Open-source office software suite

Fortunately, free office suites abound, many of which are compatible with Microsoft Office docs. We compared six of the most popular free alternatives to see how well they replicate the most commonly used features of Microsoft Office. Built around its own versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, it offers excellent compatibility with all Microsoft Office formats and features a customizable interface that can be tailored to your preference for either the ribbon toolbar or the static menus of Office Read our full review.

Its document review features and integration with Google Drive make it our go-to solution for anyone who routinely needs to co-author documents with others in real time. Additionally, there are some quirks with Google Docs that make it less user-friendly than other office software. As free software it does the job fine, but as a paid product it still lags behind the features and functionality of Microsoft Read our full Google Docs review.

We've also featured the best document editing and management software. You might also want to check out how to download and use Microsoft Word for free. Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing and technology titles, and has been interviewed multiple times for BBC News and BBC Radio.

He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, writing as Brian G Turner. North America. Microsoft online.

Reasons to avoid - Lacks some advanced tools. Zoho Workplace. Reasons to avoid - Some tools are too simple. Polaris Office. A cross-platform office suite that keeps your work in the cloud. Reasons to avoid - Bundled extra software. Everything you could want from an office suite, fully compatible with Microsoft formats and totally free to use — even commercially.

WPS Office Free. A feature-packed free office suite for Windows, Linux and Android. Reasons to avoid - Contains some ads. A free version of a premium suite, with most pro features intact.

Reasons to avoid - No thesaurus. Google Docs. Reasons to avoid - Formatting issues - Quirky. Brian Turner. AWS went down hard, yet again - here's what happened. It might be time to consider running Ubuntu on your smartphone.

Can't get a PS5? You can learn more about our independent review process and partners in our advertiser disclosure. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Microsoft Office is the longtime leader in office productivity software.

If you are looking for an alternative due to cost, performance, or just a dislike of Microsoft products, you have many alternatives available. Not all office suites are created equal, so we sifted through more than a dozen competitors to find the best Microsoft Office alternative for your needs. Follow along to learn more.

It works great on Windows, Mac, Linux, and any other computer with a modern web browser. You can easily collaborate and share without downloading anything, add missing features with plugin integrations, and work with files from a variety of formats including Microsoft Office files. The biggest downside is offline use. While Google offers offline versions through plugins with the Chrome browser, they are not always consistent or reliable.

For non-business users, you can do everything with a free Google account. If you own a Mac, you get an office suite included with your purchase. Apple also offers a web-based version compatible with the latest versions of Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer that integrates fully with iCloud.

Like others on this list, it works with its own file formats and easily imports and exports files in the popular Microsoft Office formats like. The only really big downside is that it is not widely used, so support and online tutorials are far fewer.

If your primary complaint about Office is the cost, you should consider Open Office. This office suite is free but advertising supported. This suite comes from Kingsoft, a China-based developer.

WPS Office is generally well reviewed. It has customizable interfaces so you can decide on the menu style you like most. It also supports tabbed document editing, just like you get with a web browser. It also has an integrated cloud with 1 GB of storage included. It is a lightweight and fast app to use. Dropbox Paper is tightly integrated into Dropbox, which makes file sharing a piece of cake.