Office Suites
In computing, an office suite is a collection of productivity software usually containing at least a word processor, spreadsheet and a presentation program. There are many different brands and types of office suites.
Small businesses may balk at paying for Microsoft Office, but several free Office suites can handle word processing, spreadsheet and presentation needs.
- While Microsoft Office is widely used and comprehensive, small businesses may balk at its costs.
- The features your business needs – such as ease of use, security and remote collaboration tools – determine the best free Office alternative.
- Popular alternatives include Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice and cloud-based office tools like Google’s apps.
There’s no doubt that Microsoft Office is the most widely used office productivity suite, but if you’re purchasing new computers or replacing old software, new copies can be costly. The Microsoft Office desktop version costs around $250, while the Microsoft Office 365 software as a service (SaaS) subscription model costs $6 to $23 a month per user, which adds up quickly.
How to choose a free office suite for your business
The features you need in an office suite will depend on your business type. Consider the following factors and how important they are to your organization.
- Ease of use: If you run a small business, such as a restaurant or retail store, and your team needs to access your productivity software, you’ll want tools that are intuitive and easy to use, not ones that require training to master. However, if your business and staff are more technically sophisticated, you may be willing to sacrifice ease of use for advanced capabilities.
- Remote collaboration capabilities: Some businesses are structured so that everyone works at a central location, while others have multiple locations, employees who travel, or offsite independent contractors. If your business uses a more geographically distributed model, your team should be able to access your office suite from anywhere. In these cases, a cloud-based office suite may be an excellent solution.
- File compatibility: If you regularly send documents to others outside your organization, you need to ensure your recipients can open and read the files. This means using the same software as the recipient, using software with multiple file extensions, or using easily accessible cloud-based apps.
- Security capabilities: While every business should secure its network and data, some businesses are more likely to deal with sensitive data, such as customer payment information and proprietary intellectual property. If this is true for your business, it’s best to use an office suite with built-in defenses against spam, malware, phishing and other threats, to be layered on top of existing measures for preventing network security threats and vulnerabilities.
- Data storage: The more documents your company produces and the larger their file sizes, the more data storage becomes an issue. Data storage concerns only apply to cloud-based apps, since downloaded apps store data on the company servers.
- Breadth of programs: Depending on your business, you may or may not need a full range of programs. For example, a marketing firm will require robust presentation tools, while a wholesaler may never need this software.
- Platform compatibility: The office suite you choose must be compatible with the platforms – mobile and desktop – you and your employees use on a day-to-day basis. This would be iOS or macOS if you rely on Macs, iPads and iPhones – or you might primarily utilize Windows, Android or Linux devices instead.
What's the Best Office Suite for You?
Office suites are software packages which contain a variety of products focused on productivity such as document creation software, spreadsheets software, and presentation software. In some cases, other programs such as project management software are included in the suite. These packages can be offered via a subscription or through a one-time purchase. Many suites are also open source and free to use. Office suites are widely used as foundational software for businesses of any size. They can be used for a wide range of tasks and are generally used to improve productivity within an organization.
Companies use office suites to create files used to share information. This information can be shared using text documents, presentations, spreadsheets, worksheets, charts and graphs, and more. These software packages can be free web-based applications or locally installed programs, and the components of the suite are typically used in conjunction with one another. Web based applications allow users to collaborate with one another on documents. Often, the components of an office suite share a consistent user interface, simplifying their interaction.
To qualify for inclusion in the Office Suites category, a product must:
Be a suite product, comprising multiple productivity components
Include separate tools for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations
Compare Office Suites Software
Top Online Office Suites to Boost Your Productivity
Free office suites for download
Free cloud-based office suites
List of the Top Free Office Software
The 6 Best Office Suites for Your Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations
Compare Office Suites Software
Office Suites User Satisfaction
"Has the product been a good partner in doing business?", "Basic applications", "Suite access", and "Annotations" are the top four factors that positively impact user satisfaction for Office Suites products. These factors are determined by an algorithm that selects the attributes that are most likely to predict user satisfaction within this category.
About Office Suites Software
What is Office Suites Software?
Office suites have been an essential product for businesses of all sizes for many years. The three common components of an office suite include document creation software, spreadsheets software, and presentation software. While these three products are the bread and butter of a typical office suite, additional products often exist within a suite, as well. Other common additions include email software, internal communications software and cloud content collaboration software. Businesses must evaluate what tools they need for their business so they can purchase the ideal office suite software.
Businesses should also consider the various pricing models associated with office suites software. For example, many office suites vendors now offer subscription models. A subscription model is a business model that allows customers to pay a recurring price for unlimited access to a suite. The recurring price is either paid over a specific period of time or indefinitely. This is ideal for businesses that prefer paying for their software in small increments instead of purchasing the full software immediately, which is another option. Businesses should keep in mind that most office suites don’t allow product cherry-picking. In other words, in most cases, what comes with the suite stays with the suite. For businesses that only require specific tools might need to request special pricing from the vendor.
Many suites are open-source or free to download. Open-source office suites are ideal for businesses on a tight budget. Usually, open-source solutions still include major components of an office suite and are often compatible with other office suites solutions. While compatible with other office suites, open-source products may not always convert documents on par with paid office suite solutions. Businesses that convert different file types should consider this before implementing a free open-source solution.
Key Benefits of Office Suites Software
- Create text-based documents, spreadsheets, and presentations
- Convert multiple file formats
- Collaborate on documents across organizations
Work offline on a Mac or PC? Microsoft Office, iWork, and LibreOffice are the best options if you prefer to work from native apps installed on your computer. They include the most features, will make the nicest looking documents, and are designed to work great even without an internet connection.
LibreOffice might not feel as polished as the other two suites, but it is free, includes a database app, and is still a great option especially on PCs (as Macs come with iWork for free). Quip and G Suite in Google Chrome can work well offline (with Quip's apps and G Suite's Chrome extensions), though you'll find them frustrating if you need to primarily work offline as their best collaboration features only work with an internet connection.
Work from a phone or tablet? Microsoft Office and iWork are again great options, as their mobile apps include nearly as many features as their desktop software. Quip, though, could be the best option for mobile office work, as its simpler take on documents works even better on mobile and all of its apps include the exact same features. G Suite and Zoho offer mobile apps that work well, though both include far fewer features than their web app counterparts.
Work with a team online? G Suite, Zoho, and Quip are the best options for working from a browser. They're each designed for collaboration first, built for teams to work together online. Microsoft Office 365 then is a great option for working directly from apps or online with Office Online. You can start a document in Word on your PC, have a colleague edit it from Word Online in their browser, and then finish up in Word on your iPad for collaboration from any device.
Don't want to
pay for an office suite?
Zoho and LibreOffice are the best options.
Zoho's free for 25 users, meaning you can easily use it for even mid-sized work
teams without paying—and LibreOffice is free for everyone, albeit without online
collaboration tools. G Suite is another great option—as long as your team uses
personal
@gmail.com
accounts, you can collaborate with as many people as you want for free. That
same trick works with Microsoft Office, too—use free
@outlook.com
personal accounts, and you can collaborate in Office Online for free. And if you
have a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, iWork is hard to pass up as it comes free with your
device.
Microsoft Office isn't the only office suite today—but its new Office 365 plans are a great value, and its apps are still the most full-featured office tools. Apple's iWork apps help you easily create beautiful documents and presentations, while G Suite and Zoho both offer surprisingly full-featured tools from your browser. LibreOffice still offers a great set of tools for the low price of free. And Quip makes it so easy to create documents and spreadsheets, you'll wonder why you used to spend so much time tweaking fonts and footers.
One might not be the best for you. In fact, the best option is often to use the best features from multiple tools.
Matthew Guay Zapier Microsoft-office-vs-g-suite
List of office suites
Office suites
Free and open source suites
- AndrOpen Office - available for Android
- Apache OpenOffice - available for Linux, macOS and Windows
- Calligra Suite - available for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS and Windows
- Collabora Online - available for Android, ChromeOS, iOS, iPadOS, Linux, macOS, online and Windows
- LibreOffice - available for Linux, macOS and Windows, and unofficial: Android, ChromeOS, FreeBSD, Haiku, iOS, iPadOS, OpenBSD, NetBSD and Solaris
- NeoOffice - available for macOS
Freeware and proprietary suites
- Ability Office - available for Windows
- Google Workspace - available for Android, ChromeOS, iOS, iPadOS, Linux, macOS, online and Windows
- Hancom Office - available for Windows
- iWork - available for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and online
- Ichitaro - a Japanese-language suite available for Windows
- Microsoft 365 - available for Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, online and Windows
- MobiSystems OfficeSuite - available for Android, iOS and Windows[1]
- ONLYOFFICE - available for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, online and Windows
- Polaris Office - available for iOS, macOS and Windows
- SoftMaker Office - available for Android, iOS, iPadOS, Linux, macOS and Windows
- Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware - online content management
- WordPerfect Office - available for Windows
- WPS Office - available for Android, iOS, macOS and Windows
Discontinued office suites
- Aster*x
- AUIS - an office suite developed by Carnegie Mellon University and named after Andrew Carnegie
- Breadbox Office - DOS software
- EasyOffice
- AppleWorks
- Breadbox Office
- Corel WordPerfect for DOS
- Hancom Office Suite (formerly ThinkFree Office)
- IBM Lotus SmartSuite
- IBM Lotus Symphony
- IBM Works – an office suite for the IBM OS/2operating system
- Interleaf
- Jambo OpenOffice, an abandoned project to translate the OpenOffice.org project into Swahili
- Lotus Jazz – Mac sister product to Lotus Symphony
- Lotus Symphony
- Microsoft Works
- Open Access – integrated software by Software Products International (SPI)
- Picsel Smart Office
- QuickOffice
- Siag Office
- Sim desk – online office suite from Simdesk Technologies, Inc
- StarOffice – continued as open source suite OpenOffice.org then LibreOffice
- ThinkFree Office
"OfficeSuite". www.officesuitenow.com. Retrieved .Wikipedia List_of_office_suites
Comparison of office suites
The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of office suites:
General information
Office Suite names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.
Name |
Developer |
Predecessor |
Initial release |
Platform |
Latest release |
Cost (USD) |
||
Version |
Date |
|||||||
— |
1995 |
2022-02 |
39.99 + |
|||||
2012-05 |
4.1.14[1] |
2023-02-27 |
||||||
2011 |
3.2.1[2] |
2020-05-14 |
||||||
2019[a] |
21.11.6[3] |
2022-08-12 |
No cost, optional subscriptions with support available |
|||||
2021[b] |
Build your own |
Build your own |
||||||
2019[a] |
21.11.6[3] |
2022-08-12 |
||||||
2019[a] |
21.11.3[3] |
2022-04-13 |
||||||
2019[a] |
21.11.3[3] |
2022-04-13 |
||||||
2016[c] |
Online server: 22.05.15[4] |
2023-05-25 |
||||||
2015[d] |
Desktop app: 22.05.10[5] |
2023-02-22 |
||||||
2015[d] |
2023-05-25 |
|||||||
2015[d] |
22.05.10[5] |
2023-02-22 |
||||||
2015[d] |
22.05.10[5] |
2023-02-22 |
||||||
Computer Systems Odessa LLC |
— |
2008-06-17 |
9[7] |
2022-10-20 |
499 |
|||
— |
2007 |
Online |
3.8.6.13[8] |
2022-01-26 |
||||
Joris van der Hoeven |
— |
1996? |
2.1.1[9] |
2021-12-10 |
||||
G Suite |
2006 |
Rolling |
Rolling |
0 - 60[g] |
||||
ThinkFree Office |
1998 |
2020 |
2020 |
59.99 - 119.99 |
||||
Online |
||||||||
IBM Lotus Symphony |
2007 |
2012-11-29 |
Discontinued |
|||||
2005 |
13.0[13] |
2023-03-30 |
||||||
Online |
||||||||
2010-09 |
7.5.4[14] |
2023-06-08 |
||||||
— |
1990 |
16.39 |
2019 |
89.95 - 679.95 |
||||
1992 |
16.0 |
2019 |
||||||
Planamesa Software |
2005-06-02 |
2022.6[15] |
2023-02-28 |
0 - 29.99[i] |
||||
MobiSystems |
— |
2004 |
12.0.39465[16] |
2021-12-16 |
0 - 29.99[j] |
|||
9.4[17] |
2022-01-19 |
|||||||
2021 |
||||||||
Ascensio Systems |
Teamlab |
2010 |
Online |
0 - 75-7,200[k] |
||||
Infraware Inc. |
— |
2011-05 |
2021-12-23 |
? |
||||
9.6.4[20] |
2021-12-29 |
|||||||
9.0.30[21] |
2021-12-03 |
|||||||
9.113.79[22] |
2021-12-28 |
|||||||
— |
2012-08[23] |
2021 rev 1046[24] |
2022-04-07 |
0 - 99.95[l] |
||||
2020-12[25] |
||||||||
2022-08[26] |
||||||||
2006-12[23] |
||||||||
2018-03[23] |
||||||||
1995-12[23] |
||||||||
Tiki Association[m] |
— |
2002 |
Online |
24.0[27] |
2022-03-15 |
|||
WordPerfect (1982) |
1991 |
2021[28] |
2021-05 |
69.99 - 399.99 |
||||
Kingsoft Office |
1988 |
PC 11.2.0 |
2019-04 |
0 - 119.99[n] |
||||
— |
2005 |
Online |
Rolling |
Rolling |
0 - ? |
|||
Zoho Office Suite |
2005 |
Online |
Rolling |
Rolling |
At cost[p] |
|||
Name |
Developer |
Predecessor |
Initial release |
Platform |
Latest release |
Cost (USD) |
||
Version |
Date |
OS support
The operating systems the office suites were designed to run on without emulation; for the given office suite/OS combination, there are five possibilities:
- No indicates that it does not exist or was never released.
- Partial indicates that while the office suite works, it lacks important functionality compared to versions for other OSs; it is still being developed however.
- Beta indicates that while a version of the office suite is fully functional and has been released, it is still in development (e.g. for stability).
- Yes indicates that the office suite has been officially released in a fully functional, stable version.
- Dropped indicates that while the office suite works, new versions are no longer being released for the indicated OS; the number in parentheses is the last known stable version which was officially released for that OS.
Office Suite names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.
Name |
|||||||||
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes[q] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes[q] |
Yes |
|
No |
Yes[q] |
No |
No |
No |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
|
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes[r] |
No |
Yes[r] |
Yes[r] |
Yes[r] |
Yes[r] |
Yes[r] |
No |
Yes[r] |
|
Yes |
Yes[q] |
No |
No |
No |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[r] |
|
No |
Yes[s] |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes[s] |
Yes |
Yes[s] |
Yes[s] |
|
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
No |
Dropped[t] |
Yes |
Yes |
Some[u] |
Partial[v] |
No |
Yes |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes[q] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes[q] |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Dropped[w] |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
No |
Yes[q] |
No |
No |
No |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
|
No |
Yes[q] |
No |
No |
No |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Some[x] |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
|
No |
Yes[q] |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
Yes[q] |
|
Name |
Supported file formats
Office Suite names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.
Name |
Legacy Microsoft Office |
|
|
Microsoft XML |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Export |
|
Yes |
Native format |
No |
Import |
Yes with plugin |
|
Import |
Native format |
No |
Import |
Export[ad] |
|
Yes |
Native format |
Yes[ae] |
Yes |
Yes |
|
No |
No |
No |
Export |
Export |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
Export |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Import |
Export |
|
Yes |
Native format |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Partial[af] |
Partial[ag] |
Native format[32] |
Yes |
||
Yes |
Native format |
No |
Yes |
Import with plugin |
|
Yes |
Partial[ai] |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Native format |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Viewing |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
No |
|||||
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Some versions |
|
Yes |
Yes with add-in |
No |
Yes |
Export in all versions. |
|
Yes |
Native format |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Name |
Legacy Microsoft Office |
|
|
Microsoft XML |
|
Main components
Office Suite names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.
Name |
Diagramming software |
||||||||||||||
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|||||||||
No |
No |
No |
Partial[aj] |
No |
No |
No |
|||||||||
Braindump |
No |
No |
No |
||||||||||||
Partial[ak] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Partial[aj] |
Partial[ak] |
Partial[ak] |
Partial[ak] |
|||||
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes[al] |
No |
No |
under development |
No |
No |
No |
|
No |
No |
||||||||||||||
Write |
Calc |
Show |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
||||||||
No |
LibreOffice Draw[36] |
LibreOffice Draw |
LibreOffice Draw[36] |
Partial[aj] |
LibreOffice Writer and LibreOffice Draw[an] |
No |
No |
No |
|||||||
Microsoft Visio |
No |
||||||||||||||
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|||||||||
Word Module |
Spreadsheet Module |
Presentation Module |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|||||
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Tiki Wiki |
Tiki Spreadsheet |
Tiki Slideshow with S5 format |
Tiki Notepad |
Tiki Draw via SVG-edit |
Tiki Draw via SVG-edit |
Tiki Draw via SVG-edit |
Tiki File Gallery |
No |
Tiki Trackers |
Tiki Trackers, Tiki Wiki and Tiki Task |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
No |
Equation Editor |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|||||||||
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Equation Editor[au] |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
||||
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Zoho Writer |
Zoho Sheet |
Zoho Show |
Zoho Notebook |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Zoho Reports |
Zoho Projects |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Name |
Diagramming software |
Online capabilities
Office Suite names that are on a light purple background are discontinued.
Name |
Online editing |
||||
No |
export |
No |
No |
||
No |
No |
With plugins |
|||
No |
No |
||||
Partial[ak] |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
||
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
allows to read emails |
Yes |
under development |
No |
||
Yes |
Yes |
||||
No |
Note |
No |
Yes |
||
No |
Yes |
||||
No[aw] |
LibreOffice Writer |
LibreOffice Calc |
Plugins[ax] |
||
Microsoft SharePoint Designer. |
|||||
No |
No |
No |
|||
OfficeSuite Mail for Windows. |
No |
No |
No |
||
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Online |
||
a bundled Mozilla Thunderbird |
No |
No |
No |
||
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
||
Tiki Webmail |
WYSIWYG editor via CKEditor |
Yes |
Online |
||
has mail merge capabilities[47] |
No |
No |
Yes |
||
available in Android |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
||
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
||
Zoho Mail |
Zoho Writer |
Yes |
Yes |
||
Name |
Online editing |
||||
Wikipedia Comparison_of_office_suites
Best Office Suites Software
Why Use Office Suites Software?
Office suites software is a staple solution for many businesses and helps power office productivity and document creation. From product demos to content creation, office suites software is an essential tool for almost every industry.
Productivity — Office suites all help professionals produce content. A major benefit to office suites software is the number of things a user can accomplish within a singular suite product. For example, spreadsheets software, one of the three major components, has thousands of use cases. An accounting team may use a spreadsheet keeping track of a company’s daily finances while a researcher may use spreadsheets software to create pivot tables to compare data. Office suites help every department in a business be more productive.
Collaboration — Along with helping businesses be more productive, office suites promote collaboration, both within a team and across departments. Many office suites offer collaboration features that allow multiple users to create and edit documents at the same time. In addition, when a single office suites platform is integrated across a company, users can easily share documents with others. The ability to seamlessly collaborate on work increases productivity across departments.
Who Uses Office Suites Software?
Office suites are an office staple, so virtually every professional benefits from using this software. While some users may benefit from a specific product within a platform over another, the variety of use cases make office suites appealing to everyone. However, accountants, content creators, and sales teams usually benefit from office suites the most.
Accountants — Accountants use spreadsheets software daily to manage a company’s finances. Spreadsheets are ideal for tracking and calculating finances and often provide features and extension options to improve the accountant’s workflow. Accountants may also use document creation software to create expense reports to deliver their findings to other departments.
Content creators — Document creation software benefits text-based content creators. It allows collaboration across teams for content editing and copy editing, making content creation more efficient and collaborative. Beyond document creation, content creators might also use spreadsheets software to organize content ideas and to compile data related to a piece of content.
Sales — Presentation software is commonly used by sales teams to present sales pitches. While many sales teams may opt for a standalone presentation solution, the collaborative aspect of office suites platforms make office suites more appealing. Sales teams often use document creation tools and spreadsheets tools for lead organization, prospect information management, and more.
Kinds of Office Suites Software
While office suites platforms are typically solidified in their product offerings within the suite, businesses have plenty of purchasing options they can choose.
Subscription-based — Subscription-based office suites are increasingly common and allow cloud collaboration, making this choice appealing. Businesses can incrementally pay for the software instead of all at once. Another benefit of cloud-based office suites with a subscription model is that software updates are automatic and rolled out more often. This eases the duties of IT departments and makes the user experience more positive.
One-time purchase — While not as common, businesses may choose to purchase specific versions of an office suite platform for a one-time fee. While this option allows users to own the product instead of just subscribing, the fee is typically high. If users need access to an upgraded version of the product, they need to purchase an upgrade or purchase the product again. Additionally, any issues with the product might need to be handled internally and not by the software vendor.
Open-source — Open-source office suites are free to download, which is an appealing option for small businesses or businesses on a tight budget. Businesses must consider what their needs are as open-source options often don’t have the same features as paid options.
Besides different pricing model options, businesses can choose between an on-premise or online office suite as well.
On-premise — On-premise office suites are installed onto a user’s computer on-premise and are also known as SaaS (software as a service) products. Users might want to consider SaaS operations management solutions if they consider the on-premise option.
Online — Online office suites operate in the cloud and are not downloaded onto a user’s computer. Instead, a user accesses their office suites tools in their browser. This choice is ideal for web-based collaboration; however, web-based solutions may have limited features.
Office Suites Software Features
Depending on the products within the suite, office suites software offers a wide variety of features. The overall features of the platforms’ core applications range from collaborative tools to features that increase user efficiency.
Templates — Applications allow users to start a document from scratch as well as access existing tools. For example, users can create a presentation with available slide structure, fonts, and colors.
Cloud collaboration — Cloud collaboration tools differ depending on the type of suites platform. Typically, cloud collaboration allows multiple users to edit an application at the same time. Many applications also include annotations, notes, and chat tools that enable users to communicate with each other within an application.
File conversion — Files can be converted between applications. For example, a user can create a document within a spreadsheet tool and easily move the data within the spreadsheet into a presentation tool within the same platform. In addition, many suite tools allow users to convert files created outside the platform’s applications.
Dashboard — Web-based solutions offer a dashboard that houses each application for easy access. Some on-premise solutions also offer this feature.
Trends Related to Office Suites Software
More core applications — While the three main components of an office suite have been the same for a long time, many office suites are expanding the core components as demand for different applications rises. Notably, cloud content collaboration tools are becoming a staple within many office suites platforms. Cloud content collaboration tools allow users to easily share content within other applications in a designated cloud storage solution.
Potential Issues with Office Suites Software
Unused applications — Office suites are purchased as an entire suite. That means users that don’t require spreadsheets software cannot exclude that tool from their suite to lower the price. This means many businesses resort to buying an entire suite with untouched tools. Before committing to a suite, businesses should assess whether some included tools will go unused and if it’s worth purchasing the suite at all.
Software and Services Related to Office Suites Software
There are several similar products on the market that help businesses combine more than one application or module for a streamlined workflow.
HR management suites software — HR management suites are a series of modules that help HR professionals centralize common HR processes. However, HR management suites allow users to purchase modules separately.
CRM all-in-one software — CRM all-in-one tools combine a series of customer interaction tools within a single platform. Similar to office suites software, individual tools within the platform cannot be purchased separately.
Project management software — Project management software offers multiple tools to help businesses manage projects and streamline project workflow.
Office Suites Software Quick Facts
Office Suites Software Reviews by Software Features
Office Suites software products on G2 have nearly 170 types of features, all of which contribute to the performance, usability, and functionality of the software. These software capabilities are rated and submitted throughout the 672406 feature reviews created by G2 users. These scores and detailed feedback can help you determine if a particular Office Suites software product has the attributes and functionality best for your business.
There are standard features across all the Office Suites tools, apps, and software reviewed on G2. Below are listed the highest-rated standard features of Office Suites software products along with some of the core attributes that help drive the performance of those features:
-
Operating
System (94% average rating)
- PC Operating System (94% average rating)
- Mac Operating System (94% average rating)
- Linux Operating System (92% average rating)
-
Shared
Calendar (93% average rating)
- Calendar Collaboration (94% average rating)
- Multiple Calendar Management (92% average rating)
-
Integrate &
Embed (93% average rating)
- Calendar (94% average rating)
- Website (92% average rating)
- Applications (92% average rating)
-
Calendar
View (93% average rating)
- Multi-Calendar View (94% average rating)
- Customizable Viewing (92% average rating)
-
Projects
(92% average rating)
- Views (93% average rating)
- Planning (93% average rating)
- Project Map (92% average rating)
To help you find the Office Suites tool that meets your business needs, below you will find answers to frequently asked questions about the best Office Suites software products that have the features mentioned above.
Which Office Suites products are the highest rated based on Operating System features?
- Google Workspace (4.6-star rating with 40518 reviews)
- ONLYOFFICE (4.4-star rating with 58 reviews)
- OfficeSuite (4.5-star rating with 36 reviews)
Which Office Suites products are the best rated based on Shared Calendar features?
- Google Workspace (4.6-star rating with 40518 reviews)
- ONLYOFFICE (4.4-star rating with 58 reviews)
Which Office Suites products are the best rated based on Integrate & Embed features?
- Google Workspace (4.6-star rating with 40518 reviews)
- ONLYOFFICE (4.4-star rating with 58 reviews)
- OfficeSuite (4.5-star rating with 36 reviews)
Which Office Suites products are the best rated based on Calendar View features?
- Google Workspace (4.6-star rating with 40518 reviews)
- ONLYOFFICE (4.4-star rating with 58 reviews)
Which Office Suites products are the best rated based on Projects features?
- ONLYOFFICE (4.4-star rating with 58 reviews)
What are the most popular features G2 users focus on when picking Office Suites software tools?
- Auto Save has 108110 G2 Reviews
- File Sharing has 106410 G2 Reviews
- Cloud has 100111 G2 Reviews
- Autosave has 94778 G2 Reviews
- Auto save has 78785 G2 Reviews
about the product features and capabilities that users and G2 reviewers like best and least for the top-rated Office Suites software products.
Product |
Highest Rated Features |
Lowest Rated Features |
Here are the features users love the most about Google Workspace:
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Here are the features users love the least about Google Workspace:
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Here are the features users love the most about Microsoft 365:
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Here are the features users love the least about Microsoft 365:
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Here are the features users love the most about OfficeSuite:
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Here are the features users love the least about OfficeSuite:
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Here are the features users love the most about iWork:
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Here are the features users love the least about iWork:
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Here are the features users love the most about WPS Office:
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Here are the features users love the least about WPS Office:
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Top Online Office Suites to Boost Your Productivity
Google Docs
Google Docs is a cloud-based office suite of apps that allows users to create and edit documents online. When it debuted, it laid a lot of emphasis on collaboration, making it possible for teams to work on the same document in real time from anywhere with an internet connection. This has made it easier for people to work together on projects, even when they are not in the same location.
One of the main benefits of Google Docs is that it allows multiple users to edit a document at the same time. This means that team members can work on a document simultaneously, rather than having to wait for one person to make their changes before another person can start working. Google Docs also keeps a record of all changes made to a document, so it is easy to see who made which changes and when they were made.
Another benefit of Google Docs is that it is accessible from any device with an internet connection. This means that people can work on their documents from their computers, tablets, or smartphones, making it easy to stay connected and productive even when they are on the go.
Overall, Google Docs has made it easier for people to collaborate on documents and work together in real time, regardless of location. This has greatly improved the efficiency of many businesses and organizations.
Office Online
Let’s face it, there is no true replacement for the versatility and recognizability of Microsoft Office tools. Luckily, Microsoft has indeed embraced the online space and Office Online is the solution.
Office Online is a suite of web-based productivity tools offered by Microsoft. It includes online versions of popular Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
Like Google Docs, Office Online allows users to create and edit documents in real time from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes it easy for teams to collaborate on projects, regardless of location.
One of the main benefits of Office Online is that it is fully compatible with the desktop versions of Office programs. This means that users can create and edit documents in the online versions of the programs, and then open and work on them in the desktop versions without any loss of formatting or functionality.
Office Online also offers many of the same features as the desktop versions of the programs, such as the ability to add comments, track changes, and review and compare different versions of a document.
Overall, Office Online has made it easier for people to collaborate on documents and work together in real-time, and has improved the efficiency of many businesses and organizations by allowing them to access their Office programs from any device with an internet connection.
iWork for iCloud
Cloud is Apple’s cloud storage service that allows users to store their documents, photos, and other files online and access them from any device with an internet connection. It includes a suite of productivity tools called iCloud Drive that includes online versions of popular Office programs such as Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
Like Google Docs and Office Online, iCloud Drive allows users to create and edit documents in real time from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes it easy for teams to collaborate on projects, regardless of location.
One of the main benefits of iCloud Drive is that it is fully integrated with Apple’s ecosystem of devices, such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This means that users can access their documents and other files from any of their devices, and any changes made on one device will be automatically synced across all of their devices.
iCloud Drive also offers many of the same features as the desktop versions of the programs, such as the ability to add comments, track changes, and review and compare different versions of a document.
Overall, iCloud Drive has made it easier for people to collaborate on documents and work together in real time and has improved the efficiency of many businesses and organizations by allowing them to access their productivity tools from any device with an internet connection.
Clinton Madegwa Dignited Top-online-office-suites-to-boost-your-productivity
Free office suites for download
You can download these free office suites to a wide range of devices. Some offer full suite alternatives to Microsoft Office, while others offer core programs with their own versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Apache OpenOffice
The popular open-source Apache OpenOffice software provides everything a small business owner needs in an office suite. Its tools are similar to Office 365 components and other Microsoft products:
- Writer is OpenOffice’s word processor, similar to Microsoft Word.
- Calc is a full-featured spreadsheet editor, similar to Microsoft Excel.
- Impress is used to create slides and presentations, like Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Draw is a graphics and illustration tool, similar to Microsoft Visio.
- Math is for creating equations as separate objects within documents.
- Base is for modifying databases, tables, and forms and for sharing data, such as in a mail merge, like Microsoft Access.
OpenOffice is compatible with most Microsoft file extensions, including DOC, XML, and PPT, and works on Windows and Linux devices, but not iOS. (OpenOffice works with some macOS versions, but not the latest versions.)
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is another free open-source office suite. It runs with the same underlying source code as Apache OpenOffice and offers a full-featured office suite with Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base. LibreOffice differs from OpenOffice in its more active community of dedicated volunteers worldwide who continue to develop the software.
You can download LibreOffice for Windows, macOS and Android/GNU/Linux computers. The software also supports more obscure operating systems such as the BSDs (FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD).
LibreOffice is compatible with Microsoft word processing, presentation, spreadsheet and publisher file extensions; it also uses the Open Document Format (ODF) for maximum compatibility. In addition to the desktop, you can use LibreOffice on mobile devices, from a USB drive or via cloud computing.
NeoOffice
NeoOffice is an office suite for Mac computers that’s based on both Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice. It caters to Mac users’ needs and sensibilities, offering features not available on the Mac version of OpenOffice.
NeoOffice has the inherent look and feel of Mac software and includes the Versions feature – a macOS tool that automatically saves copies of documents before any changes are made. Additionally, NeoOffice offers Mac-like features such as highlighting, full-screen mode, extended support and the ability to choose which programs open at launch.
You can download NeoOffice from the Mac App Store. It’s compatible with OpenOffice, LibreOffice and Microsoft Office file types.
Did You Know?
If your business is switching from PCs to Macs, you’ll need to research any software that’s not accessed purely online for compatibility.
Kingsoft WPS Office
Kingsoft’s WPS Office is the closest you’ll get to Microsoft Office for free. Although it offers limited services (with only the three core products – Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets), these products offer the familiar look and robust features of their Microsoft Office counterparts.
Given the replicated layout and design, users already accustomed to Word, PowerPoint and Excel will find WPS Office easy to use. You can download WPS Office for Windows, Linux and Android devices. It has a built-in PDF converter, auto spell-check, multiple document tabs and document encryption.
SSuite Office
SSuite Office’s wide range of products includes the WordGraph word processor, Accel Spreadsheet, the MonoBase database creator, and FaceCom video conferencing.
You can download Ssuite Office as an entire software package (there are many options based on user needs and machines), individual programs or portable mobile apps. Although it’s only available for Windows, instructions are available on how to run the suite or its programs on Mac and Linux computers.
One of SSuite’s main selling points (other than that it’s free) is that it is very light and consumes few system resources, making it a good choice for computers that are slow or have limited RAM.
Free cloud-based office suites
Cloud-based office suites are accessible from any internet-connected device. You can run them on any web browser, eliminating the need to download and install programs on your computer. Files are stored in the cloud and accessible anytime, anywhere. You can also share files or invite others to collaborate.
Did You Know?
According to Global Workplace Analytics, businesses can save $11,000 a year for each employee who works from home half the time. If you have remote employees, collaboration and communication will be easier with a cloud-based office suite.
Here are the most popular cloud-based office suites available.
Google’s productivity apps
Google’s productivity and cloud storage platform lets users create, edit and collaborate on all types of files. It includes the Google Docs word processor, Sheets spreadsheet editor, Slides presentation maker, the Google Forms form maker, Google Calendar and other products.
All finished documents are stored in the user’s Google Drive account for easy collaboration and accessibility. Users can also connect other apps, such as the PicMonkey photo editor, WeVideo video editor, PDF Convert, RingCentral CloudFax, and DocuSign.
Google Drive requires a Google account and comes with 15GB of free storage. You can also get a paid version of Google’s productivity tools, Google Workspace, which has more features; costs start at $6 a month per user, depending on the amount of data storage and number of video conferences you need.
Did You Know?
Other Google tools for businesses include Google for Small Business, a portal with SMB-facing tools and services, and Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), which controls the information displayed for your business across all of Google’s services.
Microsoft Office Online
Microsoft actually offers web-based versions of Office’s most widely used programs for free. Users can save, edit, and store files, and collaborate in real time via web browser.
The service also has sharing capabilities; you can create unique links to files or directly insert documents, spreadsheets, and presentations into your website or blog.
The free version of Office Online comes with 7GB of free online storage and online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
These free versions are suitable for companies that only want the essential functions. For example, the free version of Word doesn’t have the Design and Mailing tabs in Microsoft 365, although it does support third-party plugins, which may restore the missing functions.
iWork for iCloud
Apple’s iWork for iCloud offers a suite of productivity apps that includes the Pages word processor, Numbers spreadsheet editor and Keynote presentation creator. It’s accessible for anyone with an Apple ID and can run on Mac and PC browsers and mobile devices.
Users can also share documents with non-iCloud members via unique links for real-time collaboration and presentations, regardless of the devices each person is using. You can open iWork documents on a computer offline, which is a plus; however, these documents are compatible only with Apple devices.
With iWork for iCloud, you get 5GB of free storage, and you can purchase additional storage starting at 50GB for 99 cents per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, or 2TB for $9.99 per month.
Zoho Docs
The Zoho Docs all-in-one solution offers an online productivity suite and file storage, sharing, and management platform.
First, you can create, manage, share and publish files using Zoho’s Writer, Sheet, and Show programs. Then, you can invite other users to collaborate, as well as assign tasks to track progress. Although Zoho is limited to those three office programs, you can store documents and files in any format and share them with anyone using dedicated links.
Zoho Docs is available on the web and iOS and Android devices. Free plans come with 5GB of free storage, while paid plans start at $5 a month and come with 250GB of storage and advanced features. Zoho Docs is a good choice for a very small, geographically scattered business, as it’s free for up to five users.
Sara Angeles, Jennifer Dublino Businessnewsdaily Free-office-suites
FAQs About Office Software
Q #1) What are the different types of Office software?
Answer: An Office Suite can consist of several tools such as a Word processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation, email client, and calendar. Most office suites feature the first three tools.
Q #2) Is there any free office software?
Answer: There is numerous free office software available. Google Docs is one of the most popular free options for small and medium-sized businesses.
Q #3) What software is used in offices?
Answer: Word processors are the most commonly used tools in an office. This is followed by spreadsheets and presentation tools. Each of these tools is versatile and is considered invaluable for businesses in most industries.
Q #4) Are free office software any good?
Answer: Most free office software offer capabilities similar to their paid counterparts. Businesses can get away with using free versions for much of their day-to-day operations.
List of the Top Free Office Software
Here is a list of popular and free Office Suite:
- Smartsheet
- Google Docs
- Apache OpenOffice
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Office Online
- Apple iWork
- Mobisystems OfficeSuite Professional
- LibreOffice
- WPF Office
- Softmaker FreeOffice
- Polaris Office
- SSuite Office
- Feng Office
- Quip
- Dropbox Paper
Comparison Table of Best Free Office Suite
Software/Tool Name |
Supported Platforms/Operating Systems |
Best For |
Price |
Rating |
Web platform, Android, and iOS. |
Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a powerful spreadsheet tool. |
$14/month. Also available for a 30-day free trial. |
||
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari |
Small to large sized businesses seeking online collaborative tools. |
FREE |
||
Windows (XP, 2003,
Vista, 7, 8, and 10) |
Any user that would like MS Office desktop functionality for creating documents. |
FREE |
||
Windows (8.1, 10), macOS |
Small to medium sized businesses seeking a versatile office suite. |
FREE |
||
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safar |
Small businesses seeking basic office tools accessed through a web browser. |
FREE |
||
Mac OS X and iOS |
Small to medium sized businesses seeking to create attractive documents and presentations. |
FREE |
||
Windows 7 or later, Android 4,4 or later, iOS 13 or later, iPadOS 13.0 or later |
Small to medium sized businesses that require office apps for mobile devices. |
$9.99. Also available with FREE 7-day trial |
Let us review the best free Office Suite below:
#1) Smartsheet
Smartsheet – Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a powerful spreadsheet tool.
Smartsheet is an online app that resembles a spreadsheet program. It offers powerful collaborative features and can be customized to function as a project management platform. The program is available on a subscription basis for $14/month. However, users can try out the program for free for 30 days.
Features:
- Powerful spreadsheets tool
- Workflow automation
- Content collaboration tools
- Mobile app integration
- Custom email domains
Price: $14/month. Also available for a 30-day free trial.
Verdict: Smartsheet offers a wide range of collaboration functions. Its customization options also make it incredibly versatile. However, it might not be a good fit for someone seeking a straightforward office suite.
#2) Google Docs
Best for small to large businesses seeking online office tools.
Google Docs is the most popular FREE online office suite. It requires no download, as we can access each of the programs through the web browser. This includes Docs for word processing, Sheets for spreadsheets, Slides for presentations, and Forms for surveys. It offers a wide variety of capabilities, including collaborative tools.
Features:
- Word processor with most of the features found in MS Word.
- Versatile spreadsheets tool.
- Great presentation tools.
- Numerous sharing and collaboration options.
Price: Free
Verdict: Google Docs is the most popular free online office suite for a reason. It offers great capabilities and collaboration options that many of its competitors are still struggling to catch up with.
Website:Google Docs
#3) Apache OpenOffice
Best for small to large-sized businesses seeking to create high-quality documents.
Apache’s OpenOffice offers a wonderful set of tools for businesses of any size. Users can create mathematical equations, produce high-quality documents, multimedia presentations, and even 3D illustrations using the included tools. It includes most of the features that are standard with Microsoft Office but is available for download free.
Features:
- Document creation
- Presentation tools
- Data import/export
- Database management
Price: Free
Verdict: OpenOffice is the best desktop-based free MS Word alternative. Its open-source design offers extra options for users, but some may be turned away by its slightly dated design.
Website:Apache OpenOffice
#4) Microsoft 365 FREE
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a versatile suite of office tools.
Microsoft recently made some apps in their Office 365 suite available for FREE. This suite includes MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams. This software comes as desktop apps as well as cloud-based apps.
The suite includes collaboration features associated with web-based office software, but with the functionality set of desktop apps.
Features:
- Word processing
- Spreadsheets
- Presentations
- Drawing support
- Shapes, Smart Art, and Charts
- Cloud storage
- Collaboration tools
Price: Free
Verdict: Microsoft 365 FREE offers more features than Office online, and with the familiar intuitive interface most of us love.
Website:Microsoft 365 FREE
#5) Microsoft Office Online
Best for small-sized businesses seeking browser-accessible online office tools.
Microsoft Office Online works as a great free alternative for the paid version of Microsoft Office. Users can edit and share the files they have created in its word processor, spreadsheets tools, presentation program. It also includes MS Outlook for email and OneNote for digital notes. All this is accessible through your web browser, so users do not have to download anything.
Features:
- Word processor
- Spreadsheets tool
- Presentation program
- Accessible through browser
- Automatic spell-checker
- Opens all the file types associated with MS Office
Price: Free
Verdict: Microsoft Office Online packs a lot of features found on its desktop counterparts. However, it lacks some of the features, such as drawing support associated with the non-web version.
Website:Microsoft Office Online
#6) Apple iWork
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking to create impressive documents and presentations.
iWork is Apple’s free office suite for its iOS devices. Users can create great-looking text documents, detailed spreadsheets, and spectacular presentations using the programs it contains. This suite is available as a downloadable app, and can also be accessed as a web app. It features a minimalist interface but packs a rich set of features.
Features:
- Pages: Word processor
- Numbers: Spreadsheets
- Keynotes: Presentation creator
- Collaboration options
- Apple pencil integration
Price: Free
Verdict: iWork offers an impressive set of tools for users with Apple devices. Each one is intuitive and offers a speedy workflow.
Website:Apple iWork
#7) Mobisystems OfficeSuite Professional
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking to use office tools on mobile devices.
Mobisystems’ OfficeSuite Professional offers a respectable set of tools for those seeking Microsoft Office-like functionality. It is available for mobile devices, which makes it great for users that wish to utilize office tools on the go.
Each app is responsive and offers a great user experience. OfficeSuite also includes a PDF editor which lets users edit and sign documents through their touch-screen device.
Features:
- Document creation and editing
- Spreadsheets creation and editing
- Presentation creation and editing
- Document password protection
- Electronic signature support
Price: $9.99. Also available for a 7-day free trial.
Verdict: Mobisystems’ OfficeSuite offers many great tools for users on the go. Its $9.99 price tag may make it unsuitable for users seeking a free office suite.
Website:Mobisystems OfficeSuite Professional
#8) Libre Office
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a versatile open-source office suite.
LibreOffice is one of the most famous open-source office suites out there. Its open-source design makes it popular with financial firms and businesses in other industries where privacy is a major concern. It includes a word-processor, a spreadsheets editor, a presentation app, a vector-drawing program, a database program, and a math-formula editor.
Features:
- Writer: Straightforward word processor with many features.
- Calc: Spreadsheets program that rivals Microsoft Excel.
- Impress: Presentation program for slideshows.
- Draw: Integrated graphic editing program
- Base: Database program integrated with other LibreOffice applications.
- Math: Formula editor that can be integrated with other LibreOffice applications.
- Charts: Tool for creating and editing charts and graphs
Price: Free
Verdict: One of the best FREE options out there. The wide array of tools are well-integrated and offer rich capabilities for anyone seeking an ease-to-use open-source office suite.
Website:Libre Office
#9) WPS Office
Best for small and medium-sized businesses seeking an office suite with multitasking capabilities.
WPS Office is a small but efficient office suite that offers three powerful tools: Writer, Spreadsheets, and Presentation. Its features are comparable to MS Office in many respects. Users can improve their workflow with its handy multi-tab interface and pdf editing capabilities.
Features:
- Word processor
- Spreadsheets program
- Presentation program
- Built-in charts tool
- Collaboration tools
- View multiple documents at once
Price: Free
Verdict: WPS Office is a perfect choice for small and medium-sized businesses that require a lightweight office suite with collaboration tools. However, its spreadsheets tool offers limited capabilities compared to competitors like MS Excel.
Website:WPS Office
#10) Softmaker FreeOffice
Best for small and medium-sized businesses seeking a simple office suite.
A basic office suite that is a useful free alternative to Microsoft Office. It contains core office tools such as a word processor, spreadsheets, and presentation maker. Users can also select-install some of the additional programs such as TextMaker as needed.
Features:
- TextMaker: Word processor
- PlanMaker: Spreadsheets application
- SoftMaker Presentations: Presentations application compatible with MS Powerpoint.
- Notes management
Price: Free
Verdict: A reliable and speedy suite that rivals Microsoft Office in many respects. However, it lacks collaboration features and web apps found on other office software.
Website:Softmaker FreeOffice
#11) Polaris Office
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking to create documents on the go.
Polaris’ Office is a unique document management solution for users that wish to search, save, and edit files from various formats. This includes DOC, TXT, and PDF formats.
This software’s stand-out feature is artificial intelligence, which helps users access more efficient workflow menus. This software also comes with apps for mobile devices, making it an excellent choice for users that wish to access and edit documents on the go.
Features:
- Word processor
- Spreadsheets program
- Presentation program
- PDF viewer and editor
- ODF document viewing and editing
- Files-sharing via external cloud service
Price: Free
Verdict: Polaris Office offers a sleek set of tools for accessing and editing documents on the go. However, some users have complained about formatting issues when editing files on different devices.
Website: Polaris Office
#12) SSuite Office
Best for small to medium-sized businesses that wish to use online office tools along with downloadable apps.
SSuite Office offers numerous tools and programs for creating and editing content. These programs are downloadable, but many of them are also accessible via a web browser. The range of apps is also incredibly lightweight and is compatible with several devices.
Features:
- Word processing
- Presentations
- Spreadsheets
- Text chat
- PDF editing
- Collaboration tools
Price: Free
Verdict: SSuite Office offers several lightweight apps that can also be accessed via a browser. However, it doesn’t support open-source document formats such as docx and xlsx.
Website:SSuite Office
#13) Feng Office
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking online collaboration tools.
Feng is an open-source suite of programs to help small and medium-sized businesses conduct their day-to-day operations, plan projects, and connect with customers. This web-based collaboration software also includes email integration and time tracking.
Features:
- Overview dashboard
- Activity feed
- Calendar
- Workspace management
- Search & filters
Price: Free for the Community Edition
Verdict: Feng Office offers a multitude of collaboration features for planning and completing projects. However, it is less suited as a stand-alone office software.
Website:Feng Office
#14) Quip
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking document creation tools with a host of collaborative features.
Quip is a unique cloud-based solution for project management and collaboration. Users can view, create, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and checklists with ease in this program. Quip also offers the ability to create chat rooms for real-time communication and file transfer between collaborators.
Features:
- Document creation tools
- Spreadsheet tools
- Presenting tools
- Collaborative editing
- In-app messaging
Price: Free for Quip Personal
Verdict: Quip offers an interesting solution for users that wish to collaborate in real-time. Some users have reported formatting issues when exporting files.
Website:Quip
#15) Dropbox Paper
Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking collaborative tools and LaTeX support.
Dropbox Paper is a web-based program that offers users the chance to collaborate and organize when working. Its primary interface resembles a large sheet of paper. Users can add different types of content to this page depending on their exact needs. It offers tools for creators, collaborators, and presenters. The program can also be integrated with DropBox, Google Drive, and Framer.
Features:
- Document creation with external program integration
- Seamless switching from editing to presentation mode
- LaTeX support
- Code box functionality
- Trollo card integration
- Works with Dropbox, Google Drive, and Framer
- Collaborative tools
Price: Free
Verdict: Dropbox Paper offers a unique concept for users seeking a free office suite. However, its functionality is limited compared to other solutions, especially regarding presentations.
Website:Dropbox Paper
Softwaretestinghelp Best-free-office-software
The Best Office Suites
Microsoft Office
Best for Complete Office Productivity
4.5 Outstanding
Why We Picked It
Microsoft Office, now known as Microsoft 365, is the collection of office productivity tools to beat. This suite is mature, rich with features, and so widely used that you never have to even think about compatibility. Free versions of mainstay apps, like Word and Excel, are available online. Support for real-time collaborative editing is even more flexible than it is in Google's apps because with Microsoft the documents can be on a Microsoft SharePoint Server, in a personal OneDrive folder, or on Dropbox.
Who It's For
The Professional version of Microsoft 365 is aimed squarely at business users.
PROS
Buy-once, use-forever version of Microsoft Office
By far the most powerful office suite
Includes access to web and mobile versions
- Cleaner interface with no new learning curve
CONS
Microsoft Word’s automation features are intrusive and hard to control
Outlook can seem bloated and unwieldy
- Some features are deeply hidden in obscure menus
Microsoft Office 365
Best for Continuous Updates
4.5 Outstanding
Why We Picked It
Microsoft’s productivity apps are the best at what they do, bar none. For getting any kind of work done, they are top-notch. Mobile apps and web apps make them accessible anywhere. If you need to get serious work done in documents or worksheets, Microsoft’s suite is not merely worth the money, but an amazing bargain.
Who It's For
Home users and very small businesses will find Microsoft 365 Personal an excellent deal. When you account for not only the apps but also the storage space that comes included, a subscription is well worth the price.
PROS
Most powerful office apps of any competitor
Available on almost all platforms
Smooth collaboration features
Elegant, user-friendly interface with extensive help features
- All-in-one app for mail, contacts, and calendar
CONS
Problems accessing documents through web browsers during testing
Automated features in Word produce some unpredictable results
- Some advanced features can be hard to access
Google Workspace
Best for Enterprise Features
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Google Workspace has plenty to offer any organization that needs a collaboration-ready office suite, a website, shared calendars, and mail services. Google Workspace is cloud-only, unlike Microsoft's apps. Whether this is an advantage or disadvantage depends on your needs. Cloud-only apps are better if you want to assure that everything produced by your organization is always available in the cloud. For its ease, elegance, speed, and depth, Google Workspace is a powerful choice.
Who It's For
The Workspace version of Google's productivity suite is for businesses. It's only for organizations that are willing to have all their files and apps hosted in the cloud.
PROS
Elegant office tools
Works the same on any browser
Fine-tuned collaboration and revision-tracking features
- Corporate-friendly user management
CONS
Online-only apps
Less powerful than comparable desktop apps
- Offline editing requires Chrome and advance planning
Apple iWork
Best for Apple Users
4.5 Outstanding
Why We Picked It
We admire Apple’s office apps for their sheer beauty and ingenuity. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote all take a unique graphic-centric approach.
Who It's For
Apple’s apps do come up short on some features, but if they are sufficient for your needs, they’re a pleasure to use. And some of the apps have unique features that you won’t find elsewhere—although relatively few users will need them. If you live and work in Apple’s ecosystem and like the convenience of, for example, taking a photo on your phone and inserting it into a document or worksheet on your Mac, then you should use the iWork apps.
PROS
Simple, elegant interface
Unique canvas-style format for worksheets
Tight integration with Apple's mobile platforms
Powerful graphics features
- Free
CONS
Native file formats won’t open in any other apps
- No mail-merge or multi-chapter support in Pages
Corel WordPerfect Office
Best for Precise Formatting
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
What sets apart the WordPerfect Office suite from others is the fact that its namesake word processor, WordPerfect, is the only office app that gives you total control over every detail of the documents you produce. The suite comprises two more apps, Quattro Pro (a spreadsheet app) and Presentations.
Who It's For
Corel WordPerfect Office is for anyone who needs an alternative to Microsoft's apps, in particular for highly specific formatting needs. It's also only for Windows users, as there is no version for Mac.
PROS
Unique control over formatting and other features
Powerful support for long documents
Builds complex documents from the wizard interface
Specialized legal features and ebook publishing
- Imports and exports Microsoft and legacy formats
CONS
Outdated interface
No mobile or Mac versions, only Windows
Can't easily replace formats like underline and italic
Spreadsheet and presentation apps lag behind the competition
- No real-time collaboration support
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
Best for Online Collaboration
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Docs, Sheets, and Slides, among a few other apps, make up Google's productivity apps for home users. We love their best-in-class collaboration and revision-tracking features. While Docs, Sheets, and Slides are only available as web apps, they are highly convenient to use.
Who It's For
This version of Google's productivity apps is for home users and students. It's a wonderful group of apps to use if you are able to work almost exclusively online.
PROS
Simple, elegant interface
Advanced collaboration and revision-history features
- Free
CONS
Online editing and viewing only (without advance preparation)
Limited feature set compared to desktop suites
- Slow performance on large documents
SoftMaker Office
Best Value
4.0 Excellent
Why We Picked It
Softmaker's productivity suite is the best desktop-based alternative to Microsoft 365. It has more of a presence in Europe than in the US, but SoftMaker should be at the top of your list if you don't want to use Microsoft’s apps. You get high compatibility with Microsoft documents; fast performance; and a mostly clean and efficient interface. It's available for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux systems, with slightly different feature sets on each platform.
Who It's For
Since Softmaker doesn't have online apps or support collaboration, it's best for people who work solo.
PROS
Powerful, elegant alternative to Microsoft 365
Speedy, reliable performance for most tasks
Highly customizable ribbon or menu-based interface
Opens legacy documents that Microsoft Office apps can’t
Optional version backup
- Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, plus full-featured mobile apps
CONS
Lacks web apps and collaboration features
Limited document-viewing options
Slow performance with huge worksheets
- No recorded macros and scripted macros only available for Windows version
LibreOffice
Best for Open-Source Document Editing
3.0 Average
Why We Picked It
LibreOffice is an impressive achievement that keeps improving with each incremental release. It still suffers from a clunky interface, despite some recent improvements, and it crashes more than it should. But it's your best choice for free, open-source office apps.
Who It's For
LibreOffice is for people who want open-source software. In particular, open-source software tends to be appealing to government offices, financial firms, and other privacy-conscious users, because they can examine the source code for vulnerabilities. It's also an excellent choice for anyone with older documents in outdated formats, as LibreOffice can usually open them.
PROS
Free and open-source
Offers desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Can import and convert almost any legacy document
CONS
Less stable on Macs than rival suites
No online collaboration features
- Confusing and overstuffed interface
How Much Do Office Suites Cost?
Some office suites—such as those from Apple, Google, and LibreOffice—are free. SoftMaker also offers a free version. Others, such as Corel WordPerfect, require you to pay a one-time cost. Google Workspace is a subscription-based service (we refer to the free version as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides), while Microsoft 365 and SoftMaker Office both offer standalone and subscription-based versions. The cost of a subscription depends on how many devices you need to use the software on, as well as which apps you need.
With any subscription-based office suite, your apps automatically stay up to date with all the latest features and security updates. That's an important benefit, but if you don't really care about getting the absolute newest updates, you might prefer to purchase a static standalone version. Many office suites offer the latest version to existing users at a discount, so you might not need to pay full price when you decide it's time for an upgrade.
What Do You Get in an Office Suite?
Three apps remain the core of every office suite: a word processor, a spreadsheet editor, and a presentation app. Depending on the suite, and, in some cases, depending on which version of a suite you choose, you also get a mail and calendar app, a database manager, PDF-editing software, a note-taking app, website creation tools, and any of a dozen miscellaneous apps and services that cover everything from video conferencing to form-building.
One thing that all of today’s suites have in common is that their core apps—the word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation app—share much of their underlying code. That means, for example, that the drawing tools in the presentation app are typically also available in the word processor and spreadsheet app. Also, the core apps typically share a similar interface, so you can move from one to the other without difficulty.
Should You Use Cloud or Local Apps?
One important decision to make before you choose an office suite is whether you want to work online, offline, or both. Both types of software have advantages. For instance, online apps allow you to collaborate with others and can help ensure that your files are available everywhere. Local apps are typically more powerful and reliable, however.
Corel WordPerfect, LibreOffice, and SoftMaker Office all lack web versions and confine you to working on documents on your local machine. Google’s commercial and consumer apps, by contrast, are web-first experiences. For instance, all the apps within those suites are available via a browser and every document you work on is saved to cloud storage. Although you can work on Google Docs files offline, that's not as viable a solution as downloading full-featured, local-disk versions of apps.
Microsoft 365 offers the best of both worlds. By default—though it’s easy to change this—Microsoft’s apps save documents to its cloud storage service, Microsoft OneDrive, which allows you to keep copies of your documents both offline and in the cloud. Microsoft makes it easy to edit and access your documents either online through a browser or locally through top-notch desktop apps.
Apple's iWork apps (Page, Numbers, and Keynote) are also available online, as well as on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices. Apple, unlike Microsoft, doesn’t provide Windows or Android versions of its office apps.
What File Conventions Do Office Suites Use?
For better or worse—and we think it’s mostly for better—Microsoft 365 sets the standard for document formats; all other suites let you save documents in Office’s file formats.
The only document formats that every suite we reviewed can handle are Microsoft’s Word and Excel formats. You can set up your non-Microsoft apps to save in those formats, but you’ll typically need to swat away message boxes and other warnings when you do. If you only share documents within an organization standardized on non-Microsoft formats, this isn't an issue. In fact, some security-conscious users or businesses may prefer to keep potentially sensitive documents exclusively in LibreOffice's open-source formats. However, if you frequently send documents to recipients outside your organization, watch out for compatibility problems.
Google's apps have a unique way of handling file types. You can download Google’s documents in standard formats, such as those used by Microsoft 365 or LibreOffice, but the originals that are saved to the cloud can only be edited in Google’s web and mobile apps (with some special exceptions). All of the apps within Apple's iWork suite use proprietary formats, which makes sharing difficult.
Should You Use an Alternative to Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office?
When deciding on an office suite, you should consider whether you are picking one for yourself or your whole organization. If it's the former, use whatever feels most comfortable. If you do choose anything other than Microsoft 365 (the online subscription version of Microsoft's killer suite or Office 2021 (the buy-once-and-use-forever local software version) and plan to send your files to anyone else, be prepared to set up your suite to export files in the standard Microsoft Office formats.
If you’re choosing an office suite for a small business or a large organization, then matters get more complicated. Microsoft 365/Microsoft Office 2021 is the most effective, reliable, and easiest to use of all the suites, but it has two disadvantages: First, it's expensive. Second, you may have strong reasons to avoid proprietary software.
If you insist on open-source software, then LibreOffice is your only serious choice. It does suffer from a clunky interface with menus that can confuse even expert users. If you want free software and you use a Mac, Apple’s iWork apps might be a good fit (those apps are available in a browser, too, but they're best on a Mac). For free software on any other desktop OS, consider SoftMaker Office's free version. If you’re content with cloud-only software, then Google’s apps are powerful and intuitive. If you’re in an industry or research field that uses WordPerfect, then Corel’s suite is the only choice.
Microsoft's suite, in whichever version, clearly leads the field, but it’s not for everyone. Unfortunately, there’s no clear preference among the alternatives, but you can test them all, including Microsoft 365, with free or trial versions.
Edward Mendelson Pcmag Best-office-suites
The 6 Best Office Suites for Your Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations
Microsoft Office 365, Google G Suite, Zoho Workplace, Apple iWork, Quip, and LibreOffice are the biggest office suite players today.
The 6 Best Office Suites:
App |
Best for: |
Free for: |
Paid Plans from: |
Office compatibility with desktop and tablet apps |
Personal online apps |
$6.99/mo. personal; $10/mo. per user Business |
|
Collaborating with a team in online documents |
Personal online apps |
$5/mo. per user |
|
Making stylish files in minutes on Apple devices |
Full features with Mac or iOS device |
||
30+ apps in one suite |
25 users & 5GB storage |
$3/mo. per user |
|
a new, paper-free approach to office |
Personal use |
$25/mo. for 5 users |
|
A free desktop office suite |
Full features |
Compatibility is still important—and in this roundup, the first screenshot for each office suite shows a standard Word document to test how well it imports files. But other features matter, too, especially today.
Collaboration is perhaps most important in a modern office suite. Instead of emailing a file to a colleague, you can send them a link to your file and view it together online.
Microsoft Office 365 (Web, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)
Best for Office compatibility with desktop and tablet apps
The first word processor most of us used, Word is still a great tool for writing documents
This is not the Office you grew with.
Traditionally, you'd buy a boxed copy of Office for $100 or more and install it from CDs on your computer. That'd give you Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with extra tools like Outlook and Access depending on the version of Office you purchased.
Office 365 changed that all. From $6.99/month, you can get every Office app on all your devices. Or you can use the free Office Online versions of these programs from your browser or the nearly full-featured mobile apps so you can get work done anywhere.
Office Online lets you view and edit your files from any browser
Start a Word document on your PC at home, add some edits from your phone, then print it off from your browser once you get to the office. You can collaborate online in Office Online, editing a document along with a colleague in Word Online or adding comments to an Excel Online spreadsheet that your coworker can check later.
Office's apps each include more features than those in most of the suites in this roundup, with decades of development behind each one. Excel includes an impressive number of functions and data analysis tools, while OneNote is one of the most innovative notes apps with a paper-like layout that lets you write where you want. There are new apps in the suite, too, like the modern presentation tool Sway and Delve, a smart tool to automatically find the files you need.
OneNote is a unique take on a notebook app
If you plan to work from a desktop computer or tablet most of the time—and don't want to work from your browser—Microsoft Office is still likely your best option for most office work. Its apps are some of the best ways to make documents and spreadsheets, with enough collaboration features and new apps to make them work in the modern office. Office 365 also includes 1TB of storage in OneDrive so you can backup your files online with the same subscription. And there's an entire ecosystem of plugins and templates from Office's decades on the market that can help you get more from its apps.
· Office 365 Tools Included: Word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, notes, database builder (on PCs), email, file sync
· Office 365 Excel Spreadsheet Functions Supported:465
· Office 365 Price: Free Office Online web apps; $6.99/month Personal plan for individual use; $9.99/ month Home for up to 5 PCs or Macs; from $10/month Business plan for company use per user
Google G Suite (Web, Android, iOS)
Best for collaborating with a team in online documents
Google Docs does perhaps the best job at importing Office files
Microsoft Office might have been first default "office suite" in the enterprise, but it took Google to take it beyond desktops and into the cloud. G Suite—formerly Google Apps—started out as Writely, a simple online writing app from 2005. Google acquired it and piece by piece turned it into the cornerstone of today's best Microsoft Office competitor.
Need to gather data for your documents? Google Forms can do it right from your office suite.
G Suite's individual apps are great on their own—modern tools with everything you need to make documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. The individual features aren't the reason to use them, though.
What makes G Suite great is how it's built for collaboration. You can share your files with anyone—even publicly on the web if you like—and let them all jump in and help craft a masterpiece. You can live-edit with others at the same time or leave comments that Google will email for feedback later (even directly from the inbox—just reply to the email to reply to the document comment). Because it comes with any Google account—and who doesn't have a Gmail account?—G Suite is practically ubiquitous.
G Suite even includes tools to help you automatically learn from your data
It's getting smarter, too. The new Explore tool in Google Docs and Sheets can find insights from your data, creating charts from your spreadsheets and finding related documents automatically. It can even work while you sleep. Add a Google Form to your Google Sheets spreadsheet and new answers will show up in your sheet automatically, ready the next time you log in. Add some add-ons and integrations to your G Suite account, and your Sheets can crunch numbers on their own.
G Suite is best online. It does have mobile apps, though with far fewer features than the core web apps—you can't add suggested edits or most formatting to a document on mobile, for instance. And G Suite only works offline if you use it in Chrome. But if you mainly work from a computer and are online most of the day, G Suite is one of the best ways to collaborate on files online with your team or anyone who has a Gmail account.
· G Suite Tools Included: Word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, notes, email, file sync
· G Suite Sheets Spreadsheet Functions Supported:351
· G Suite Price: Free for personal use; from $5/month per user Basic plan for teams
Apple iWork (Web, Mac, iOS)
Best for making stylish files in minutes on an Apple device
It may not be the best at importing Microsoft Office files, but it is the best at quickly creating beautiful documents
Want to create beautiful documents, spreadsheets, and presentations? Apple iWork apps—Pages, Keynote, and Numbers—are the easiest way to make them, and they're free with Macs and iOS devices. You'll either find them preloaded on your new devices or in the App Store as a free download.
Each includes a number of templates to help you quickly make the files you want, in a simplified interface that hides most of its tools until you need them. You can start out with a template, pull in your own images and graphics, and end up with a print-quality file in minutes. Or, turn your document into a book—Pages lets you export a document as an ePub book that's perfect to publish to an eBook store.
Keynote is the app behind Steve Jobs
Numbers is a unique take on a spreadsheet app, acting more like a document than the typical grid-filled sheet you'll find in Excel or Google Sheets. Crunch the numbers you need, then add text and charts around it in the blank document to build a full report around your core table.
Keynote, similarly, is great for more than just your standard slideshow. Its animations are so fluid, it's a popular tool for prototyping new apps and making short animated videos. Or, just use it to make your next meeting a bit more interesting—with the new Keynote Live, you can stream your presentation online right from Keynote.
iWork is best in its native apps on Mac and iOS, though you can also use it online from iCloud.com. That's a great way to share your files with colleagues who don't use iWork or to quickly tweak a presentation from a work computer when you forget your laptop.
· Apple iWork Tools Included: Word processor, spreadsheet, presentations (notes, mail, and calendar apps also included with iOS and macOS)
· Apple Numbers Spreadsheet Functions Supported:266
· Apple iWork Price: Free for Mac and iOS; free web app with an iCloud account, which comes free with any Apple device
Zoho Workplace (Web, Android, iOS)
Best for 30+ apps in one suite
Create documents in a new take on the traditional word processor
Zoho offers an incredible array of apps, but it all started with their online word processor, Zoho Writer. New apps joined the group year by year, eventually turning into Zoho Workplace—a full office suite online, with dozens of other Zoho apps that you can add on if needed.
Writer continues to be the leading app in the suite, with a new design that rethinks how a word processor should be designed. It keeps nearly all of its features hidden by default for a distraction-free interface. Need to tweak something? Open the left sidebar to find all of the tools a couple taps away in neatly organized toolbars. Bring in Microsoft Office files, and Zoho does an impressive job at retaining most of the original formatting.
Quickly grab the tool you need from the toolbar or menu
For everything else you need to do, there's a Zoho app to handle it. Its presentation and spreadsheet apps follow a more traditional style, with menus and toolbars mixed so you can work the way you want. And everywhere, collaboration is at the forefront. Each app includes a Zoho Chat box where you can talk to your colleagues and keep the conversation going no matter which Zoho app you're using.
When you need to turn your spreadsheets into an app, or find customer data for your report document, or find your company's finances for a presentation, that and more can be stored away in one of Zoho's many tools. That's the best reason to use this suite—it's all of the software your company needs, tied to an office suite that works from any browser. Plus, it's an affordable suite for small businesses.
· Zoho Workplace Tools Included: Word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, email, team chat, file sync, websites (with 25+ other Zoho apps available)
· Zoho Sheet Spreadsheet Functions Supported:362
· Zoho Workplace Price: Free for 25 users with 5GB storage; $3/month per user Standard plan for unlimited users and 30GB storage
Quip (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Web)
Best for a new, paper-free approach to office
Quip decided to rethink office software. The whole idea of documents is still rooted in paper—in most word processors, you work in a virtual sheet of A4 paper, even though you might not print the finished document. Quip does away with that skeuomorphism.
Just like a web page, your Quip documents go on forever with nary a page break or footer in sight. Write and organize your text with web-style headers. Use standard keyboard shortcuts to format your text—or hover over the left side of a paragraph to turn it into a quote, code block, header, or list. On the right, add new sections to your document—links to other documents, smart dates that remind you when they're due, and mentions to pull others into your document. They're living documents, smart pages with everything you're working on—stuff that could never fit on a printed sheet.
Mix simple spreadsheets into documents, see what changed over time, and chat with your team in one app
Need to crunch numbers? Just insert a spreadsheet block into your document for a smart table that supports standard spreadsheet functions. It's perhaps the easiest way to make a full report—you can write the document and find the data for the report all in one place.
Quip is best when shared with your team. It includes Slack-like team chat rooms where you can discuss ideas and share gifs with your colleagues. Each document has its own tiny chat in the sidebar, where you can track changes and chat with your team about the content.
It's far more basic than the other office suites. You can't select your own typeface or other formatting options—Quip instead includes a half-dozen document templates to style your document. And there's no presentation app, unlike other office suites. But it is a simpler way to put your data to work, without the legacy paper-style features most office suites are still built around.
· Quip Tools Included: Word processor, spreadsheets, team chat
· Quip Spreadsheet Functions Supported:406
· Quip Price: Free for personal use; $30/month Quip plan for 5 users, plus $12/month per additional user
LibreOffice (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android)
Best for a free desktop office suite
The latest version of the storied Microsoft Office competitor OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice is perhaps the best-known free office suite. If you didn't want to spend $100+ on a copy of Microsoft Office, for years it was your only good option. And today, if you want a free office suite on a PC that works without an internet connection, it's still one of the best options.
LibreOffice isn't fancy. It still feels like an older version of Microsoft Office, with endless toolbars and sidebars and buttons, some of which do the same functions as others. It's perhaps the least reliable at making documents look exactly like they would in Office (aside from Quip, but then, Quip has other goals in mind).
But it does work—especially for making new documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It might take a bit more work to get things to look the way you want, but you can hide any extraneous toolbars or sidebars for just enough customization to fit your workflow. And while it's a bit slow to load and scroll through long documents, you can pinch to zoom, drag-and-drop files, embed files from one app of the suite into another, and everything else you'd expect in a desktop office suite. You can collaborate with document revisions and comments, only you'll need to sync the files on your own via Dropbox or another file sync app—and there's no way to live-edit files together with your team.
Perhaps LibreOffice's best feature is its Base app. This database editor lets you quickly build a form-based interface for new databases or use existing MySQL and other standard databases to build simple apps without coding. It's one of the few alternatives to Microsoft Access. It's also a great way to build simple in-house desktop tools for your team, then scale them up later into standalone apps if you want.
· LibreOffice Tools Included: Word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, database builder, drawing tool
· LibreOffice Calc Spreadsheet Functions Supported:385
· LibreOffice Price: Free, open-source
Matthew Guay Zapier Microsoft-office-vs-g-suite
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Error: Unable to display the reference properly. See the documentation for details.
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Feature Comparison: LibreOffice - Microsoft Office
Desktop Publishing Software What is DTP software and which is the best?
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Does libreoffice have an equivalent to publisher please? ?
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Conclusion
Having a standalone office suite installed on your PC is pretty overkill for the normal person who needs to type up a quick document, or create a presentation. This means that the above-mentioned tools can and should suffice for many people today.
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