Comparison of Best Free Microsoft Office Alternative

Best Free Microsoft Office Alternative – In 2022

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If you’re looking for the best free Microsoft Office alternative, then you have come to the right place. We start looking for other options when there’s some issue. It can either be cost-related or something else.

Microsoft Office has become an essential part of our life, whether it be to study or work. This post is about some of the best free Microsoft Office alternatives you can use right away and save some dollars. 

Why Do I Need Microsoft Office Alternative?

Well, this is not necessary to go for an alternative. But there are many reasons due to which people are looking for an option.

I am pointing out some of the reasons, and you can see which one is yours:

  1. With so many updates, Microsoft Office has now become vast if we talk about features. There are many features that you may never use. These features and options make it difficult for people to learn “how to use Microsoft Office” for simple regular work.
  2. Apart from learning, too many features come with a higher price, and it’s not wise to spend money on some features you don’t have any idea about.
  3. Most people use Microsoft Word just for some text editing and making assignments. 
  4. There are other excellent office software available for free that you can use.

LibreOffice – Top MS Office Alternative

LibreOffice is another best free Microsoft Office alternative you can use on your computer.

This software is available for download and installation on Mac, Linux, and Windows computers.

LibreOffice was forked in 2010 from OpenOffice.org, which was an open-source version of the earlier StarOffice. 

Libre Office Home Page

This office suite may become the best alternative for your work as it is compatible with .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .pptx, and other files.

LibreOffice is a powerful office suite that offers a clean and feature-rich interface. The software is updated regularly.

Hence you need not worry about bugs and security issues. The best part is, LibreOffice is free and will always be. 

If you’re thinking about migrating from the Microsoft Office suite, then this is the best you can install on your computer.

Here are some reasons that make it best in the list:

  • For Linux users, LibreOffice is like a boon, and you might already be using the software.
  • It is one of the best open-source office suite software for Windows users, and working on it is too easy.
  • LibreOffice has a user community where fellow users resolve all the queries.
  • LibreOffice is available for Windows 10/8/7, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android (document viewer).

Google Docs – Cloud Based Alternative

Google Docs is one of the best Microsoft Office alternatives so far. It has all tools curated in a single place.

Google Docs Office Suite contains a word processor (Docs), a spreadsheet (sheets), a presentation slide (slides), and Google forms and Canvas.

You can start writing new documents in Google Docs and headstart your project with pre-built templates. Google sheets are a good alternative for Microsoft Excel.

The best thing about Google Docs is that it autosaves everything. So, no need to worry about sudden power failure.

All you need is a stable internet connection, and you’re good to go.

© Google

Google Docs also allows you to export your files to the industry-supported formats (i.e., .docx, .pdf, .xlsx etc).

Not just this, but you can also edit the files already stored in your Google Drive or upload some directly onto the Docs.

To use this tool, you need not download and install any package on the computer.

Google Docs is one of the best alternatives for Microsoft Office, and this cloud-based office suite is the top competitor of Microsoft Office Online.

The best part is that you can add several add-ons provided by Google or third parties.

You can invite your teammates to join you on any worksheet, and they can work along with you simultaneously. 

Office Online – Web Version of MS Office

Microsoft’s Office Online is a completely free, web-based version of Microsoft Office.

Also, it is the best competitor for Google Docs. Apart from all the competition, the web version is the potential alternative for the desktop version of the Microsoft Office suite.

Office Online - Free Alternative To Desktop version of Microsoft Office
© Microsoft

You can use Office Online on your browser without spending a single penny. Being a web-based suite, this works on all platforms, including Linux, Mac, Chromebooks, Android tablets, iPad.

Also, you don’t need a plugin to work on it. Just visit office.com and head over to Office Online. 

A significant advantage of using a cloud-based Office suite as the best free Microsoft Office alternative is that all work is saved automatically.

SkyDrive (OneDrive) works as a cloud storage solution here. (Similar to using Google Drive for Google Docs).

The web-based version of Office also offers a better collaboration feature than the desktop version to work together in a group.

There are the following important facts about Office Online that can help find a good alternative for Microsoft Office:

  • You can use Word Online, Excel Online, OneNote Online, and PowerPoint online on Office Online.
  • Microsoft Access and other applications are not available there.
  • Limited features mean less complexity than the desktop version. E.g., mail merge is not available in Office Online (well, we don’t need it here).
  • Internet connection is required (obviously).
  • Completely free and can be accessed anytime, anywhere on any device.
  • Google Docs works offline too, but Office Online requires an Internet connection.
  • Ribbonized version of Microsoft Office desktop version, hence providing more similarity.

WPS Office – Cross Platform Alternative for MS Office

WPS Office is another best free Microsoft Office alternative in 2022. Old users might have known about Kingsoft Office.

Well, that Kingsoft is now WPS Office, and it is available for most platforms such as Android, Windows, Linux, iOS, Mac, and a Web-Version.

© WPS Office

WPS Office is available for free of cost for PC and mobile users with some advertisements (of course). This alternative to Microsoft Office suite offers a word processor, presentation-making, spreadsheet, and looks similar to MS Office.

Various templates are available to use for free that give an advantage while working on projects. Not just it, WPS Office also offers an inbuilt Word to PDF converter.

You can use it as the best free MS Office alternative in 2022, but the paid version offers more features than the free package.

  • Cross platforms compatibility (Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and Web)
  • Cloud sync feature to sync document progress across devices.
  • Compatible with MS Office, Google Docs, and Adobe PDF.
  • WPS Office is an Ultra-light and fast software package that supports multiple languages (8 for PC and 46 for Android).

Apple iWork – Available On macOS X

Apple iWork is one of the best free MS Office alternatives by Apple. If we talk about consumer operating systems, then Apple has always been the biggest competitor for Microsoft.

Apple iWork is available for macOS X users for free of cost. The software is capable of word processing, presentation, and spreadsheets. 

© Apple

Apple iWork is becoming the best Microsoft Office alternative due to its simplicity. It takes some time to get used to it but a suitable replacement for MS Office.

It doesn’t have many of the features available in MS Office, but you might need those features ever.

  • Simple to use without any fuss
  • Easy to use features
  • A cloud-based version is also available
  • Supports Mac, iOS, and other platforms (via iCloud).

Those were the five best free Microsoft Office alternatives in 2022. The options are feature-rich but limited. It would be best if you go for one depending upon your requirement and nature of work.

For example, if your task depends on some available feature only in Microsoft Office, stick to it. Or else, selecting one from above is the best choice you make to make your work easier and cheaper, of course.

Feel free to comment down your suggestions and reviews. Please share any valuable alternative you have for MS Office. This may help fellow readers on the site.

Also, if you face any difficulties with your computer or internet, we’re here to help. 

Note: The images and brand names in this post are used for reference purpose only.

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Kapil Choudhary Author Trickkas

Kapil Choudhary

Hi, I am the creator of this blog. I started this website to help people digitally and be their internet companion. If I'm not writing, I'm probably helping someone with their website or trying to complete a Netflix series I recently started watching.

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