MS Office Alternatives

What is MS Office?

Microsoft developed the Microsoft Office suite in 1988. The suite consists of various applications which are as follows −

• MS Word

• MS Excel

• MS PowerPoint

• MS OneNote

• MS Outlook

• MS Access

These tools are used to make presentations, forms, tables, etc. Currently, MS Office 2016 version is being used for all purposes.

Cost of MS Office

The cost of MS Office Home and Business 2021 is Rs. 27,999.

Why there is a need for MS Office Alternatives?

MS Office suite includes a lot of useful applications but the cost is very high for small businesses. This is the reason they look for MS office alternatives which are available at a cheaper rate. Another reason is the performance as there are situations where you may get a lot of errors or the performance is very slow. Another drawback is that some advanced features in the MS Office Suite are difficult to learn.

How to choose an MS Office Alternative?

There are many features in MS Office and they should be available in the alternative you choose. Some of the features of MS Office are as follows −

• Simple sharing

• Easy versioning

• Charts

• Integration with Skype

Besides these, each app in the suite has different useful features. If you are going for an alternative, you need to check whether it has all the necessary features available in the MS Office suite.

Top 10 MS Office Alternatives

Alternative 1 – LibreOffice

LibreOffice is an open-source suite which includes spreadsheet, word processor, and presentation applications. The default file format of LibreOffice is ODF but it also supports the file types used in MS Office. The suite is available in 110 languages. LibreOffice can be found in Linux distros by default. It can also be used easily on Windows and macOS systems

Features

• It is an open-source platform

• It is a power suite to be used by beginners

• It can be used on different platforms like Windows, Linux, and macOS

Pros

• Free to download and use

• Compatible with different types of file formats

• Open Source software

Cons

• Advanced features are not available

• The user interface is not user friendly

• Cloud storage not available

Alternative 2 – FreeOffice

FreeOffice is an easy-to-use office suite which was launched in 1987. You can use the suite for home and office purposes. The suite can be installed on Windows and Linux systems. The suite is compatible with MS Office and you can work on all the file formats of MS Office. The latest version has been launched recently and you will have the option to work on either the old or new version.

Features

• Compatible with MS Office file formats

• Free of cost

• Suite can be installed on Linux and Windows systems

Pros

• Free to use

• Cross-platform compatibility

• Supports MS Office file format

Cons

• No advanced features

• Software is supported by ads

• Limited customer support

Alternative 3 – WPS Office

Kingsoft, a Chinese company, developed WPS Office software application s an alternative to MS Office. The suite can work easily on different platforms like Windows, iOS, Linux, and Android. The application is available in different languages which include −

• English

• French

• German

• Spanish

• Portuguese

• Polish

• Russian

The premier and free versions of the software are available. Another feature available in this suite is to convert PDF to Word.

Features

• Word Processing

• Spreadsheet

• 1GB storage

Pros

• Download and use it free of cost

• Compatible with different platforms

• Plenty of customization options

Cons

• You may face compatibility issues

• Limited support

• Not many advanced features as compared to MS Office

Alternative 4 – Calligra

Calligra Office suite is a part of KOffice and was released in 2000. The suite can work well on Linux, MacOS, Windows, and Android. Calligra can be downloaded easily from its website or the downloads page of KDE. Tabs can be found on the right-hand side while in MS Office it is on top. Calligra has mind-mapping and project-managing tools. Calligra is able to recognize DOCX file format but they cannot be edited.

Features

• Can be installed on Linux

• Free open-source software

• Project management and mind map tools

Pros

• Can be downloaded easily

• Free and open-source software

• Can be used for graphic art design

Cons

• Tabs are available on the right so you cannot work on fullscreen

• Cannot edit DOCX or DOX files

Alternative 5 – OfficeSuite

MobiSystems developed Office Suite as an alternative to the MS Office suite. The software is compatible with Windows, Android, and iOS. The suite can be found preinstalled in the devices made by −

• Amazon

• Sony

• Alcatel

• Toshiba

A license is needed for synchronization of the OfficeSuite account between different devices. The software has Free, Personal, and Home & Business Tiers and you can use any of them as per your requirements.

Features

• Syncing between devices through a license

• Compatible with different platforms

• Pre-installed on devices developed by companies like Alcatel, Amazon, Toshiba, and Sony

Pros

• Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files can be easily edited

• Personal tier can export PDF files to other editable formats

• Supports different file formats

Cons

• Free tier is basic

Alternative 6 – Apache OpenOffice

Apache OpenOffice is for small businesses that do not want advanced features for their projects. It is an open-source free software application in which new features are added by volunteer developers. The tools available in this suite include −

• Writer

• Calc

• Impress

• Draw

• Base

• Math

Features

• Graphics

• Presentations

• Excel

• Word Processing

Pros

• Download and use it free of cost

• Compatible with different platforms

• Files can be easily shared

Cons

• Does not have a lot of features

• You may face some security risks

• Limited support

Alternative 7 – Polaris Office

Intraware has developed Polaris Office Suite in March 2014 as an alternative to MS Office. The suite can be installed on different platforms like iOS, Windows, MacOS, and Android. The free version of the software has many features. For more advanced features, you can purchase the business version. The Polaris Office supports many file formats of MS Office. Synchronization between devices will help you to work on the files from anywhere. The data in the files are secured by Amazon Web Services.

Features

• PDF documents can be edited

• Convert PDF files into different formats

• The suite is available in different languages like Korean, English, German, French, and Russian

Pros

• Free tier is excellent

• Compatible with different platforms

• Work on PDF documents easily

Cons

• Ads are disturbing

Alternative 8 – OnlyOffice

OnlyOfice was developed by Ascensio Systems SIA which supports 22 languages. Community Edition is the free version that can be used by small businesses and entrepreneurs. The suite comes with the features of documenting sales and fulfillment of orders. The tool also includes a calendar that can be used to note and schedule personal and professional tasks.

Features

• Community Edition allows 20 connections at a time

• Word and Excel files are supported

• The software has a calendar feature

Pros

• Create and edit presentations and spreadsheets

• Use Mail tool to create inboxes

• Supports 22 languages

Cons

• Difficult to setup

• Integration with third-party tools is weak

• More expensive than MS Office

Alternative 9 – WordPerfect

WordPerfect was developed in the 1970s and was later purchased by Corel to compete with Microsoft and Adobe. The suite consists of a word presser, spreadsheet program, and slideshow creator. The suite supports different file formats like HTML, DOCX, and PDF. The file format of the suite is wpd. Macro management and ebook publishing features are also available with the tool.

Features

• Supports different file formats

• Trial version can be downloaded from the main site

• Edit PDF files

Pros

• Compatible with MS Office

• A large number of extra features

Cons

• Can be installed only on Windows

• Email and calendar apps are not available

Alternative 10 – Zoho Workspace

Zoho Workspace has attracted many big businesses like Nike and BBC. The new word processor of the suite is able to produce professional-looking documents. The suite also has an excellent spreadsheet and presentation package. Along with these. Zoho Workspace also has many other tools which include site creation, file management, and many others.

Features

• Nine applications under one suite

• Develop professional-looking documents

• Excellent spreadsheet ad presentation tools

Pros

• Lots of features

• Affordable price

Cons

• Non-free tier support is charged

Conclusion

MS Office comes with a lot of tools which have many features. The suite is pricey so people look for other alternatives. Some are free while others have both free and paid versions. The alternatives also support the file formats of MS Office. They can be installed on different platforms like Windows, Linux, macOS, and many more.