WPS and Office are two of the most commonly used productivity software in the digital office age, with billions of users globally. Whether you're a student, teacher, or professional, you're likely interacting with one of these platforms regularly. But have you ever wondered what the relationship and differences between WPS and Office are? This article will break it down for you.

8 Key Differences Between WPS and Office

1. Different Development Companies

WPS is an office software developed by China's Kingsoft Corporation, first launched in 1989 as the world's first Chinese-based word processing software. Microsoft Office, on the other hand, is a suite of office software developed by the American tech giant Microsoft, originating from the Word 1.0 software developed for Apple's Mac computers in 1984.

2. Different Software Suites

WPS typically includes applications like WPS Writer, WPS Spreadsheet, WPS Presentation, WPS PDF, and Kingsoft Docs. In contrast, MS Office includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher, Visio, Project, SharePoint, among others.

3. Supported Operating Systems

WPS supports iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, and online web-based collaborative documents. Microsoft Office, while not natively supported on Linux, is available on all other platforms WPS supports.

4. Software Size

WPS has a smaller installation package, usually only taking up a few hundred megabytes of disk space, and it starts up faster. MS Office, however, is larger, taking several gigabytes of space and requiring longer installation times.

5. Functionality and Performance

WPS offers a more localized experience for Chinese users, with user-friendly features and templates that enhance convenience. However, WPS can lag when dealing with large data sets, such as Excel sheets with thousands of rows. MS Office, though it has a steeper learning curve, offers more robust features and faster performance when handling large documents.

6. Pricing Models

WPS uses a freemium model where most functions are free for life, with a yearly membership costing 89 RMB, and a super membership at 179 RMB per year. Microsoft Office uses a subscription or one-time purchase model, with Office 365 Personal costing 398 RMB per year and a family plan priced at 498 RMB per year for up to six people. Office 2021 requires a one-time payment of 1998 RMB.

7. Cloud Storage Space

WPS's free version offers 1GB of cloud storage, with 100GB for regular members and 365GB for super members. Microsoft Office provides 5GB of free OneDrive storage, while paid personal users receive 1TB of cloud storage.

8. Software Compatibility

In 1996, Microsoft sought to enter the Chinese market by collaborating with Kingsoft to make WPS and MS Office formats compatible. However, as Windows grew more popular, more users migrated to MS Office, which gradually dropped compatibility with WPS formats. Meanwhile, WPS had to rework its software to be fully compatible with MS Office formats.

By understanding these differences, you can choose the software that best fits your needs, whether it's the streamlined and accessible WPS or the feature-rich Microsoft Office.