Friday, 17 May 2024
Technology

5 Best Open Office Alternatives for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Remember Open Office or OpenOffice.org? Well, we won’t blame you if you don’t. The open-source office software gained a lot of popularity in the past as a viable Microsoft Office alternative, thanks to it being a pretty decent free solution. However, if reports are to be believed, Open Office, now known as Apache Open Office, is going to shut down soon. The software hasn’t seen many updates recently, and despite the promising Apache takeover, there haven’t been any major developments.

While Open Office still offers tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases, it’s pretty dated. Its lack of development has given rise to a slew of great Open Office alternatives. So, if you are still an Apache Open Office user, here are 5 Open Office alternatives you can use:

1. Libre Office

Libre Office is undoubtedly the best Open Office alternative because it’s a fork of Open Office with even better features and community support. It’s arguably the best free office suite available today, and it’s not surprising. The software brings a clean interface and includes applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, flowcharts, databases, and formula editing. Like Open Office, Libre Office supports various document formats, including Microsoft Office files, ODF (Open Document Format), PDF, and more.

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Also, it supports extensions, and there are a number of great extensions, thanks to a very vibrant user community. Overall, if you want the Open Office experience with more updates and a better interface, you cannot go wrong with Libre Office.

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Download (Windows, Linux, macOS)

2. Polaris Office

Polaris Office is a very good Open Office alternative as it brings a ton of amazing features while being free (for personal use). Firstly, it’s available for almost all major platforms out there (except Linux), unlike Open Office, and it supports almost all different file formats, including ODF and TXT. There’s also support for viewing, editing, and converting PDF files. Plus, it brings access to various popular cloud services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, so you can easily save your files on the cloud.

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Another cool feature of Polaris Office is real-time collaboration, which lets you share your documents via URL, email attachment, instant messaging, or SNS and then use the co-edit feature to see the changes in real-time. If you need a modern software to use instead of the dated Open Office, Polaris Office is the solution for you.

Download (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS)

3. SoftMaker FreeOffice

SoftMaker’s FreeOffice is another great Open Office alternative, thanks to its similarity to Apache’s offering and its own unique features. It offers tools for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. The software offers great compatibility with Microsoft Office files, as it’s the only software to offer loss-free opening of files. It also supports PDF files extensively, with support for creation, editing, tags, comments, and more. Additionally, it lets you easily convert documents or PDFs to ePUB files, allowing you to create your very own e-books. Each of its tools brings something extra, like spell check, automatic hyphenation, and more.

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While FreeOffice works very well, there’s a catch—the software does not save files in Microsoft Office file formats. However, you can get SoftMaker Office, which lets you save files in Microsoft Office’s formats and brings features like synonym dictionaries, document tabs, macros, label printing, and more.

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Download (Windows, Linux, Android)

4. WPS Office

WPS Office is more of a Microsoft Office alternative than an Open Office alternative, but if you were using Open Office as an alternative to Microsoft’s offering in the first place, then this is a great solution. The WPS stands for word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets, which are the tools it offers. It also supports a wide range of file types from Microsoft Office, along with PDF. While other software, including Open Office, haven’t been able to mimic Microsoft Office’s interface, WPS excels on this front. Plus, it’s pretty lightweight, making it a great Open Office alternative.

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While the usual office features are available for free, some additional features like the ability to convert PDF to Word, split and merge PDF files, and removal of ads are available for a one-time purchase of $49.99 or an yearly subscription of $19.99.

Download (Windows, Linux, Android, iOS)

5. Neo Office

Neo Office is another great Open Office fork, but it’s only available for macOS users. The application brings its own set of unique features to differ from Open Office and Libre Office. Along with support for Microsoft Office documents, the software also supports Open Office and Libre Office documents. Plus, it brings some native Mac features like the ability to be available at the launch menu, restore previous versions of documents, file locking, grammar checking, text highlighting, and floating Mac windows.

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It’s available in a free “viewer” version, which only lets you test NeoViewer and you cannot save documents with it. If you want all the features, you can get the version from the Mac Store ($39.99), which gets future updates, or the classic Neo Office version ($15) from the official website. We know it’s quite pricey, but it’s the best Mac-aimed Open Office alternative.

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Download (macOS)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are all the mentioned alternatives open-source or free?
A: Not all the tools mentioned above are open-source or totally free like Apache Open Office, but most of them are more feature-rich and better supported.

Q: Can I try online office solutions as alternatives?
A: Yes, you can give online office solutions like Google Docs, iWork, Office Online, etc. a shot too, as they work on all platforms.

Q: Will I miss Open Office once I’ve used these alternatives?
A: We are pretty sure you will not miss Open Office once you’ve used the aforementioned solutions. Try them out and let us know which one you like. Sound off in the comments section below.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for alternatives to Open Office, these options provide a range of features and compatibility with various file formats. Whether you choose Libre Office, Polaris Office, SoftMaker FreeOffice, WPS Office, or Neo Office, you’ll find a suitable replacement that fits your needs and preferences. Give them a try and enjoy the benefits of modern office software.

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