9 Best Free Microsoft Office Alternatives in 2024

Summary: Free Microsoft Office alternatives are good options to create documents and spreadsheets, send emails, and conduct video conferences like MS Office for free. What is the top software you can use for the same? Find the article below!

Microsoft Office has been a popular collaboration suite for almost a decade. It comes with multiple apps like word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, etc., to streamline the workflow and improve communication in the organization.

However, it is not the only option when it comes to office suite applications. There are several Microsoft office alternatives that provide similar features free of cost. Therefore, making them a great choice for organizations that do not want to spend much on Office suite applications.

By using the best free Microsoft office alternative, you can easily create and edit documents, generate spreadsheets, schedule meetings, collaborate in real-time, and much more.

Get more insights on the best free office alternative in the article below.

Comparison of Top 5 Best Free Microsoft Office Alternatives

List of 9 Free Microsoft Office Alternatives to Try

• Best Overall: Google Workspace
• Best Free Software: Apache OpenOffice
• Best for Word Processing: LibreOffice
• Best for Mac System: iWork
• Best for Spreadsheets Creation: NeoOffice
• Best for Storage Space: DropBox
• Best for File Sharing and Collaboration: Zoho Docs
• Best for Graphics and Presentations: Kingsoft WPS Office
• Best for Database Management: SSuite Office

1. LibreOffice

Pricing: Free to use

Storage: 1.5 GB hard disk storage space

LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite offering multiple applications for word processing, creating spreadsheets, presentations, drawing vector graphics, maintaining databases, etc.

With it, you can export your data and documents in multiple file formats, collaborate in real-time, generate and edit spreadsheets, and so on.

LibreOffice Features

• Creates books with diagrams, indexes, content, etc.
• Corrects spelling and typo errors with AutoCorrect dictionary
• Generates different drawings, brochures, and posters
• Develops diagrams and flowcharts
• Comes with formula editor to insert formatted formulas in docs.

LibreOffice Pros and Cons

Why Choose LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is free and open-source and therefore makes it easier to use Office functions like spreadsheets and documents creation without any payment.

2. NeoOffice

Pricing: Free to use

Storage: Not available

NeoOffice is a comprehensive Office suite designed for Mac operating system based on OpenOffice and LibreOffice

With it, you can easily view, modify, and store OpenOffice and LibreOffice documents, Word files, PowerPoint files, etc. Further, this MS Office alternative automatically saves a copy of document before any editions.

Features of NeoOffice

• Restores previous file versions
• Supports text highlighting in documents
• Natively locks files for safely editing on different drives
• Comes with a grammar checking tool
• Helps with files creation and editing

Pros and Cons of NeoOffice

Why Choose NeoOffice?

You can pick NeoOffice as an alternative to Microsoft Office if you require basic file creation and editing features.

3. SSuite Office

Pricing: Free to use

Storage: Not available

SSuite Office is a suite of free tools for improving collaboration and productivity. This free office alternative can be used to manage tasks like creating and editing files, collaborating on documents, sharing files in various formats, etc. Further, you can also create amazing slideshows and animations with SSuite Office.

SSuite Office Features

• Presents and analyzes data in graphs and reports
• Supports the creation of spreadsheets and presentations
• Helps create and share files
• Supports database creation and manipulation
• Offers multiple tools for word processing

Pros and Cons of SSuite Office

Why Choose SSuite Office?

SSuite Office is a good choice as it offers multiple applications that you can use for free, such as database manipulation and finance management.

4. Kingsoft WPS Office

Pricing: Free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 1,473.95/year

Storage: 1 GB cloud storage in the free plan

Kingsoft WPS Office is a free office suite that offers various productivity apps to easily create, edit, and share documents.

This Microsoft Office alternative helps you to create professional presentations, content, spreadsheets, and so on. Kingsoft WPS Office can also be used to compress file sizes and managing file permissions for security.

Features of Kingsoft WPS Office

• Creates and edits PDFs
• Converts documents in different file formats
• Helps collaborate on cloud in real time
• Extracts texts and signature through file scanning
• Encrypts PDFs for data security

WPS Office Pros and Cons

Why Choose Kingsoft WPS Office?

Kingsoft WPS Office is a great office suite as it offers 100,000+ templates to create and customize documents.

5. Google Workspace

Pricing: No free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 136.90/user/month

Storage: 30 GB storage space/user in its starter plan

Google Workspace provides users with multiple business apps and collaboration tools to improve business communication and boost productivity.

This alternative to Microsoft office can be used for sending emails, creating documents, making spreadsheets, generating forms, and a lot more. Further, you can also schedule meetings and send automated invitations through calendars.

Features of Google Workspace

• Protects mails from phishing and spam
• Conducts high quality audio and video conferencing
• Securely stores all data in the cloud
• Supports real-time chat with team members
• Creates and edits slides and spreadsheets

Pros and Cons of Google Workspace

Why Choose Google Workspace?

Google Workspace is a good option because it lets you work on your MS office documents irrespective of whether you have installed the application or not.

6. iWork

Pricing: iWork apps are free to use on any apple device

Storage: 5GB with iCloud cloud storage

iWork is a complete suite of applications that can be used for word processing, creating presentations, and generating complex spreadsheets.

With multiple templates and design options, you can create any type of document quickly. Further, with real-time collaboration, you can easily work on projects with your team members.

iWork Features

• Creates digital books, posters, reports, etc.
• Offers pivot tables to categorize and organize data
• Comes with 700+ customizable shapes for data visualization
• Creates stunning presentations with charts, cinematic effects, photos, etc.
• Imports and edits MS word and text files

Pros and Cons of iWork

Why Choose iWork?

iWork is a great option as you can save and edit documents in Microsoft Office supported files formats like doc, .xls, .ppt, .pdf, .csv, etc.

7. DropBox

Pricing: Free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 818.42/month

Storage: Up to 2GB in the free plan

DropBox is a file sharing and collaboration tool to easily create, share, store, and sync your files. This alternative to Microsoft Office can be used for storing files on the cloud, organizing, editing, protecting and recovering files, and so on. DropBox can also be used for managing files’ permissions and saving their version history.

DropBox Features

• Encrypts files for security
• Creates and shares videos, screen recordings, screenshots, etc.
• Stores files safely on cloud
• Supports real-time collaboration
• Locks files to prevent unwanted editing or access
• Offers OCR to convert scanned files into searchable documents

Pros and Cons of DropBox

Why Choose DropBox?

If you require up to 2 GB storage space and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to convert scanned documents, then DropBox is a better option.

8. Zoho Docs

Pricing: Free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 240/month/ user

Storage: 5 GB storage in the free plan

Zoho Docs is a document management system to create and edit different files. All the files are synced in cloud for easy accessibility. With it, you can create, edit, manage, and collaborate on documents directly from the software.

Zoho Docs can also be used to securely share files both within and outside the organization. Furthermore, you can also import and insert excel spreadsheets into Zoho spreadsheets with this free Office alternative.

Features of Zoho Docs

• Creates different files versions
• Transfers file ownership easily
• Shares files in multiple groups
• Supports file recovery
• Uploads files up to 25 GB
• Protects documents through password

Pros and Cons of Zoho Doc

Why Choose Zoho Docs?

Zoho Docs is the best option if you need file versioning, an in-app chat option, and up to 1 GB file size option for free.

9. Apache OpenOffice

Pricing: Free to use

Storage: Not available

Apache OpenOffice is an open-source Office Suite that offers multiple tools for creating documents and spreadsheets, graphical presentations, creating reports, and a lot more.

This free Office alternative stores the data in an international open standard format and reads and writes documents from other Office apps. With its Base tool, you can also manipulate different types of databases easily.

Features of Apache OpenOffice

• Create both short and long form content
• Represents numerical data in graphs and spreadsheets
• Creates multimedia-rich presentations
• Modifies tables, forms, queries, etc.
• Generates mathematical calculations with graphical interface

Pros and Cons of OpenOffice by Apache

Why Choose Apache OpenOffice?

Apache OpenOffice is a good option as its spreadsheet functions are similar to Microsoft Excel that you can use for free.

How to Choose Suitable Free Microsoft Office 365 Alternatives?

To choose the best free Microsoft Office 365 alternative, you need to ensure that it offers features similar to MS Office. Some of the common parameters that you need to keep in mind are.

• Team Collaboration: The free Office alternative should provide collaboration features to easily work and edit files in real-time with other team members. Make sure it also lets you collaborate on the cloud for editing.
• Security Features: The alternative you are planning to buy must have advanced security features like multi-factor authentication, file encryption, files access control, etc. This will keep the data secure and prevent unauthorized access.
• Files Type Support: Choose the software that supports multiple file formats such as PDF, HTML, docx, dotx, pdf, psd, sldx, etc. The availability of several file formats will ensure that the recipients can easily open and edit documents.
• Tools Included: Depending on your business requirements, you can either choose an Office Suite with comprehensive applications or its customized versions.
• Storage Space: The alternative to MS Office must offer ample cloud storage space to securely store and save your files and data. Further, it should also let you increase the storage as your organization grows.
• Platform Compatibility: The free Office Suite should be compatible with all the devices you are using like a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc., for easy accessibility. This will enable you to work on your data and files from any device.

Conclusion

Microsoft Office is undeniably one of the most popular Office productivity apps to work and collaborate with team members. But you need to buy its subscription to access the complete MS Office applications.

However, with the availability of so many open-source Office Suites, businesses that are tight on budget can easily ensure collaboration and productivity.

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