NoteTab Pro

Document editing means different things to different people. Some just want to be able to edit text, while others want to create and share documents on the web. Whatever your preference, you don't have to destitute yourself in the name of lining Bill Gates' pockets or install the bloater that is OpenOffice. We've been looking at the best alternatives available.

UltraEdit is equally at home writing application code or HTML makes it hard to ignore. Although it's reasonably cheap to buy, it's also hugely complex, so it won't be for everyone.

That's why our download of the month has to be NoteTab Pro. It ticks all the boxes as far as document creation is concerned: it has a small footprint, it's light on system resources, it's speedy, easy to use and yet fully functional. From the multilingual spellchecker and thesaurus to the regular expression search-and-replace, it has everything you'll need.

It also has a unique clipbook feature that lets you use any of the included clip libraries, or create your own. Yes, it lacks an integrated page preview function for web editing, but it represents the best of all worlds and it's a fantastic bargain.

Author: Davey Winder