Becoming an editor: Tools?

What sort of programs would be recommended for online editing for somebody? Like, when I send the story back to the writer with my edits and notes so they are able to see original text or suggested text and reasons why I'm suggesting the change. What are the pros and cons of using one collaborative writing/editing program over another?

The mainstream publishing industry uses Word tracking change. I'd no longer use any other.

Word is certainly the best and easiest to use, but if you haven't got a copy or can't afford Microsoft's exorbitant prices then open office comes free and is reasonably easy to use. It is more complex than word especially for the author receiving the file back as the accept or reject of any changes is not straightforward. A couple of authors that use oen office have told me that on receipt of the edited file, any comments linked to edits are missing. I cannot verify that though. I have emailed myself a copy to another address and the comments still show so it may be to do with not being backward compatible with older versions.
I much prefer Ms word.

Todger65 wrote:

Word is certainly the best and easiest to use, but if you haven't got a copy or can't afford Microsoft's exorbitant prices then open office comes free and is reasonably easy to use. It is more complex than word especially for the author receiving the file back as the accept or reject of any changes is not straightforward. A couple of authors that use oen office have told me that on receipt of the edited file, any comments linked to edits are missing. I cannot verify that though. I have emailed myself a copy to another address and the comments still show so it may be to do with not being backward compatible with older versions.
I much prefer Ms word.

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I've felt like Todger65. Over the years, I spent a bundle of money on Microsoft products, and the $$$ upgrades kept coming. Finally, I looked for an acceptable substitute.

I've used LibreOffice (almost identical to OpenOffice) for several years and find nearly every Word function works the same way in LibreOffice or OpenOffice. Both are free alternatives to Microsoft Office. A number of authors have sent me MS Word files which I've edited and sent back with my comments. Thus far, there have been only one or two small problems using the two different word processors, which we worked around.

So, Littlefinger, if you don't have Word, try the alternatives. If you don't like them, you can uninstall them, and they won't cost you a thing.