Top iPad Office Apps -- Winter 2012 Edition

The iPad is more than a content consumption device as many can attest. There is no official Microsoft Office suite for the iPad but the apps on this short list of office suites go a long way to fill that void.

Apple's Office suite is not really a suite, consisting of three separate apps that are not only full-function office apps but also work with Microsoft Office documents.

The other apps covered in this edition work with various cloud services making it easy to access documents wherever they may be stored.

These apps will not replace the full Office suite, like that in Windows RT, but for those working with basic documents they are more than adequate enough for most users.

Numbers

The Numbers app is a full word processor that makes creating complex spreadsheets fun to do on the iPad. It can input Microsoft Excel documents for editing on the iPad but may lose complex formatting when taken back to Office on Windows.

$9.99

Keynote

The Keynote app is a full presentation app that makes creating attractive presentations easy on the iPad. It can input Microsoft Powerpoint documents for editing on the iPad but may lose complex formatting when taken back to Office on Windows.

$9.99

Google Drive

Those using Google Docs in the cloud can work with them using the Google Drive app on the iPad. It provides access to Google's cloud service and the word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation apps now integrated into the app. It is the most basic office suite on this list but is free.

This screenshot shows a spreadsheet being edited.

Free

TouchDocs

This app puts a pretty face on the Google Drive apps for those preferring a better touch interface. It only works with the Google Drive service and replaces the Google office apps in Google Drive. It is a much better way to work with Google Drive docs.

$3.99

Documents To Go Premium

This is one of the top office suites for the iPad with good functionality coupled with the ability to handle most Office documents. It can't handle very complex Office documents but works well for my needs. It works with several cloud services as indicated in the screen above.

$16.99

Documents To Go Premium

This is one of the top office suites for the iPad with good functionality coupled with the ability to handle most Office documents. It can't handle very complex Office documents but works well for my needs.

This screen shows a typical business spreadsheet in Docs To Go.

$16.99

Office2 HD

This may be my favorite office suite on the iPad. it is a great word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation app that can create beautiful documents. It works with most popular cloud services as demonstrated in the screen above.

It is a great value for the relatively low price.

$7.99

Office2 HD

The touch interface is very well done in Office2 HD. This screen shows a simple spreadsheet being edited in the pane on the right with a list of existing documents in the Google Drive service displayed on the left.

$7.99

Quickoffice Pro HD

Another full office suite for the iPad is Quickoffice Pro HD. It works with most cloud services as demonstrated in the screen above and has an outstanding word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation editor in the package.

The latest version can track changes in word processing documents by version, a great feature for those who collaborate with coworkers on document editing.

$9.99

Quickoffice Pro HD

This screen shows a simple Excel spreadsheet being edited in Quickoffice Pro HD. Quickoffice Pro HD handles all Office document formats from 1997 - 2010.

$9.99

PDF Expert

Some iPad owners have a simple need to work with PDF documents so a full office suite is overkill. PDF Expert is a great app for working with PDF documents, including filling out forms and marking up/signing PDF documents with a stylus.

This app can read most Microsoft Office documents for editing and outputting in PDF format.

$9.99