Microsoft Office Alternatives
Microsoft Office is a paid Application for the Mac. Are there alternatives and if so how do they compare? As starting point the Saga website about alternatives is taken [1]
Introduction
Nr | Name | Platforms | Price | Type | Apps |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FreeOffice | Windows | Free | Light | TextMarker (Word), PlanMaker (Excel), Presentation (PowerPoint). |
2 | Apache OpenOffice | Win/Mac | Free | Complete | Writer (Word), Calc (Excel), Impress (Powerpoint), Draw (Graphics) and Math. |
3 | LibreOffice | Win/Mac | Free | Complete | Write (Word), Calc (Excel), Impress, Draw (Graphics), Base (Access) and Math (Formula editing). |
4 | WPS | Win/iOS/Android | Free | Tiny | |
5 | Google Docs | win/Mac | Free | Basic | |
6 | iWork (Apple) | Mac | Free | Alternative | Pages (Word), Numbers (Excel), Keynote (PowerPoint). |
Free Office
A good alternative to Microsoft Office for light use, it’s a basic suite of programs including a word processor, spreadsheet and a presentation program.
FreeOffice TextMaker includes spellchecking, design tools and a comprehensive range of editing tools. FreeOffice PlanMaker is similar to Excel, and includes advanced calculation and tools. FreeOffice Presentations includes animation tools and a series of templates to get you started.
FreeOffice can open and save Microsoft Office file formats.
Apache Open Office
OpenOffice includes programs for word processing, presentations, spreadsheets and graphics, so can be used as an everyday Microsoft Office replacement.
It can open and save Microsoft Office formats, and can be used for business, student and home use.
Its word processor Writer can create anything from quick letters to a full-blown novel, while its spreadsheet tool Calc includes intuitive graphics and charting tools.
Libre Office
LibreOffice is a powerful collection of word processing, spreadsheet, drawing, presentation and mathematics tools.
It’s great for professional work – and its interface makes it simple to create professional-looking documents such as brochures, letters and presentations.
It is fully compatible with Microsoft Office files, and you can download special extensions and templates to extend its features even further.
Differences between OpenOffice and LibreOffice
We’d recommend LibreOffice if we had to choose one of the two. It’s seen the most enthusiastic development and has the most potential in the long run [2]
WPS
Fancy editing and creating documents on your iPad or Android tablet? WPS Office is a mobile alternative to Microsoft Office, and it’s free.
It includes word processing, presentation and spreadsheet tools, and allows you to o
pen, edit, create and save both Microsoft Office and Google Doc compatible documents.
It’s a tiny app size, so doesn’t take up much storage, and includes PDF tools to boot.
Google Docs
Not a full-fledged alternative to Microsoft Office, this free collection of writing, presentation and spreadsheet tools can be accessed from a web browser from any computer, provided you’ve a free Google account.
The tools are basic, but it supports the ability to save in Microsoft Office formats. You’ll need to be connected to the internet to use Google Docs, however.
See also
Reference
- ↑ Saga, 6 free alternatives to Microsoft Office
- ↑ How to Geek, Differnces between OpenOffice and LibreOffce