Google Docs alternative

A private, offline Google Docs alternative for your own documents

Google Docs is free, runs in any browser and is still the easiest way to write a document together with other people. Koru is a free, open-source, native desktop app for the documents you write yourself: they stay in a local database on your own devices, work fully offline with no account, and sync directly between your computers. If you write with a team every day, stay on Google Docs. If most of your documents are your own, Koru imports them straight from Google Docs.

Download Koru - free See the roadmap

Why people look for a Google Docs alternative

Your documents live in your Google account

Google Docs keeps your documents in Google Drive, tied to your Google account. For shared work that is the point. For journals, drafts and anything personal, some people would rather the only copy lived on their own devices.

Offline is something you set up

Google's offline mode is mature, but you turn it on first: in Chrome or Microsoft Edge, with the Google Docs Offline extension, while you are still online. Your most recent files are saved for offline use, and you mark others one by one.

AI is part of the package

Google is building Gemini into Docs and the rest of Workspace. Plenty of people like that. Others want a place to write that has no AI built in at all.

A browser tab, not an app

On a computer, Google Docs runs in the browser. If you would rather keep your writing in a desktop app that opens from your own disk, separate from your browser tabs, Docs is not built for that.

Koru and Google Docs, side by side

Feature	Koru	Google Docs
Price	Free. No account and no trial. Device-to-device sync is free; optional cloud sync is $9.99/month for 100 GB.	Free with a Google account, including 15 GB of storage shared with Gmail and Google Photos. More storage, and business features through Google Workspace, are paid.
Account	None required.	A Google account.
Where your documents live	In a local database on your device. Works fully offline, with no account required.	In Google Drive, on Google servers.
Offline	Everything, always. There is nothing to turn on or download first.	In Chrome or Edge with the Google Docs Offline extension, once turned on, and in the mobile apps. Recent files are saved automatically; you can mark others.
Sync	Directly between your own devices, peer to peer, built on iroh. Free, with no Koru server required. Optional cloud sync is $9.99/month for 100 GB.	Through Google Drive.
Platforms	Windows and macOS. Linux is on the roadmap. No web app and no phone app.	Any modern web browser, plus apps for Android, iPhone and iPad.
Real-time collaboration	No. Koru is for your own documents today. Collaboration is on the roadmap.	Yes. Several people can edit the same document at once.
Comments and suggestions	No.	Yes: comments and suggested edits.
Sharing	No share links.	Share with people or by link, as viewer, commenter or editor.
AI	No built-in AI. The built-in MCP server lets any MCP client, such as Claude, read and edit your workspace, and coding agents run in terminal tabs.	Gemini features in Docs, depending on your Google plan.
Open source	Open source under MPL-2.0, on GitHub.	No. Proprietary Google software.
Version history	Saved, named versions you can compare.	Version history, with named versions.
Export	Markdown and TextBundle.	Word (.docx), PDF, OpenDocument, rich text, plain text, web page, EPUB and Markdown.

Google Docs details as published on Google Docs's own pages, checked October 21, 2026. Plans change: check their site before you decide.

The differences that matter

Where Google Docs is better

Writing with other people. Google Docs lets several people edit one document at the same time, leave comments, suggest changes and share it with a link. Koru does none of that today. Collaboration is on the roadmap, but if you write with a team every day, Google Docs is the better tool right now.

It is also everywhere. Docs works in any modern browser, has apps for Android, iPhone and iPad, and fits into Gmail, Drive, Calendar and the rest of Google Workspace. It is free with a Google account, and its offline mode in Chrome is mature once you turn it on. Koru runs on Windows and macOS only, with no web or phone app.

Local-first, not offline mode

Google Docs is a cloud service that can keep copies of your files for when you lose your connection. Koru starts from the other end: your workspace is in a local database on your computer, every document is always there, and the network is only for syncing between your devices.

Koru is a native app written in Rust, not a website in a window, so it opens straight from your own disk with nothing to load from a server first. If you like the look of a page, Koru's Page view shows a document on a centered page over a grey canvas, the way Docs does.

Private, with no account

Koru needs no account, so there is nothing to sign in to and nothing uploaded by default. Your computers sync with each other directly, peer to peer over iroh, for free. Both need to be online at the same time to exchange changes, and pictures and files need a direct connection between them. If you want an always-on copy, optional Koru Cloud sync is $9.99/month for 100 GB. It is a separate, proprietary service. A self-hosted sync server is coming soon, and it will be free.

The Koru app is open source under MPL-2.0, so anyone can read the code and check what it does with your documents.

No AI built in, and room for your own tools

Koru has no built-in AI, which makes it a straightforward Google Docs alternative if you don't want AI in your writing app. If you do want AI on your terms, Koru's built-in MCP server runs on your computer, so any MCP client, such as Claude, can read and edit your workspace, and you can run coding agents such as Claude Code in a terminal tab.

Which one fits you

Koru is a good fit if

Most of your documents are your own: notes, drafts, journals, research.
You want everything to work offline, without setting anything up.
You want your documents on your own devices, with no account.
You want a writing app with no AI built in.
You care that the app is open source and exports Markdown.
You work on a Windows PC or a Mac and don't need a phone or web app.

Google Docs may suit you better, for now, if

You write with other people and need real-time editing, comments or suggestions.
You share documents with a link, or send them to people who expect Google Docs.
You need to open your documents in any browser, or on your phone.
Your work runs on Google Workspace, Gmail and Drive.
You want Gemini in your documents.

Missing something you rely on? Tell us at hello@koru.do. What people ask for shapes the roadmap.

Moving from Google Docs to Koru

Koru imports straight from Google Docs. It is the one import that goes online: you sign in with Google and pick documents, and Koru can see only the documents you picked, never your whole Drive.

In Koru, choose Import…, then Google Docs. Your browser opens Google sign-in, which doubles as the document picker.
Pick one or several documents and confirm. Each one is exported as Markdown and imported into Koru.
Or skip the sign-in: in Google Docs, choose File, then Download, then Markdown (.md), and import the .md files into Koru offline with Import…, then Markdown.

What comes across

Headings, lists and tables
Links
Embedded pictures, with the direct Google Docs import
Text formatting such as bold, italic and code

What to know first

Comments, suggestions and version history stay in Google Docs.
Formatting Markdown cannot express, such as fonts, colors and page layout, does not carry over.
The Google sign-in is kept in your system credential store (Windows Credential Manager or macOS Keychain), not in a Koru file.
Shared documents keep their collaborators in Google Docs; Koru is for your own documents.

See all import options

Questions

What is the best Google Docs alternative?

It depends on why you are leaving. If you need to write with other people, another cloud editor is the closer fit. If you want your own documents offline, on your devices and with no account, Koru is built for that. It is free, open source and imports straight from Google Docs.

Is there an offline Google Docs alternative?

Koru is one. Your documents live in a local database on your computer, so everything works with no connection and nothing to turn on first. Google Docs also works offline, in Chrome or Edge with its offline extension, once you have set it up.

Is there a Google Docs alternative with no AI?

Yes. Koru has no built-in AI. If you later want AI to work with your documents, its built-in MCP server lets an MCP client you choose, such as Claude, read and edit your workspace, but nothing happens unless you set that up.

Can I collaborate with others in Koru like in Google Docs?

Not yet. Koru has no real-time editing, comments or share links today. Collaboration is on the roadmap. If you write with a team, Google Docs is the better fit for now.

How do I move my documents from Google Docs to Koru?

Choose Import…, then Google Docs, sign in with Google and pick the documents. Koru can see only the documents you pick. If you prefer not to sign in, download each document from Google Docs as Markdown (.md) and import the files offline.

Is Koru free like Google Docs?

Yes. Koru is free and open source under MPL-2.0, with no account and no trial. Your documents and device-to-device sync never depend on a paid service. Optional cloud sync is $9.99/month for 100 GB.

Does Koru work on Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android?

Koru runs on Windows and macOS. Linux is on the roadmap, and there's no web or phone app yet. If you edit documents on your phone every day, Google Docs is the better fit for now.