Microsoft Office is right for a lot of people and businesses. And Google Workspace is right for a lot of the rest.
But are there — you know — any other choices? The answer is lots. And whether you’re looking to save money, get cross-platform compatibility or just be free of the big companies, they’re worth looking at.
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Here are five Office alternatives to consider.
- WordPerfect Office 2021. Yes. Good old Corel’s WordPerfect. It has a word processor, spreadsheet and slideshow programs, all in one. It also offers photo editing and management. It can save to multiple formats, like DOCX, HTML and PDF and can fully edit PDFs too. It’s a little bit pricey but you only pay once, no subscription fee.
- LibreOffice. This is widely favored among fans of open source software and people who use Linux as a daily driver. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, vector drawing, database and math editor. And it’s excellent at handling older file types. It works on Linux, Mac and Windows and is completely free.
- Softmaker Office. Softmaker offers a free version called, appropriately enough, Free Office, as well as a full suite for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. It’s one of the most Microsoft-like suites, without actually being from Microsoft, and it has a sizable user base in Europe.
- WPS Office. This one has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and PDF converter and works on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. The free tier is very good and includes most functions as well as free online storage from its maker, China’s Kingsoft. A paid tier offers more device connections, more storage and access to the PDF converter.
- Apple iWork. If you’re avoiding all big companies, this is obviously not for you. But if you have a Mac, you have this and it’s not bad. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps. And it can use Apple’s iCloud for storage and collaborative editing. It’s available only for Mac and iOS.
You’re probably fine using Microsoft or Google. But if you want something free, or offline, or just different, it’s good to know there are other options.
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