Native DOCX editing means the editor reads and write OOXML, the XML-based format that defines every DOCX file. The document is never converted to JSON, HTML, or any intermediary format. This preserves tracked changes, comments, styles, numbering schemas, and every other piece of XML data that MS Word expects to find when opening the file

No. Apryse’s DOCX Editor runs entirely in the browser. Documents can be loaded from local storage, a URL, or from the cloud. After editing, the file can be saved back to storage, downloaded as DOCX, or exported as PDF. No server touches the document during editing, causing no additional load to your backend infrastructure. For real-time collaboration features, a lightweight collaboration server or cloud service is required to sync changes between users.

Editors that convert DOCX to intermediary formats handle tracked changes and comments completely differently. Some recreate them on export, generating entirely new XML elements that approximate the originals, but may not carry the original author, date, or structure. Other lose them entirely. In both cases, the metadata that legal and compliance teams rely on is either degraded or gone.

Apryse’s DOCX Editor integrates with React, Angular, Vue, Nuxt.js and Next.js. It also works with low-code platforms including Salesforce, Appian, and Mendix.

Native DOCX editing means the editor works directly with the OOXML format that defines a DOCX file – the same XML structure that Microsoft Word reads and writes. JSON-based editors convert the DOCX into their own internal format (such as ProseMirror JSON, SFDT, or DocJSON) for editing, then convert back to DOCX on export. The conversion strips XML data that the editor's internal format doesn't support, including revision session IDs, named style hierarchies, comment threading metadata, and section-level properties. For documents that stay within your application, JSON-based editing works well. For documents that will be opened in Microsoft Word by external parties, native editing preserves the structural integrity that Word expects.

Yes. Apryse's DOCX Editor runs entirely in the browser using WebAssembly. The file is loaded, rendered, and edited client-side – no server touches the document during the editing session. This reduces infrastructure costs, eliminates server-side scaling concerns for concurrent users, and keeps sensitive documents off your servers. Other client-side options include SuperDoc (AGPL-licensed) and Nutrient (JSON-based). Most other editors, including ONLYOFFICE and Syncfusion, require server-side processing for DOCX import or conversion.

Several open-source options exist. ONLYOFFICE (AGPL-3.0) is the most feature-complete, offering full OOXML editing with collaboration, but requires a self-hosted Document Server. SuperDoc (AGPL/commercial dual license) is built on ProseMirror and supports CRDT-based collaboration. Tiptap (open-source editor + commercial cloud) is a headless editor that supports DOCX import/export through server-side conversion endpoints. LibreOffice can be used via a server-side headless mode. For production applications with proprietary code, note that AGPL licenses require you to open-source your application unless you purchase a commercial license. For teams that need native OOXML editing without copyleft restrictions, Apryse offers a commercially-licensed alternative that runs entirely client-side, with dedicated enterprise support and no server infrastructure required.

Apryse preserves the full OOXML structure because it edits the XML directly: tracked changes with original author and date metadata, comment threading and anchoring, named style definitions and style hierarchy, numbering schemas, document properties (author, created, modified), section properties (margins, headers, footers), and revision session IDs. JSON-based editors typically lose revision history, convert named styles to inline formatting, strip comment threading metadata, and generate new XML on export that may not match the original structure. The practical impact is that a document edited in Apryse and opened in Microsoft Word will look and behave identically to the original, while a document round-tripped through a JSON-based editor may show formatting shifts, missing comments, or lost change history.