Quip
Quip review. It’s quite a good word processor on the desktop, but the app version is disappointing.
The king of word processors is undoubtedly MS Word, but there are more varieties of word processors on the market than you might think. And since these apps need to differentiate themselves from MS Word, they have naturally equipped themselves with their own unique features. This app differentiates itself by somewhat integrating word processing and spreadsheets, while emphasizing collaboration features. This is a Quip.
Table of Contents
- Quip review. It’s quite a good word processor on the desktop, but the app version is disappointing.
- In fact, purely in terms of functionality, it’s quite lacking as a word processor and as a writing app.
- One could consider Quip as a word processor that arrived at the right time.
- It’s great that Quip is available for free!
- It’s a word processor that lacks a sense of progress, which is disappointing.
- Quip Conclusion
In fact, purely in terms of functionality, it’s quite lacking as a word processor and as a writing app.
The ability to collaborate might have been an advantage in the past, nevertheless, it’s quite good on the desktop.
This app is quite popular and has a considerable number of users. It is one of the software offerings from the company Salesforce. This company offers various tools that are likely to be used by businesses. For individual users like me, they can be excessive and almost pointless, but globally, they seem to have quite a few users. That’s why it inevitably has a lot of users.
Since Salesforce is quite expensive, it makes sense to use other products from the same company, given that you’re already paying a high price. However, in contrast, performing the app version is quite disappointing. Both the Android and iOS versions are disappointing.
Quip positions itself as a word processor, but many of its related features are quite lacking. It really has all the basics, but it feels like that’s all there is. MS Word might stutter a bit in the app when documents get too long, but the feel of writing alone makes it quite good. However, Quip honestly lacks functionality. When you use it, it supports basic formatting like markdown.
Overall, it gives a similar vibe to Dropbox Paper, but while Dropbox Paper feels like it has unleashed potential by breaking out of the paper mold, Quip doesn’t quite reach that level. It functions as a basic word processor, but the ability to insert impressive-looking spreadsheets into documents suggests its aim to be an integrated word processor.
As you all know, in word processor like MS Word, tables are just for document readability, and they really aren’t suitable for things like calculating formulas, right? Still, Quip’s table feature is powerful. Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect Excel-level tables, but still, it provides a table feature that serves as a spreadsheet to some extent.
However, there are too many shortcomings, such as not showing document information and lacking objective performance. Fortunately, the desktop version is better. This aspect also feels similar to Dropbox Paper. This one also has a rather poor Android app.
The app version doesn’t have many features, but on the desktop, you can easily add things like Kanban boards, calendars, and project trackers. When you think about it, it seems like an impressive tool that functions as a collaboration tool while also integrating word processing and spreadsheets. The problem is that there is a formidable competitor called “Notion.” A perfect alternative that can do everything mentioned in this paragraph…
One could consider Quip as a word processor that arrived at the right time.
The time when this app was released coincided with Evernote gradually losing its features and reputation. Evernote used to be the undisputed champion on smartphones and the web, but as the app became increasingly sluggish, other competitors emerged. We can roughly categorize many of the apps that came out into two primary groups.
The first category includes apps like Notion and OneNote, which replaced Evernote by offering similar features. The second category comprises apps like Quip, Coda, Dropbox Paper, and broadly, Google Docs, which have the characteristics of word processors but facilitate collaboration. You could say that these apps in this category also serve as a replacement for MS Word in a way.
However, as we all know, MS Word is the go-to app for practically everyone, except perhaps in South Korea, for real offline office work… Instead, these apps prioritize web usability over document printing capabilities, which sets them apart. It’s about word processors that can break free from the constraints of traditional paper formats.
However, now the trend has already passed. Evernote itself has undergone many updates and has improved quite a bit, and now writing apps like Obsidian, based on the Second Brain method, have also somewhat passed their peak. Now that the pandemic is ending and businesses are returning to in-person formats, the demand for these web-based word processors, which were in demand during the COVID-19 era when startups and similar companies were conducting a lot of remote work, might decrease.
Of course, with Salesforce users, there are likely many people actually using Quip. However, with very infrequent app updates and seemingly less support than before, one might wonder if it’s not receiving as much attention as it used to be .
It’s great that Quip is available for free!
On the official website, there are high-priced subscription plans…
One of its noteworthy advantages is that you can use most of its features for free. No, the basic use of this product is just free. The official website lists some rather expensive subscription plans, but those prices probably apply to group usage, and for individual use, there aren’t many restrictions. That’s a beneficial aspect. Being under Salesforce, it’s likely that they expect little revenue solely from this product.
It’s a word processor that lacks a sense of progress, which is disappointing.
The app, as mentioned earlier, also lacks frequent updates. Unlike MS Word, which receives frequent updates, Quip lacks them because its primary development goal was not profit, which is quite disappointing. Judging from the official website alone, they seemed to have put some effort into it and had some ambitions, but at least now, that’s not apparent at all… Frankly, even though I’ve known about this app for some time and have used it, if I were currently looking for writing tools, I’m not sure if I would choose to use this app. That’s quite disappointing…
Quip Conclusion
Good point
- On desktop, it’s still decent.
- It integrates well with various tools like word processors and spreadsheets.
- It seems to be available for personal use for free.
Bad point
- It’s not good on mobile devices.
- As a writing app, it leaves much to be desired.
- The updates are very infrequent.
