive
Google Drive is Google's own documents suite which lives on the web. You can access it in any browser and through the Google Drive app for iPad. That includes being able to view and edit text documents you create in your Google Drive. You can also invite others to collaborate or view your documents in just a few taps.
If you share a lot of documents or already live and breathe Google services, Google Drive is your best choice.
- Free - Download Now
POLARIS Office 5
POLARIS Office 5 is a complete office suites that lets you edit and create documents as well as spreadsheets. You can link in your cloud storage services and pull your documents directly from them for viewing and editing in POLARIS. Once you're done, just save them up and you're good to go. As far as document editing is concerned, you can also import images and shapes from your Camera Roll to documents.
If you want an office suite that can pull from all cloud storage services, including Google Drive, check out POLARIS Office 5.
- $12.99 - Download Now
GoDocs
GoDocs was built for use strictly with Google Docs and in order to use it, you'll need to have a Google account. Your documents are then saved and synced between Google Docs and GoDocs. The thing I really like about GoDocs is that it gives you the flexibility of viewing documents in either desktop or mobile versions since it essentially loads Google Docs inside the main frame of the app. That also means you get all the benefits of Google Drive on the web.
If you use Google Docs but don't particularly care for Google's official offerings, be sure to give GoDocs a try.
- $4.99 - Download Now
Documents to Go
Documents to Go is also a complete office suite, much like POLARIS Office. You can pair it with the desktop application in order to wirelessly sync documents to and from. Documents to Go also supports sync with iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud services through their premium version. When it comes to actually editing documents, the interface is simple enough that anyone can pick it up and use it.
For a simple interface that's easy to use and can sync with many services, including the desktop — Documents to Go is worth a hard look.
- $9.99 - Standard version - Download Now
- $16.99 - Premium version - Download Now
Documents 5 by Readdle
Documents 5 by Readdle does not have editing capabilities for documents but it's one of the best document management suites around. It supports many different file types for viewing and acts as a central hub for many of Readdle's most popular products including Scanner Pro, Printer Pro, and more.
If you're only looking to manage and share existing documents on your iPad and don't need to edit them, Documents 5 by Readdle is hands down the best choice - especially if you're already using other Readdle products.
- Free - Download Now
Microsoft Word for iPad
Microsoft Word for iPad was just recently released and is Microsoft's official version. You can open and view Word documents for free but to create, edit, and manage them — you need an Office 365 subscription which costs $120 a year. After that, you'll get all the functionality you get from the Office 365 version of Word.
If you're used to Microsoft Word, prefer it, and don't mind forking over some cash, you can finally have Microsoft Word on your iPad.
- Free - Download Now
Your picks?
If you create, edit, and manage documents on your iPad, what apps do you use? And if you're using something other than what's listed above, be sure to let me know why!
