Four Free Microsoft Office Alternatives

Microsoft Office may dominate the standard office application world, but that doesn’t mean you have to shell out money to Microsoft to meet your needs. There are more than a few alternatives to Microsoft’s ubiquitous word processor, spreadsheet and more.

LibreOffice

This free and open source office suite is fully compatible with Microsoft Office and features six apps. Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Draw (vector diagrams), Math (complicated mathematical functions) and Base (database program). Base is of special note to some users who may be looking for an alternative to Microsoft Access.

LibreOffice is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. There are no official mobile versions aside from a document viewer on Android, but if your computer is still your home base, then LibreOffice may be the replacement office suite you need.

Google Docs

It’s hard to talk about Microsoft Office replacements without mentioning Google Docs. The search company’s collection of online office apps should meet most user needs. The fact that every document you ever create is safely stored in the Google cloud can be a lifesaver.

You won’t find some of the advanced tools like you’d see in Microsoft Office or even LibreOffice. Compatibility can also be a bit tricky when you try to open Microsoft formats – the conversion doesn’t always look pretty.

But if you are a basic office suite user who needs to simply create some text documents or simple spreadsheets, then Google Docs may be your best bet.

Microsoft Office Online

Microsoft wasn’t keen to stand by and watch Google Docs take a bite out of their user base. So they decided to release their own free versions of Microsoft Office apps.

These stripped-down versions of their desktop program counterparts are similar to Google Docs in that they are missing some advanced features. But if you are living in a world of Microsoft formatted files and you don’t want the hassle of converting them all to Google Docs, then Microsoft Office Online has you covered.

Zoho Workplace

Zoho is a fairly new and exciting addition to online office applications. The new-look word processor ditches the classic Microsoft Word-style interface and uses a formatting sidebar instead. The spreadsheet similarly features a unique interface. Both can produce professional-looking documents.

Zoho also offers a site creation tool, a file management solution and collaborative tools. If you are starting a small business, then Zoho might have all of your needs covered.