Microsoft Office once had an unquestioned stranglehold on the world of productivity suites and programs. However, the and high-price of the 2016 alternative have given rise to a retinue of options that fall outside Microsoft’s banner. The best alternatives to Microsoft Office allow users the freedom to create and edit — many are even compatible with files made in Word, Excel, and other Microsoft’s programs. If you’re loyal to Microsoft’s product, it’s worth trying out the Office web-based applications, which emulate a lot of the primary features of Office right in your browser for free.
5 Best Free Office Suites/Software for Windows 10 in 2019. 5th December 2018 17th June 2018 by Manish Sahay. Best Free Office Suite/Software Alternatives to Microsoft Office for Windows. An Office Suite or a Work Productivity Suite is a Software Suite that has at.
Related reads. Mark Coppock/Digital Trends The latest version of SoftMaker’s FreeOffice — released in 2016 — comes with full compatibility for DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, and PPT file formats, with a lot of work going into making them “loss free.” This means you won’t find any unexpected surprises when transferring your files into Word, which makes the software perfect for those who want a free alternative to Word but still need to work regularly with Word software. FreeOffice is also easy on the eyes and should be very familiar to Word users. The toolbars and document-creation options are similar to those in the Office suite, and the latest software updates further ensure the program is quick and relatively void of loading times.
Even, the suite’s Excel alternative, offers features such as conditional formatting and pivot tables, which past Excel users will be able to jump into without the need of a tutorial. FreeOffice is also an excellent choice for carrying out professional projects. Not only does it provide compatibility with password-protected files, but it can also help you create PDF files or ePUB files, track document changes, and switch between languages on the fly. More common features — i.e., spellcheck and smart typing — also wait in the wings, ensuring you’re not missing anything Office-related.
Download now for: Google’s G Suite/Google Apps The best web-based option Google’s online suite should need no introduction. The cloud-based software remains ideal if you need to work with others on a project — particularly if everyone is familiar with Google Drive, where files can be stored and shared. The current iteration of Docs supports PDFs, DOC files, and even iWork files, so you need not worry about information being lost. It also integrates with most of Google’s other services, including Gmail, Calendar, and Google Plus. There’s also the G Suite productivity solution for businesses, which is a strong competitor to Microsoft’s Office offerings in many enterprises. The interface is classic Google — minimalist and oft-confusing. Certain tools or abilities may be hidden deep in menus or not made available for unknown reasons, which can make the software difficult to pick up without any previous experience.
Still, if you’re used to Chrome or Chrome OS, then you know what to expect and shouldn’t have much problem navigating the menus. Plus, the ability to work on documents, edit work, and discuss changes with others who are also working on the same file — all in the same window — is incredibly useful and implemented well across different file types. — paid or otherwise. This is a great choice for those with limited storage (like ), or for those who need to edit at a distance. Access it now via: LibreOffice The best full-featured option Mark Coppock/Digital Trends The creators of LibreOffice took a look at Microsoft Office and said, “Let’s make sure we can do everything Office can’t.” By now, the differences are so numerous that someone has created that showcases the extra compatibility that LibreOffice offers compared to Microsoft’s suite. This includes support for a vast number of document formats in both MacOS and Windows. If you’re using more distinctive software and are worried that Office won’t be able to handle your industry-specific formats, then LibreOffice is more than happy to step in.
The open-source community behind LibreOffice remains active, and continues to create extensions that allow you to equip your apps with any features you may need. Include improvements to interactive forms within documents, new presentation templates, and a cloud-based version of the suite for remote use. And given both “” and Nightly beta modes are currently available, you’re also guaranteed to see regular improvements with LibreOffice.
Ultimately, if you like Office but are looking for a highly-customizable alternative that can expand on the tools Microsoft provides while offering solid compatibility, LibreOffice is for you. Of course, learning and building LibreOffice into the software you want may take a little work, so give yourself plenty of time to learn what’s at your disposal. Download now for: WPS Office The best Microsoft Word clone Mark Coppock/Digital Trends WPS’s Office alternative comes with Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheet, all of which mimic programs in Microsoft’s iconic suite. All files you create with these apps will be fully compatible with their Microsoft counterparts, and there’s an extra suite of PDF conversion tools in the event you need to export or import in a more ready-friendly format. Plus, the suite is available for free on both Android and iOS devices. WPS is ideal if you’re used to a specific interface in Word programs and want to mimic the experience as closely as possible. No time to learn new tools?
Even the template options are based on Microsoft’s traditional templates, which makes it easy to find your favorite way to start and fill out a document. Plus, the interface more closely resembles newer versions of Microsoft Office than many of our other picks, so jumping in immediately may be even easier than you expect. WPS isn’t content to copy Microsoft in all things, however.
The software touts a few useful tools of its own, including organic ways to change paragraph layout with your mouse, advanced section navigation, and document tabs that allow you to quickly manage multiple documents. This makes WPS Office a great choice for laptops and/or schoolwork. Download it now for: iWork The best Mac option Mark Coppock/Digital Trends Apple’s iWork wasn’t originally designed for compatibility with Office Docs, but over time, the developers decided to add more functionality. You can import Microsoft files and edit them in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote as needed, which is a huge advantage that makes iWork the perfect Office alternative for those working on a Mac. These days, even Windows PC users can use iWork if they don’t mind doing so via iCloud (Apple currently doesn’t offer compatible desktop versions). Of course, accessibility is more determined by your familiarity with iWork than anything else. These apps may be able to produce similar documents in the end, but they don’t really resemble Microsoft office when it comes to the interface.
Tools are located in different places and tend to be a little more obscured than their Microsoft counterparts, so if this is your first time using these apps, you can expect a steep learning curve before things become simple. Also, keep in mind that iWork is made to function alongside iCloud. If you currently use the cloud backup solution then that will make it much easier to share documents over the cloud and store them off-site if necessary. If your whole team is on board, this can be extremely useful, but as with the aforementioned Google Docs and G Suite, everyone needs to be on the same page.
If you’re a mobile user, you also want to note that the iWork suite is broken into three separate apps, each of which needs to be downloaded individually. Download for MacOS.
CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our., and with it the Microsoft adopted a couple years back: $69 per year for the single-user Personal Edition, $99 per year for the five-user Home Edition or $149.99 to buy the suite outright. Make no mistake, I like Office.
Word, Excel and PowerPoint have been refined and polished to a fine shine, and Outlook is arguably the best desktop mail client currently available, especially for business users. Microsoft's free online version of Word is not too shabby. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET But for years many of us have been spoiled by Google Docs, OpenOffice and other free alternatives, to the point where it just seems ludicrous to pay for Microsoft's suite - even with its 1 terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage and (snicker) 60 minutes of monthly Skype time. (Excuse my mockery, but this is such a paltry value-add, one few people ever use, yet Microsoft wants you to think it's all that and a bag of chips.) My question for you, fellow cheeps: What's your solution?
My guess is you're not paying for Office either (unless you're getting it cheap or free as a student or from your company), but you still need word processing, spreadsheets and/or presentations. One of my longtime favorites, WPS Office (formerly Kingsoft Office), has become something of a mess. If you head to WPS.com, you find only Android, iOS and Linux versions of the suite. A little Googling reveals that Kingsoft proper still offers the Windows version, but good luck figuring out the. (My advice: click the Download button next to Office Suite Free 2013. That's the version I used for a long while and really liked.) What about Google Docs?
It's effective enough for basic document work, but file management is kind of a pain - especially if you use Google Drive as your portal. (If there's a way to sort your documents by file type, I haven't found it.) And like most of Google's Web-based apps, it's just ugly. I consider myself a creative guy, and when I'm creating stuff, I prefer a pretty interface. Which brings us to Microsoft Office Online, a surprisingly decent set of tools that more or less rival what Google has to offer - but with a much prettier UI. If you don't need the higher-end feature packed into Word, Excel and PowerPoint (and I suspect most users don't), you might be surprised by how much you can accomplish with free Office Online.
Software For Windows Xp
Now, your turn. What's your pleasure? Old-standby OpenOffice? Something else entirely? Tell me (and everyone else) what tools you use to handle your everyday office-y tasks. Bonus deal: Calling all Mac users! If you're getting ready to make the move to El Capitan, you'll no doubt want to make a full backup first.
And for that you'll need software. For a limited time, you can grab. Normally $19.95, this drive-cloning tool creates a bootable backup and includes features like file-syncing and scheduled activities. Bonus deal No. 2: You've probably heard this news by now, but just in case: Starting tomorrow (and ending tomorrow!), Amazon will offer a.
Regular price: $99. This offer is for new subscribers only, though if there's a gift option, you could theoretically buy that gift for yourself and use it to renew an existing subscription when the time comes. (You'll definitely want to read all the fine print to see if this would work. I'm only speculating.).