Microsoft Word
The word processor that set the standard, and still sets the terms.
Benchmark review. Giants are reviewed rarely, to show what the tools in the directory are measured against. This one is not listed in the directory or the leaderboard, and it is an example, not a recommendation.
Word is the reason most of us call every document a “Word file”. It sets the standard for word processing, and by the mid-1990s it already held most of the market. The .docx format is an open international standard that other programs read, but formatting often shifts when a document leaves Word, and the software itself is proprietary.
Microsoft sells it mostly through a Microsoft 365 subscription that includes its Copilot AI features. A one-time Office purchase still exists, but those perpetual versions miss features added to the subscription. Word does its job superbly, which earns it a 4 on Delivery, and it shows how a tool can be excellent and still leave you with little say. Compare it with the writing tools in the directory.