Microsoft Office is not just the only suite that can help you juggle Word documents, complex data-driven spreadsheets, or create winning PPT presentations. There are some great cost-effective and feature-packed alternatives. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Top Software Reviews | Rating | |
---|---|---|
1.LibreOffice | ||
2.WPS Office | ||
3.FreeOffice | ||
4.Polaris Office | ||
5.Calligra Office | ||
6.Apache OpenOffice | ||
7.Google Workspace | ||
8.OfficeSuite | ||
9.OnlyOffice | ||
10.Zoho Office Suite |
Why Choose MS Office Alternatives?
Sure Microsoft Office applications have a lot to offer, however, on a larger scale especially if you are planning to run a business venture, consider Microsoft Office alternatives. Here are some reasons why you should have alternatives that you can switch to -- Cost - The Microsoft 365 Business basic costs $6/ month/ user which might not come across as very cost-effective especially if your business is new. There are several free and open-source alternatives that you can try that won’t break your bank.
- AI Integration - There are some great MS Office alternatives out there that rope in the power of AI. For instance, WPS Office has a writer application that can use AI to craft better documents, hence it can be a great alternative to Microsoft Word.
- Collaboration Features - Some free Microsoft Office alternatives are either at par or surpass MS Office applications when it comes to real-time document co-editing and sharing.
- Better Version History Management -There are alternatives that let you track changes or manage document versions in a much better manner. Furthermore, you can easily revert back to a specific version when needed.
- Better Customization - Alternatives like Calligra Office allow extensive UI customization where you can customize toolbars and menus as per your preference.
What Should You Look For In A Microsoft Office Alternative?
If you are considering switching to Microsoft Office alternatives, here are the kinds of features you should look for -- Compatibility With MS Office Applications - Your existing MS Office documents from Word, PowerPoint, and Excel should seamlessly work with your existing MS Office alternative application.
- Simple User Interface - The layout should be something that you are familiar with, easy, and customizable.
- Multiple Applications - For creating spreadsheets, word documents, powerpoint presentations and various other abilities such as creating vector graphics, handling management-related data, etc.
- Robust Security - Look for features that ensure the security of your documents especially when dealing with sensitive data.
- Support for Extensions - Many MS Office alternatives offer add-ons or extensions that you can install for specific requirements and increase productivity.
- Seamless Collaboration - Ensure that your chosen application offers features like version tracking, a cloud storage medium (where you can sync files), and document sharing capabilities.
- Cost - Considering that there are some great free and open-source Microsoft Office alternatives, you may want to compare the features and then choose which one suits your needs.
Best Microsoft Office Alternatives For Windows 10/11
- 1
- LibreOffice
- Document themes to make your documents more consistent.
- Comes with spreadsheet, word, and processor software.
- OpenDocument format support.
- A built-in wizard guides you across various features.
- FreeDownload Here
- 2
- WPS Office
- Tools for PDFs, documents (Writer), Spreadsheets, and Presentations (Powerpoint presentations).
- Ability to integrate AI into the WPS Office suite.
- 10000+ templates for Word, PDF, Sheet, Slides and many others.
- Ability to build separate workspaces.
- $5.99 / month Download Here
- 3
- FreeOffice
- Switch between classic menu toolbars and modern ribbons.
- Comes with feature-rich TextMaker (word processor), PlanMaker (Spreadsheet), and Presentations (Powerpoint)
- Comes with a wide range of templates, OpenGL-based animations and slide transitions.
- Over 430 computational functions.
- $49.90 / year Download Here
- 4
- Polaris Office
- Edit PDF, MS Office, TXT, ODT, and other documents.
- Cross-device functionality.
- AI Integration for easier documentation.
- Easily convert and edit PDF. For more advanced PDF converters, check out this post.
- FreeDownload Here
- 5
- Calligra Office
- Comes with several project management and mind-mapping tools.
- With Kexi you can design database applications, insert and edit data, and perform and process data and queries.
- With Karbon, you can design Vector art.
- Easily create presentations with Stage.
- FreeDownload Here
- 6
- Apache OpenOffice
- Comes with ‘Writer’ which is a feature-rich alternative to Microsoft Word.
- Calc is a spreadsheet that comprises tools to calculate, present, and analyze numerical data.
- Impress helps create multimedia presentations.
- Multi-lingual support.
- FreeDownload Here
- 7
- Google Workspace
- Comes with applications like Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and many others.
- Cloud-based.
- Offline document editing.
- Great sharing capabilities where you can restrict access user-wise.
- $6 / month Download Here
- 8
- OfficeSuite
- Consists of apps for Sheets, Documents, Slides, Mail, and PDF.
- You get 20 GB of free cloud storage.
- Compatible with MS Office, OpenOffice, and other major formats.
- Organize and schedule your emails.
- $39.99 / year Download Here
- 9
- OnlyOffice
- View, collaborate, and edit docs, slides, and sheets.
- Built-in chat functionality.
- Compare and review documents and track changes.
- Generate texts with an AI helper.
- FreeDownload Here
- 10
- Zoho Office Suite
- Tools for presentation, word processing, spreadsheet, and note-taking.
- Cloud storage platform for easy sharing and access.
- Real-time editing and collaboration.
- Various automation tools to help automate tasks.
- FreeDownload Here
1. LibreOffice

- Document themes to make your documents more consistent.
- Comes with spreadsheet, word, and processor software.
- OpenDocument format support.
- A built-in wizard guides you across various features.
- Repository for a large number of templates.
- Support for a wide range of Microsoft file formats.
- Free and open source.
- Cross-platform compatibility.
- Support for a large number of extensions.
- Lacks advanced features as many of its competitors.
2. WPS Office

- Tools for PDFs, documents (Writer), Spreadsheets, and Presentations (Powerpoint presentations).
- Ability to integrate AI into the WPS Office suite.
- 10000+ templates for Word, PDF, Sheet, Slides and many others.
- Ability to build separate workspaces.
- With Automatic Backups you can ensure that documents are saved every 1 minute.
- Support for all Microsoft Office file formats.
- Effortlessly handle and sync files.
- Cloud storage.
- End-to-end data encryption.
- Lacks auto spell-check integration.
3. FreeOffice

- Switch between classic menu toolbars and modern ribbons.
- Comes with feature-rich TextMaker (word processor), PlanMaker (Spreadsheet), and Presentations (Powerpoint)
- Comes with a wide range of templates, OpenGL-based animations and slide transitions.
- Over 430 computational functions.
- Free PDF viewer.
- Compatible with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Optimized for touch screens where it offers larger icons and bigger spacing between UI elements.
- Share files directly with Microsoft Office and you needn’t export them first.
- The Quick Access toolbar lets you access important functions quickly.
- No cloud storage.
4. Polaris Office

- Edit PDF, MS Office, TXT, ODT, and other documents.
- Cross-device functionality.
- AI Integration for easier documentation.
- Easily convert and edit PDF. For more advanced PDF converters, check out this post.
- Intelligent Quick Menu displays five frequently used menus on the ribbon menu.
- Save and edit work in Polaris Drive.
- Various co-editing features with which you can collaborate with other users to view and edit documents.
- Easily track changes.
- Advanced printing capabilities where margins are automatically reduced.
- Comes bundled with ads.
5. Calligra Office

- Comes with several project management and mind-mapping tools.
- With Kexi you can design database applications, insert and edit data, and perform and process data and queries.
- With Karbon, you can design Vector art.
- Easily create presentations with Stage.
- Free and open-source software
- Cross-platform compatibility.
- Calligra Gemini helps switch between interfaces in desktop and touchscreen devices. such as laptops with touchscreens, tablets, etc.
- Sometimes, it displays MS Office compatibility issues.
6. Apache OpenOffice

- Comes with ‘Writer’ which is a feature-rich alternative to Microsoft Word.
- Calc is a spreadsheet that comprises tools to calculate, present, and analyze numerical data.
- Impress helps create multimedia presentations.
- Multi-lingual support.
- Free and open-source alternative to Microsoft Office.
- Draw within Apache OpenOffice lets you create dynamic 3D illustrations.
- You also get a GUI to create mathematical equations.
- Lacks advanced features as some of its competitors.
7. Google Workspace

- Comes with applications like Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and many others.
- Cloud-based.
- Offline document editing.
- Great sharing capabilities where you can restrict access user-wise.
- Real-time editing capabilities.
- Auto saves work promptly, as such no fear of losing saved work.
- Great version management.
- Lacks some advanced features as some of the other competitors on the list.
8. OfficeSuite

- Consists of apps for Sheets, Documents, Slides, Mail, and PDF.
- You get 20 GB of free cloud storage.
- Compatible with MS Office, OpenOffice, and other major formats.
- Organize and schedule your emails.
- You can connect your Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box cloud accounts.
- Functionality to sync Outlook Calendar, Gmail inbox, and work email.
- Cross-device functionality.
- Hasn’t been updated in a while.
9. OnlyOffice

- View, collaborate, and edit docs, slides, and sheets.
- Built-in chat functionality.
- Compare and review documents and track changes.
- Generate texts with an AI helper.
- Convert docs to HTML and Markdown.
- Collaborate by making audio and video calls with Rainbow and Jitsi.
- There are three levels of security - at rest, in transit, and end-to-end.
- Users have reported compatibility issues when trying to access complex MS Office documents.
10. Zoho Office Suite

- Tools for presentation, word processing, spreadsheet, and note-taking.
- Cloud storage platform for easy sharing and access.
- Real-time editing and collaboration.
- Various automation tools to help automate tasks.
- Cross-integration with other Zoho applications like Zoho CRM which is one of the best CRM software.
- You can personalize the user interface as per your needs.
- Offline access lets you work if you don’t have internet access.
- Offline limitations.