Microsoft has introduced various software and which are amongst the most useful software available to date. Such software helps us to create various content and those include MS Excel, MS Word, MS WordPad, MS PowerPoint, etc. But here, we are going to talk about MS Word and WordPad only. People often get confused between them as they sound almost the same but their jobs and other related things are poles apart from each other.
MS Word vs MS WordPad
The main difference between MS Word and WordPad is that their features differ from each other. We can distinctly say that MS Word has comparatively more text-editing features than WordPad. And on the other hand, WordPad only comes with basic and simple editing techniques.
Microsoft Word or also known as MS Word is a computer program that has been established by the Microsoft Corporation. Generally, MS Word is used to write and publish documents formally. The documents can easily be saved and if necessary can be edited and put forward.
On the other hand, MS WordPad refers to the application established for basic writing and editing purposes. In WordPad the users can write, edit, insert pictures, etc. It is comparatively easier to use.
Comparison Table Between MS Word and MS WordPad
| Parameters of Comparison | MS Word | MS WordPad |
| Feature | MS Word has more features. | There are comparatively lesser features in the MS WordPad than the MS Word. |
| License | The license for MS Word is the Trialware. | Freemium is the licensing eligibility for the MS WordPad. |
| Establishment | On 25th October 1983 MS Word was launched for the first time. | Many years ago, in the year 1989 MS WordPad came into force. |
| Stable Release | The stable release of MS Word has been put forward on 22nd December 2021. | The MS WordPad has been released in stable form on the date 14th December 2021. |
| Password | In MS Word, the users are allowed to protect their documents by setting passwords. | The password feature is absent in the MS WordPad. |
What is MS Word?
We all know about word processors, and MS Word is one of the leading word processors which was established by the Microsoft Corporation in the year, 1983 and on the day of 25th October. Here, one can write and edit several data as per their requirements. The users can insert pictures, graphs, pie charts, etc. Generally, MS word is used for both professional as well as unprofessional work. Therefore, it has a great significance in the technological world. Initially, it was established in the computers but gradually it started to take a great pace and now it can be installed in several other devices such as laptops, phones, tablets, etc.
Initially, there were several operating systems of MS Word, but the current one that is being used is Office 365. Also, it has come to be known that Trialware is the license used by MS Word. It is not free software, one needs to install it. And, the MS Word document is generally saved by the file extensions as .docx and Open Document Text .odt. Also, one can even secure their files by using passwords, and therefore the data is not stolen easily.
As we all have come to know that MS Word is a leading word processor but at the same time there are various flaws in itself. But first, a few advantages of MS Word are that it is easily available on various platforms, reliable software, comes with tons of features, contains mail merging features, etc. On the other hand, the disadvantages are that it makes it a bit below standard as it is not free software, a bit complex to use, larger files, etc.
What is MS WordPad?
WordPad refers to the software where the users can write and edit their text. It is widely used to pen down their thoughts or other important text. It is easy and handy to use. Therefore, making it more obvious to use by everyone. It uses the license which is known to be Freemium. Its been 33 years since the advent of WordPad took place that is in the year 1989. And recently on 14th December 2021, its stable release was launched. It was introduced by Microsoft. And it’s been working perfectly.
The Operating System for MS WordPad is known to be Windows 95. And, people can use it for free, this is because it is initially comes installed on the devices. The documents in an MS WordPad are allowed to save it in the form of Rich Text Format (RTF) or plain-text-files .txt. People love to use it as it is easy to use.
There are both advantages and disadvantages of MS WordPad. WordPad is easy to use, free of cost, it processes fast, etc are some noticeable advantages of MS WordPad. And on the other hand, the disadvantages of MS WordPad include things like the Mac users can not use WordPad, comes with fewer features, etc.
Main Differences Between MS Word and MS WordPad
- MS Word is constituted with several features while on the other hand, MS WordPad has limited and lesser features.
- MS Word is run based upon the Trialware license while on the other hand, MS WordPad uses Freemium license.
- For the first time, on 25th October 1983, MS Word was put forward to the market while on the other hand, WordPad established its roots in the year 1989.
- On 22nd December 2021, MS Word has been updated and released in a stable form while on the other hand, the stable release of WordPad was initiated on 14th December 2021.
- The MS Word files can be secured by setting passwords in them while on the other hand, we can not do the same for MS WordPad.
Conclusion
Microsoft Word and WordPad are two such software that enables its users to write and edit any sort of content with themselves. Nowadays, such software is not only available on computers or laptops but on our smartphones as well. Such applications when downloaded on the phones help the person in various manners. When they want to write and edit, they can carry their files in their respective smartphones and hence making it easy to incorporate things together. The MS Word and WordPad files are easily transferable as well. It is amongst the useful software that has been developed by Microsoft Incorporation.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6200764/
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3279996.3280006