Kingsoft WPS Office

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Kingsoft
WPS Office

by Faulkner Staff

Docid: 00021306

Publication Date: 2106

Report Type: PRODUCT

Preview

Kingsoft WPS Office, formerly referred to as Kingsoft Office, is a line
of productivity software that includes three main applications: Writer,
Presentation, and Spreadsheets. Since 2002, Hong Kong-based Kingsoft has
offered software with a similar user interface as Microsoft Office. The
company claims more than 250 million active users in 200 countries, with the
software available for PCs, Macs, Android, iOS, and Linux. WPS
Office 2020 offers a tab-based UI, integration features, personalized
features, and support for PDF.

Description

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Kingsoft’s WPS Office Suite is an open source productivity suite that is
marketed as a free or significantly cheaper alternative to three of the
applications included within Microsoft Office.

Marketing its software in Hong Kong, China, and Japan since 2002,
Kingsoft is now targeting its WPS Suite at Western markets, particularly
within the home and small-business user segment. These free and low-cost
versions look and operate much like Microsoft Office, with much of the
same document format support, editing capabilities, and extraneous
features.

Vendor

Name: Kingsoft
Headquarters
Unit 1309A, 13/F, Cable TV Tower, No. 9 Hoi Shing Road, Tsuen
Wan, N.T., Hong Kong
Phone: (86) 010-62927777
Fax: (86) 010-82325757
Web: http://www.ksosoft.com/
Type of Vendor: Software Provider
Founded: 1988
Service Areas: Asia

Productivity Applications and Features. WPS’s trio of
applications include word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation
software similar to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. All three are
compatible with Microsoft’s document format for their Office counterpart.

Editions. For its 2013 Office Suite, Kingsoft introduced
two editions: Professional and Free. It now offers WPS Office 10
Personal (Free) and Business (Premium) Editions. This dual availability
has continued through the company’s latest edition.WPS Premium Template is
also offered, providing unlimited downloads. It offers cross platform
support (Windows, Mac, Android and IOS).

According to Kingsoft, it offers the free version as well as its iOS and
Android apps in order to attract Western users with a preview of what the
software can do. In the case of the company’s Android and iOS editions,
this means a lightweight version of the full Office Suite, accessible by
smartphone and tablet users alike. WPS Office Cloud is also offered, which
automatically syncs files to online storage and other devices.

In June 2016, Kingsoft released Freemium, or sponsored access of the
product, which allows full access to all of WPS Office’s features and
functionality with no subscription required.

WPS Office 2020 offers a
tab-based UI, integration features, personalized features, and support for
PDF.

Table 1 outlines key editions of the WPS Office Suite.

Table 1. WPS Office Suite
Edition	Description	Features
WPS Office Personal (Free)	WPS Office Suite Free is compatible with all of the latest Microsoft Office file formats. It includes: Kingsoft Writer Kingsoft Presentation Kingsoft Spreadsheets	Compatible with Microsoft Office file formats Automatic spell check Convert office to PDF format Multiple document tabs Watermark support Document encryption Humanized table operation Keyboard shortcuts UK English spell checker .docx format support
WPS Office Business (Premium)	WPS Office Suite Professional is compatible with all of the latest Microsoft Office file formats. It includes: Kingsoft Writer Kingsoft Presentation Kingsoft Spreadsheets	Compatible with Microsoft Office file formats Automatic spell check Convert office to PDF format Multiple document tabs Support for the company’s CommandBar API Document encryption Humanized table operation Multiple color schemes Interface can switch between a format similar to Microsoft Office 2010’s ribbon-style, or traditional Able to restrict editing and formatting changes Improved Find and Replace operation
WPS Office Professional	Supports: DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, XLT, XLTX, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX, PDF, TXT, HTML, RTF, DOT, DOTX, ET, ETT, POT, POTX, DPS, DPT, WPS, WPT,	Includes Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets Comes with over 230 fonts Hundreds of free templates Includes advanced animation, slide transitions, and support for video, images, audio and Flash Supports password and read/write permissions Supports English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Russian
WPS Office for Android	WPS Free Office for Android is designed for cell phones and tablet devices running the Android OS (2.1 or later versions). Kingsoft free Office for Android allows users to create, view, and edit all Microsoft documents. Writer for Android Spreadsheets for Android Presentation for Android Kingsoft also offers a version of its Android edition that is specifically tailored to run on Samsung’s Galaxy Note series of Phablets. The software is nearly identical with some user interface changes to take advantage of the unusually large amount of screen real estate.	Desktop Widget File manager Input file formats: Microsoft Office 97 to 2010 formats: .doc, .docx, .txt, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt and .pptx Output file formats: Microsoft Word and Excel 97 to 2003 formats: .doc, .txt and .xls; Microsoft PPT 97 to 2010 formats: .ppt and .pptx Share documents using email and cloud storage Open, view and send email attachments Upload and download files on Box.net. Other features include Thumbnail, and a desktop widget with document preview and editing
WPS Office for iOS	WPS Office for iOS is offered for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It is compatible with Microsoft Office and Google Docs. It supports English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. Users can access documents directly from Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and OneDrive.	Writer is compatible with Microsoft Word Supports .doc and .txt Supports track changes, comments and spell check Rich text and paragraph formatting features Find and replace Presentation is compatible with Microsoft Powerpoint Users can insert images into their presentation View notes in presenter mode Touch controlled laser pointer Ink feature lets users draw on slides Spreadsheets is compatible with Microsoft Excel Open multiple worksheets at the same time Filter and sort rows and columns Freeze Panes and advanced formulas
WPS Office for Linux	WPS Office for Linux is compatible with Fedora, CentOS, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Mint, and Knoppix. It supports 32 and 64 bit systems and is compatible with Microsoft Office. It offers spell check available in over 10 different languages and is supported by open source community.	Compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint Insert photos, videos, custom animation Create graphs, charts, and tables Open multiple presentations in one window using Tabs Rich text, page,and paragraph formatting features Collaborate with others using track changes and comments Drag and Drop paragraph adjustment tool Compatible with Microsoft Excel Worksheets supports functions for finance, statistics, IT, engineering Auto-fit cells to content Includes 100 common functions and formulas Auto-contract condenses and summarizes cells with large volumes of content

Strengths

WPS Office is an affordable software option for individuals and small- or
home-office users. The free and low-cost productivity software is fully
compatible with Microsoft Office file formats and offers similar and
distinct features.

Limitations

Kingsoft, based in Hong Kong, only offers sales support through a Hong
Kong-based phone number. A customer service support number is not
advertised. Technical support is available only through an email address
that promises a reply within one full business day. This does not stand up
well to the ample support options offered by US-based, budget-minded,
productivity suites like Google Apps.

Applications

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Kingsoft WPS Office Suite is intended for both business and personal use.
While it integrates with Microsoft’s enterprise applications, its lack of
technical support may mean that it is not ready for full-scale deployments
at large businesses or enterprises, particularly if that business does not
have a full time IT staff to deal with any issues that may arise from the
software. WPS Office’s applications are described in further detail below.

Writer

WPS Writer – marketed to business users – is compatible with Microsoft
Word, and can read and edit .DOC and .DOCX formats, as well as several
other common word processing formats. Writer includes all of the features
present in word processor Writer Free , such as an automatic spell check,
a PDF converter, document encryption, and multiple tabs. The professional
version also contains additions such as a new interface, a paragraph
adjustment tool, a table adjustment function, the ability to restrict
editing and formatting changes, and a cover page setting.

Figure 1 illustrates WPS Office Writer templates.

Figure 1. WPS Office Writer

Source: Kingsoft

Spreadsheets

WPS Office Spreadsheets is designed for both personal data-analysis needs
and professional data processing. It is compatible with Microsoft Excel
file formats, including .xls or .xlsx .et, .txt, .csv, .pdf, and .dbf, and
supports more than 100 commonly used formulas.

Figure 2 depicts WPS Office Spreadsheets’ user interface.

Figure 2. WPS Office Spreadsheets

Source: Kingsoft

Presentation

WPS Office Presentation includes all of the industry-standard features
for presentation software, including slide templates, artistic
backgrounds, dynamic transitions, and the ability to support animation and
sound within slides. Kingsoft Presentation Professional is compatible with
Microsoft PowerPoint file formats, and possesses a nearly identical
interface and range of features. It can not only import and export
PowerPoint files, but also produce .dps and .pdf files, making delivery
through removable media, or sharing over the Internet easier.

Figure 3 illustrates WPS Office for Mac Presentation interface.

Figure 3. WPS Office for Mac Presentation

Source: Kingsoft

Office for Android and iOS

WPS Office Free for Android and iOS can be downloaded by users directly to
their smartphones or tablets, allowing basic viewing and editing of
productivity application files on-the-go.

Environment

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WPS Office Suite is designed for use on laptops and desktops using
Microsoft Windows and Mac operating environments. Kingsoft also offers
versions for Android smartphones and tablets.

Table 2 outlines the operating environments for Kingsoft Office Suite’s
product line.

Table 2. Kingsoft Office Suite – Operating Environment
	Operating Environment
WPS Office Writer	Compatible with all Microsoft Word files: Input file formats:(97/2000/2003/2007/2010) doc, dot, dotx and docx ; Output file formats:(97/2000/2003) .doc and dot format. Required Operating System: Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Windows Vista (32bit, 64bit) / Windows 7 (32 bit, 64 bit) / Windows 8 (32 bit, 64 bit), Windows 10 (32 bit, 64 bit) CPU: Pentium II 266 MHz or higher Memory: at least 128 MB Hardware: at least 200 MB available space Recommended Configurations: CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher Memory: 256 MB or larger Hardware: 250 MB available
WPS Office Spreadsheets	Compatible with all Microsoft Excel files: Input file formats:(97/2000/2003/2007/2010) .xls, .xlsx, .et; Output file formats:(97/2000/2003) .xls, .csv , .et and more. Required Operating System: Mac, Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Windows Vista (32 bit, 64 bit) / Windows 7(32 bit, 64 bit) / Windows 8 (32 bit, 64 bit), Windows 10 (32 bit, 64 bit) CPU: Pentium II 266 MHz or higher Memory: at least 128 MB Hardware: at least 200 MB available space Recommended Configurations: CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher Memory: 256 MB or larger Hardware: 250 MB available
WPS Office Presentation	Compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint files: Input file formats:(97/2000/2003/2007/2010) .ppt, .pptx and .dps ; Output file formats:(97/2000/2003) .ppt and .pds format. Required Operating System: Mac, Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Windows Vista (32 bit, 64 bit) / Windows 7 (32 bit, 64 bit) / Windows 8 (32 bit, 64 bit), Windows 10 (32 bit, 64 bit) Basic Configurations: CPU: Pentium II 266 MHz or higher Memory: at least 128 MB Hardware: at least 200 MB available space Recommended Configurations: CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher Memory: 256 MB or larger Hardware: 250 MB available
WPS Office for Android/iOS Free	Hardware requirements: Any cell phone or tablet that is capable of running on the Android OS (2.1 and above) and iOS will support Kingsoft Office. Software requirements: The cell phone or tablet must support the Android OS (2.1 and above).

Support

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WPS Office offers technical support via a limited online knowledge base,
and through email. Customers in need of assistance must write to the
appropriate email address for the product in question, and should receive
a response within 24 hours. This service is the same, regardless of
whether the customer is using a free or paid version of the Kingsoft
software in question.

Kingsoft offers an email-based support center touting a one business-day
turnaround. For Office for Windows support, users can email officesupport@kingsoft.com;
for Office for Android support, users can email mofficesupport@kingsoft.com.
Kingsoft’s Support Center also offers a Knowledge Base and Q & A
pages.

Pricing

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Kingsoft offers its software as low- and no-cost downloads. A WPS Office
Premium Annual License is $29.99 per year, and WPS Office Lifetime License
is $119.99 for Windows. WPS Template Premium is $55.99 per year. It offers
unlimited downloads and cross platform support.

Competitors

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Kingsoft’s higher-end competitors for office and smartphone productivity
software include Microsoft Office and Apple iWork. Low-cost and free
competitors include Google Docs, OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice (a branch-off
from OpenOffice.org) and others.

Web Links

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Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/
Kingsoft: http://www.ksosoft.com/
LibreOffice: http://www.libreoffice.org/
Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/
OpenOffice.org: http://www.openoffice.org/
WPS Office: http://www.wps.com/

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