Contracts are legally binding agreements that are crafted with precise formatting and collaborative insights from different stakeholders. Contract review tools help legal teams to get to perfect contracts as well. 

We solved for the first part of precise formatting by enabling Lawyers to use MS Word Desktop directly from SpotDraft and we gave it some extra powerups that made it purpose built for Contracting. 

For collaborative input, after months of careful assessment and listening to user feedback we've upgraded our online experience from MS Word for Web to OnlyOffice giving you access to a tool optimized for real-time collaboration—perfect for gathering insights from multiple stakeholders.

The Transition to the OnlyOffice Editor

We’ve upgraded from Word for Web to OnlyOffice to provide a fully featured and controllable experience for users who prefer to edit documents directly in the browser.

  • Feature Parity: A more consistent, feature-rich editing platform comparable to a desktop word processor (like Microsoft Word)
  • Control: SpotDraft is in control of updates and can ensure stability before rolling out changes to its customers.
  • Seamless Collaboration: Real-time editing and Google Docs-style comments allow multiple users to collaborate in real time. 
Feature Word Offline Word Online SpotDraft Editor powered by OO
Adding/ Removing Section BreaksYesNoYes
Markup View (Simple, All)YesNoYes
Header-FooterYesLimitedYes
Anonymizing commentsYesNoNo
Protected DocumentsYesNoYes
Multi-column document supportYesNoYes
References -> Insights -> Search, AcronymsYesNoNo
Version HistoryYesNoNo
Drawing objectsYesNoYes
Internal hyperlinksYesLimitedYes
BookmarksYesNoYes
TablesYesLimited InfoYes
Content controlsYesNoYes
ChartsYesNoYes
Text boxes, Text Art objectsYesNoYes
Drop capYesNoYes
EquationsYesNoYes
Align/ Arrange/ Group objectsYesNoYes
Text wrapYesLimitedYes
Exact object positioningYesNoYes
Color schemesYesNoYes
GridlinesYesNoYes
Watermark/ Theme/ Page ColorYesNoYes
Adding/ Removing Section BreaksYesNoYes
Markup View (Simple, All)YesNoYes
Header-FooterYesLimitedYes
Anonymizing commentsYesNoNo
Protected DocumentsYesNoYes
Multi-column document supportYesNoYes
References -> Insights -> Search, AcronymsYesNoNo
Version HistoryYesNoNo
Drawing objectsYesNoYes
Internal hyperlinksYesLimitedYes
BookmarksYesNoYes
TablesYesLimited InfoYes
Content controlsYesNoYes
ChartsYesNoYes
Text boxes, Text Art objectsYesNoYes
Drop capYesNoYes
EquationsYesNoYes
Align/ Arrange/ Group objectsYesNoYes
Text wrapYesLimitedYes
Exact object positioningYesNoYes
Color schemesYesNoYes
GridlinesYesNoYes
Watermark/ Theme/ Page ColorYesNoYes

Improvements in OnlyOffice Editor-Designed for Browser Editing

These upgrades make collaboration easier and more intuitive, while SpotDraft retains full control over the platform to ensure stability

  • Track Changes by Default: Contracts open with track changes enabled for better version control.
  • Collaborative Comments: Direct comments on selected text and tag team/external or individuals and let multiple users collaborate. 
  • Better Versioning:  Users can save incremental edits as draft ‘subversions’ and “Save as a New Version" and then give it a description.
  • Real-time Collaboration: Multiple users can edit a document simultaneously.
  • Suggester Access Controls: Suggesters can edit in track changes and comment but cannot accept changes or resolve others’ comments.

Check out the Guided Tour to see OO in action

Why We Deprecated MS Word for Web

Our previous integration with Microsoft Word for Web aimed to provide a familiar editing experience. However, user feedback told us about unsaved edits and many breaking changes, this coupled with the lack of control over Microsoft's ecosystem made us want to rethink the story here a bit.

Recognizing these challenges, we made the strategic shift to replace Microsoft Word for Web with Only Office along with Word for Desktop as our core editors.

The Path Forward

At SpotDraft, our goal has always been to provide a seamless, stable, and fully featured editing experience. By deprecating Microsoft Word for Web and embracing OnlyOffice Editor alongside Microsoft Word for Desktop, we’re delivering the best of both worlds: MS Word for all heavy edits and Our Online editor for collaboration.

Log in to SpotDraft and see the new editors in action today!

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