When you think of word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, chances are the first thing that comes to mind is the ubiquitous Microsoft Office.

iStock Photo/Erich Spieldiener

No matter where you're working or what kind of computer you're on, you should always be able to access your tools and documents.

Everybody uses Office. It's the industry standard. But it does have some drawbacks. Not only does it tend to be expensive, it can be limiting in terms of workflow.

If you're collaborating on a document, for example, each participant has to have a copy of the software. What's more, it's up to the collaborators to make sure everybody involved has the latest iteration of said document. Also, the document is only accessible on computers that have Microsoft Office installed. Don't even get me started on the compatibility issues between versions of the program.

That's not a terribly intuitive way to work, but most people think there are no other options.

Most people would be wrong.

There are several online suites out there, offering cross-platform portability and online storage. That means your documents are available for viewing and editing from any computer with an Internet connection regardless of whether you're on a Mac or a PC. With these suites, there's no software to download and install. That means you don't have to constantly download patches and updates to take advantage of bug fixes or new features. You're always working with the most up-to-date application.

And there's one other benefit to consider. A big one. Many online suites are free. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Now if that doesn't have you hooked, I don't know what will.

The four major players that I know of -- I'm sure there are others -- are Ajax13, relative newcomer Google Docs and Spreadsheets, well-established ThinkFree Office Online and Zoho Office Suite.

While all four have their upsides (and downsides), if you're looking for the best compatibility with "the real thing," ThinkFree is the way to go.

"We have taken the Microsoft Office compatibility issue very seriously," said Jonathan Crow of ThinkFree, Inc. "We started reverse engineering the file formats in 1999."

That's files, folks, not programs.

ThinkFree got its start with a CD version of its suite in 1999, re-launching online in 2005.

"We realized that networked computing was not only a new paradigm to compete against Microsoft, but also a better way to deliver office functionality," Crow said.

"Basically, what we've found is that a lot of people use different computers in their lives -- a PC at work and a Mac at home. You not only need to be able to access your files on different computers, but also the tools ... anywhere any time, any place."

That's very true.

I actually started using ThinkFree when I was taking a JavaScript course at a local community college. The lab had PCs. I had a Mac. While I did have a flash drive, it didn't make much sense to copy documents back and forth, especially the documents for the group projects. We wasted a lot of time rebuilding files that had been corrupted in e-mail transit. We also had trouble making sure each person had the most recent changes. It made much more sense to store everything in a central location online where everybody could get to the latest version at his or her convenience. Plus we could finally all use the exact same software to update.

ThinkFree came to our rescue.

The ThinkFree suite is made up of three components: Write for word processing, a spreadsheet program called Calc, and Show handles the presentations.

They look, feel and act pretty much just like the Microsoft programs, so the learning curve is practically nil. If you're familiar with Office, you'll do fine with ThinkFree.

ThinkFree.com

I used ThinkFree Write to type up a class final. In Power Edit mode, it looks very much like a Word document. (Click image for a better look.)

Write offers two modes for editing -- Quick Edit and Power Edit. Quick Edit is exactly what it sounds like. It's a bit like WordPad -- quick-and-dirty word processing without a lot of formatting features. Power Edit is more robust, very much like the Word we all know and ... whatever.

"If you need the rich formatting or the feature set of Microsoft Word, Write is what you want," Crow said.

There are a few things ThinkFree doesn't support. You cannot, for example, embed a spreadsheet into a word processing document and then make changes to the spreadsheet. You can embed the spreadsheet. You just can't link it. You also cannot track changes or embed audio and video, although Crow said those features are very in demand.

"Those are two things we're vigorously working on," he said.

Uploading documents couldn't be easier. You don't have to recreate them to get them into ThinkFree world. And once they're stored in your My Office, you have the option to make them public or keep them private. Changes in the past year or so give you more control over your documents than ever.

One thing you do need to be aware of is that because you're working online, there can sometimes be a bit of a lag. It's not huge, but it is there. It takes a few seconds for the applications to load up. It takes a few seconds to save documents. If you're used to working on a speedy computer, you'll notice it, but it's not at all prohibitive.

More than just the applications' functionality -- ThinkFree has that part down already -- the company is focusing on collaboration in the form of ThinkFree Docs.

"It's social networking for office documents," Crow said.

ThinkFree.com

The collaboration of ThinkFree Docs is a big part of ThinkFree's future. (Click image for a closer look.)

"We've seen people sharing recipes, publishing scripts. But also in the SMB [small/medium business] space, we've seen people publish marketing materials, fliers, sales presentations. Being able to publish that to their Web site has been particularly helpful [to them]."

ThinkFree Online has about 300,000 users, and ThinkFree Docs has been picking up steam over the past six months or so, turning around thousands of documents online.

"There's some use in putting thing out there and making it publicly available," Crow said, "but where I see it becoming more useful is in more defined groups. The next release is going to offer some way to have categories that are defined by users. There's a group of documents and a group of users who will be able to have discussions around the documents."

Crow believes that kind of interaction among users is a big part of the future for ThinkFree Online and ThinkFree Docs.

More than just a free and easily accessible service, collaboration is key.

ThinkFree.com

All of your documents are available from the Webtop. (Click image for a closer look.)

"A lot of what we've heard is on the collaboration side," Crow said. "It's saved users an enormous amount of time and energy, being able to collaborate on a document with people far and wide. People have saved a lot of money in going off Microsoft Office."

ThinkFree is gearing up to release a premium edition, that will allow users to create and edit documents offline, then log on and sync them up.

"It's also going to allow the bulk archiving of files. You can zip them up and save them to a CD, so you'll always have a snapshot," Crow explained. "We're also going to offer unlimited storage. We're still going to have restriction on uploading files. The idea is we want to make sure people aren't uploading their DVD collections. ... We want to make sure people aren't using it as a backup hard drive."

The premium edition will also include priority e-mail support.

At cost of $7 per user per month or $70 annually, it's still cheaper than Microsoft Office, especially if you're looking at buying multiple licenses.

So, with the premium version on the horizon, will that free version with its 1 gigabyte of storage go away?

"Absolutely not," said Crow.

If you're looking for a way to cut the ties between you and a single computer, ThinkFree Office Online is an excellent way to go. It's perfect for sharing documents -- whatever those documents are -- whether you're talking about a single user on multiple computers or far-flung collaborators.

You can't beat the functionality, especially for the price.

ThinkFree truly takes Office out of the office.

Log on and let me know what you think!