After describing the next version of Windows on Wednesday, Microsoft on Thursday unveiled the next versions of Office: Office for Windows 10, and the standalone Office 2016 desktop suite.
Microsoft said that the Office for Windows 10 apps, like their counterparts on iOS and Android, would be free to use (and preinstalled) on Windows 10 phones and small tablets—no Office 365 subscription required, apparently. And more importantly, they’ll be available as part of the Technical Previews of Windows 10 that Microsoft is publishing “in the coming weeks,” the company said.
Office 2016 will be likely designed for businesses and cost extra, but Microsoft isn’t saying how much. The desktop productivity suite will ship in the second half of this year—yes, 2015, despite the Office 2016 name.
When Microsoft executives demonstrated Windows 10 for phones at the Wednesday event, they referred to Word as “universal” Word. Julia White, the general manager of Office, also used that terminology in a blog post describing the new apps. And indeed, they look much the same as the superlative Office for iPad Microsoft launched last year.
“They are designed from the ground up to run on Windows 10, built for touch and offer the unmistakable Office experience you know and love,” White wrote. “As ‘universal’ Office apps, they truly are the same app across device size, providing a consistent way for independent software vendors and developers to extend and integrate with Office apps.”
Why this matters: It’s time for Windows devices to receive the same Office love as the Android and iOS platforms. One of my questions at this point, however, is how the new apps will be tied (if at all) to Office 365. Will O365 strictly be a desktop play?
The same but different
The new Windows 10 apps do appear to be slightly different than their counterparts on other platforms, however. In his presentation, for example, Joe Belfiore showed off how the Office “ribbon” is essentially a separate pane at the bottom of a phone.
Here’s how Microsoft describes each of the new touch-enabled Office for Windows 10 apps. You’ll notice that in each image, the text and images expand or contract to fill the available space on the phone or tablet. Microsoft calls this “flow”.
Word for Windows 10: ”Review and mark-up documents, then share your work with others to collaborate in real time. The new Insights for Office feature (powered by Bing) in Read mode brings additional online resources like images, web references and definitions right to you in your reading experience.”
In many ways, the core apps on a tablet look very similar to the Office apps on the iPad.
Excel for Windows 10: “Use Excel to create and update spreadsheets and gain new insights as you analyze data and visualize it with charts. And new touch-first controls shine in Excel, you won’t even miss your keyboard and mouse when selecting ranges of cells, formatting your pie charts or managing your workbooks.”
PowerPoint for Windows 10: “Create and edit beautiful presentations with PowerPoint. Then use Presenter View to prepare and present with confidence, even use Ink Tools to annotate your slides in real time so your audience really knows what you are talking about.”
OneNote for Windows 10: “Getting things done with your friends, classmates and colleagues has never been easier with shared notebooks–now with the consistent Office ribbon experience.”
One note on OneNote: The Metro version of OneNote lacks the “recording” capability, which the desktop version includes. That’s a handy way to type notes in a meeting and record it at the same time--and the audio is keyed to your notes, and vice versa.
Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar for Windows 10: “Crafting emails has never been easier or more powerful, with the familiar and rich capability of Microsoft Word built into the authoring experience. Simply insert tables, add pictures and use bullets and color to get your point across. Keep up with your inbox with new touch gestures that help you read, sort, flag and archive your mail.”
The last bit refers to the swiping gestures that Microsoft showed off at the Windows Phone presentation.
As for Office 2016 proper, it looks like Microsoft is saving those details for another time. Can we all leave Redmond now, Microsoft, or are there other surprises in store?
CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.
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A few years back, I dubbed Kingsoft Office the best free Microsoft Office alternative. Then the developers renamed it WPS Office, built in a bunch of clunky online features and added a watermark to all printed and PDF documents. Talk about ruining a perfectly great freebie! (To be fair, developers gotta eat, and the free version really was almost too good. I'm guessing few users bothered to pay for the pro version.)
So what's the alternative to that alternative? Ladies and gentlemen, the 2016 Cheapskate Award for Best Free Office Suite hereby goes to LibreOffice 5.1.
This is, of course, a decidedly old-school option. For many a user, word processing, spreadsheet management and presentation creation work just fine in a Web browser, thank you. Tools such as Google Docs and Microsoft's own Office Online afford plenty of basic features, without extra software to install or money to spend.
So why bother with a desktop office suite? I can think of any number of reasons: mail-merge, text boxes, change-tracking, custom styles.. shall I go on? Plus, and let's be honest, Google Docs is a really ugly place to spend your time. Interface isn't everything, but it's something.
LibreOffice, for its part, borrows heavily from Microsoft Office circa 2003 -- and that's just fine. (I know plenty of folks who despise the Ribbon interface that's prevalent across newer versions of Office.) I do wish it offered a tabbed view for multiple documents, though, of course, Microsoft Office doesn't, either. Which is ridiculous.
That gripe aside, I like pretty much everything about LibreOffice. It's fully file-format compatible with Microsoft Office (read: it can open and save .docx and all the other 'x' files), and it offers some of the more obscure features (macros, track changes, etc.) not typically found in freebie suites.
If you're a regular Cheapskate reader, you know I'm a bit conflicted about this. I like Microsoft Office, and in fact I rely heavily on Outlook because it's the only desktop mail client worth a damn. (Yep, I said it.) But I still think it's overpriced, and Microsoft shenanigans like this drive me insane.
That's just me. If you're looking for a free (technically, open-source) office suite that can handle the big-three productivity tasks with aplomb, look no further than LibreOffice 5.1. Your thoughts?
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Bonus deal No. 3: Want to see what kind of local stations your TV can pull in, but don't want to spend a lot to find out? Depending on where you live, a flat antenna can work minor miracles. And today you can get one on the cheap: Dealfisher (via Amazon) is offering the refurbished Mohu Leaf 30 for $14.99, shipped free with Prime. As you'll see from the (mostly positive) reviews, performance definitely varies depending on your location -- but for many, the Mohu is a fantastic tuner.
Pixel 3A, the cheap phone Google's needed: No water resistance and no wireless charging, but Google packs the Pixel 3A with the features that matter.
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Unless you have a company buying licenses for you, tools like Photoshop, Pro Tools, Maya, or even Windows can be a serious bite out of your wallet. Here are some more affordable options to those normally pricey apps that’ll help you stop fretting and get more done.
10. GIMP (Free, for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
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The first one’s a bit obvious. If you don’t have the money for Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions, or never purchased a copy of Photoshop for yourself, the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP for short) is for you. It’s feature-rich, powerful (even moreso with the GIMPShop plugin), and with just a little work, can work pretty much exactly like Photoshop when you need it to.
How to Make GIMP Work More Like Photoshop
Over six months ago, I stopped using Adobe Photoshop and switched to the open source alternative,…
Read more ReadIf you have a little trouble getting started with it though, that’s okay—it can look a little daunting, but this cheat sheet full of shortcuts and tips can help you navigate it and get up to speed quickly. After all, it’s your favorite PhotoShop alternative for a reason. If you’d like more alternatives, Windows users can try Paint.net (free), and Mac users can check out the highly-acclaimedPixelmator ($30.)
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Learn All the GIMP Keyboard Shortcuts with This Cheat Sheet
Like Photoshop, GIMP comes packed with a ton of keyboard shortcuts so you can work in the image…
Read more Read9. Libre Office (Free, for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
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Microsoft’s Office suite is the productivity standard in offices around the globe, but when it comes to your computer at home, if you don’t want to shell out for a license, or don’t have access to it through other means, you’ll still need something to work with—especially if you have to work with Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations others send you. Enter Libre Office, our long-favorite alternative if you need a local, non-web-based office suite.
Battle of the Office Suites: Microsoft Office and LibreOffice Compared
For a long time, Microsoft Office has been the reigning champ of office suites, but that…
Read more ReadLibre Office has come a long way in recent years, too. What used to look very much like a stereotypical “design by committee,” utilitiarian suite of tools has now come into its own as a more than capable and elegant competitor to Office that can still open Office documents, edit them, and save them for seamless use by people using Office. And of course, it’s completely free.
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LibreOffice Updates, Doesn't Look Like Crap Anymore
Windows/Mac/Linux: LibreOffice, has always been powerful enough to stand up against Microsoft…
Read more Read8. Inkscape (Free, for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
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Adobe Illustrator is a must-have if you work with vector graphics, build logos, or even format documents for print or other publication, but again, if you’re not down to shell out for Creative Cloud subscriptions, Inkscape has been a long-time favorite for, well, just about everything you can do in Illustrator without the bells and whistles that most people don’t actually bother using. Plus it’s free, open-source, and cross-platform.
Manipulate Vector Images with Open Source Inkscape
All platforms: Inkscape is an open source vector editing program. If you are looking for a free…
Read more ReadInkscape also has a large user community and tons of guides on its tutorials blog to help you get started with it and up to speed quickly if you need a little help. We discussed it more in detail in our guide to replacing Creative Suite with affordable apps, along with some alternatives if Inkscape doesn’t suit your fancy.
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Build Your Own Adobe Creative Suite with Free and Cheap Software
Adobe's Creative Suite is one of the best software packs out there for professionals, but the…
Read more Read7. Blender (Free, for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
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If you’re interested in 3D modeling, 3D printing, or 3D animation, Blender is your tool of choice, at least to get started in the field. Sure, Maya and other tools like it are used in animation and modeling studios, but if you want to get started, or even model your own objects for 3D printing, Blender is the way to go.
The Best Free Resources for Getting Started With 3D Printing
Despite many people understanding the concept of 3D printing, few know the 3D design and printing…
Read more ReadIt can be a little tricky to make sense of at first, though, and our 3D modeling night school can help you get started. If that’s not enough for you, this free ebook from Wikibooks is another great tool to help you learn Blender.
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Intro to 3D Modeling: The Complete Guide
We spent last week learning about the basics of 3D modeling using an application called Rhino 3D.…
Read more Read6. Avira (Free, for Windows) and Sophos (Free, for macOS)
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Make no mistake, there’s no replacement for good browsing hygiene and smart sense when it comes to what you click, what you download, and the sites you visit. However, it doesn’t hurt to have a good antivirus and/or combo antimalware tool on your computer at the same time, or especially on the computer of someone who may not have the same web street smarts you might have.
The Difference Between Antivirus and Anti-Malware (and Which to Use)
Antivirus is a confusing matter: it's called antivirus, but there are tons of other types of…
Read more ReadFor that reason, Avira is our pick for the best for Windows, and Sophos is our pick for the best for macOS when it comes to antivirus, and MalwareBytes when it comes to antimalware. If you prefer something else? We have more options. Bottom line, there’s absolutely no reason to pay for pricey antivirus or antimalware subscriptions, and free tools—despite some sleazy practices from some of late—do the same job without the bloat and cruft that comes with big names you might recognize from office computers everywhere.
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Five Best Desktop Antivirus Applications
Good browsing hygiene and 'common sense' only get you so far on the internet. A good…
Read more Read5. LMMS (Free, for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
LMMS, formerly the Linux MultiMedia Studio, is a great, powerful, and free alternative to Apple’s Garageband, or even pricier, industry standard apps like Pro Tools. It probably won’t replace it if you’re looking to work professionally, but if you’re an amateur at home, this free, cross-platform tool is worth checking out.
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LMMS Turns Your Desktop into a Music Sequencing Monster
Windows/Linux only: LMMS puts a powerful set of music-making tools into one window, letting those…
Read more ReadAside from turning your computer into a music sequencing machine, whatever computer you’re using, it’s richly featured for multi-track editing in a way that Audacity, our favorite simple recording and audio editing tool, isn’t. From sequencing, composing, mixing, and editing to effects mixing and built-in instruments for effects, loops, and other sounds, it’s all there in LMMS.
4. VirtualBox (Free, for Windows, macOS, and Linux)
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Free Office Software For Windows 10
Virtualization isn’t just something for geeks to play with—it’s a great way to test out new tools and software and make sure it doesn’t wreak havoc on your computer. Virtualbox, free and cross-platform, may not strictly be the best or most efficient tool for the job, but it’s features and benefit-to-cost ratio is unmatched. It’s super powerful, and completely free.
How to Safely Test Software Without Messing Up Your System
The internet is full of sweet apps, but it's also packed with shady software. Before you…
Read more ReadOur getting started guide to Virtualbox can help you with the basics if you’ve ever thought “man I wish I had a computer to test this one that wasn’t mine,” and our power user’s guide can help you out if this is all old hat to you. If you’re curious what you’re missing by using Virtualbox over a tool like Fusion or Parallels, check out our virtualization showdown comparing all three here.
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The Beginner's Guide to Creating Virtual Machines with VirtualBox
Virtual machines can seem juuuuust a bit too geeky for most otherwise computer-friendly people.…
Read more Read3. DaVinci Resolve (Free, for Windows and macOS)
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It’s hard to find a video editing tool that’s both good and free, especially compared to common at-home tools like iMovie or professional-grade tools like Adobe Premiere. However, if you are looking for an alternative, DaVinci Resolve, which started life as a complex (and expensive) color grading tool, picked up video editing features a few years ago. Since then it’s earned a name for itself as being a comprehensive, solid alternative video editor that—while a little tough for beginners to climb into—is robust enough once you have the hang of it to replace other, more expensive tools. There’s a paid version if you do want to shell out for it, and a comparison between the free and paid versions here.
The Basics of Video Editing: The Complete Guide
Last week we learned the basics of video editing, covering everything from the general workflow to…
Read more Read2. Linux (Free)
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Of course Linux deserves a spot on the list. Which distribution you use is, of course, entirely up to you—as is which desktop environment you choose—but if you’re moving from macOS or Windows to Linux, either for simplicity’s sake or because you don’t want to shell out for new licenses, or you just want to bring an old computer back to life, Ubuntu and Linux Mint are your two best options for getting the hang of things.
Ubuntu vs. Mint: Which Linux Distro Is Better for Beginners?
There's nothing like digging into your first Linux distribution, whether you're a…
Read more ReadIf you want to drop right into the deep end, Arch Linux is a favorite around these parts, but it’s not super newbie-friendly. Even so, we have a great guide on setting it up—and learning a lot about linux in the process. Also, make sure to check out our Lifehacker Pack for Linux for the essential, must-have tools to be productive and make the most of your new Linux installation.
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Lifehacker Pack for Linux: Our List of the Essential Linux Apps
With so many flavors of Linux and the awesome apps in their repositories, finding the right app for …
Read more Read1. Google Drive (Free, Web-Based)
Finally, everyone knows—and probably uses—Google Drive, (formerly Google Docs, because Google.) We live and die by it around here at Lifehacker, and combined with Gmail, it’s fast, flexible, free, available on any computer that has a web browser, and it’s powerful to boot. Sure, it may not have some of the perks of a traditional desktop office suite, but there are ways around that.
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How to Make Google Drive Work Like a Desktop Suite
Google Drive, and the apps in it—Docs, Sheets, and Slides—are great for people looking for a simple …
Read more ReadCombined with the wealth of plugins, add-ons, and other tools that can supercharge Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and you have a pretty powerful set of tools that you don’t have to pay a dime to use. And we haven’t even discussed the cheat sheets, templates, and other tricks to make yourself a G Suite ninja yet, either.
The Best Add-Ons for Google Drive
Yesterday, Google introduced add-ons for Google Docs and Sheets. These add-ons allow you to add all …
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Illustration by Angelica Alzona. Additional images by Blender Foundation, Nemo, OpenClips, and Ase (Shutterstock), and Eduardo Quagliato.
Lifehacker’s Weekend Roundup gathers our best guides, explainers, and other posts on a certain subject so you can tackle big projects with ease. For more, check out our Weekend Roundup and Top 10 tags.
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There are so many free Microsoft Office alternatives out there that you won't even miss having the real thing. Plus, with the more than $200 price tag of Microsoft Office, your pocketbook won't miss it either.
These Microsoft Office free alternatives will let you download similar versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
It's important to note that these free Office alternatives won't give you all the features of the originals but in many cases they'll get you awful close. I recommend starting from the top of the list and making your way down to try out each replacement. This will make it easy to find the best alternative that will work for your needs.
Many of these MS Office free alternatives will let you not only open Office documents but also edit and create them. Check out each program to find out exactly what you can and can't do with them.
If you're looking for a free and convenient alternative to Word, check out these free downloadable word processors and free online word processors that will get you a nice free option quickly. There are also some great free spreadsheet programs and free presentation software.
Microsoft Office Free Download: There's a free trial for Microsoft Office that will let you download and use it for a month absolutely free of charge.
LibreOffice
What We Like
Robust word processor for documents, books, diagrams and indexes.
Fully compatible with DOCX files.
Forms menu makes it easy to create forms.
What We Don't Like
Must install entire suite of apps – not just Writer.
No integrated cloud storage.
No real-time collaboration feature.
LibreOffice can be used as a replacement of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
There are six separate programs that are installed with LibreOffice to make up the suite: Writer (Word), Impress (PowerPoint), Calc (Excel), Base (Access), Math, and Draw.
Each of the Microsoft Office alternatives can open, edit, and save to the Office 2016/2013/2010/2007 file formats.
OpenOffice
What We Like
No learning curve for anyone accustomed to using Word.
Software looks and feels familiar.
Mature product that has been in development for 20+ years.
What We Don't Like
No online collaboration.
Default file format is ODF. Must be changed to DOC for best Word compatibility.
No built-in grammar checker.
OpenOffice has a word processor, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and database program as part of its Microsoft Office alternative suite.
Writer (Word), Calc (Excel), Base (Access), and Impress (PowerPoint) are the Microsoft Office free alternatives offered by OpenOffice that can be used in full at absolutely no cost.
Many popular file formats can be opened with OpenOffice, such as DOC, DOCX, XML, XLS, XLW, DBF, PPT, PPS, and POTX.
During installation, you can selectively decide to install some or all of the OpenOffice programs to avoid adding a program you won't use.
Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP are supported as well as Linux and Mac operating systems. There's even a portable version of OpenOffice so you don't have to install anything, though the download is almost 40 MB larger than the regular installer.
WPS Office Free
What We Like
Excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office file formats.
Multiple document tabs good for quick-switching.
Eye Protection Mode and Night Mode.
What We Don't Like
Annual fee to suppress ads in the ad-supported free version.
Advanced features require a paid version.
No real-time co-authoring.
WPS Office Free, formerly Kingsoft Office Suite Free, installs three programs that work as Microsoft Office alternatives: Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheets.
Kingsoft Writer can be used as a replacement for Microsoft Word. It can open common files like WPS, DOC, and DOCX files as well as Microsoft Word template files like DOT and DOTM files.
The Microsoft PowerPoint alternative, Kingsoft Presentation, can open and save files in formats that can be used between Microsoft Office installs or with the free Kingsoft Office Suite Free. File types such as PPT and PPS are supported.
The Microsoft Excel alternative is called Kingsoft Spreadsheets and works with the Microsoft Excel 2010 files like XLSX and XLSM. Functions like SUM, COUNT, SUMIF, and AVERAGE are supported when building formulas.
Though there are lots of features in Kingsoft Office Suite Free, the installer size is surprisingly only 45 MB.
Google Drive
What We Like
Lots of free cloud storage space.
Excellent collaboration capabilities.
Syncs files across computers and mobile devices.
What We Don't Like
Shared files can't be password protected.
No Linux desktop client.
Not as sophisticated as Microsoft Office.
Google Drive is a free storage service offered by Google that also lets you create online documents without downloading any software, making it a perfect Microsoft Office replacement.
Just log in with your Google account to instantly have access to build document, presentation, and spreadsheet files to replace Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, respectively.
Files you create with Google Drive are automatically saved to your Google account, accessible from any browser at any time, and can be shared with anyone whether or not they’re also a Google user.
Google Drive also supports simultaneous collaboration with other users in real time and allows add-ons to be used with documents and spreadsheets to extend their functionality.
Existing Microsoft Office documents can be opened in Google Drive, like DOCX and XLSX files, and then converted to a Google Drive format for easy editing.
Zoho Docs
What We Like
Excellent collaboration features with built-in chat.
Advanced analytics track edits to files and who made them.
Secure encryption and two-factor authentication.
What We Don't Like
Web-based software has no desktop app.
Can't edit documents on the net. Must download, edit, and re-upload.
Slower than other online office suites.
Zoho Docs is another online office suite that includes a presentation maker, word processor, and spreadsheet program, much like Microsoft Office.
You can upload several different popular file types to Zoho Docs from your computer or Google Drive as well as create new ones online. You can then edit these files, share them with others, and even download them again in their original format or a different one.
All the common text formatting tools are included and your files are saved automatically as you work. There's even a mobile app for Androids and iOS users.
Microsoft Office Online
What We Like
No installation necessary.
Real-time collaboration with others.
Torrent sites to download movies. Familiar, streamlined Office apps accessible in any browser.
What We Don't Like
Lacks many of the advanced features of the desktop apps.
Doesn't support some file formats.
Not licensed for business use.
If you're looking for a Microsoft Office free edition, this is the closest you'll come.
Though not exactly a Microsoft Office alternative, Microsoft's service, called Microsoft Office Online, lets you use Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, and Excel online at no cost.
Files can be edited only if they exist in your OneDrive account, which means you must upload files there first if you wish to edit them with Word, PowerPoint, or Excel.
Any file type that works with Microsoft Office products works with Microsoft Office Online, which means you can edit any file and then save a copy back to your computer or in OneDrive.
ONLYOFFICE Personal
What We Like
Compatible with Microsoft Office formats.
Sharing and collaboration features.
Personal version is free.
What We Don't Like
Add-ons needed to insert images and for other features.
Not as robust as the paid version or its competitors.
Similar to the previous few MS Office free alternatives, ONLYOFFICE Personal is a suite of online programs, which means you can use them from any web browser without having to download a single program.
Just login to ONLYOFFICE Personal with your Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, or ONLYOFFICE account and you can start creating Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations in the newest Office file formats.
Files can be uploaded from your computer as well as a few cloud storage services, like Dropbox.
Also supported in this free MS Office-like program is chat, co-editing, spell check, and sharing with anyone, even if they aren't logged into their own ONLYOFFICE account.
SoftMaker FreeOffice
What We Like
Free for home and business use.
Saves documents in native Microsoft file formats.
Choice of ribbons or classic menu and toolbars.
Optimized for touch screens.
What We Don't Like
No cloud support.
No auto-save feature.
No thesaurus or U.S. English dictionary.
SoftMaker FreeOffice is an Office alternative for Windows and Linux computers.
PlanMaker (Excel), Presentations (PowerPoint), and TextMaker (Word) are included that can open and save files as DOC, DOCX, ODT, XLS, PPT, PPS, PPTX, POTM, DOTM, and DOT, among others.
All three portions of SoftMaker FreeOffice work with the file types supported in the newest version of Microsoft Office as well as older ones like 2010 and 2007.
SSuite Office
What We Like
Small downloads for full-featured apps.
Fast startup
What We Don't Like
Loads many apps that may never be needed.
The GUI is hard to follow.
SSuite Office has seven different Microsoft Office alternatives available, each with a different set of features and each completely free to use.
The two basic versions, Personal and AdvancedEdition, don't include the Presentation (PowerPoint) program. However, the other suites do - you can see a comparison table of each of them on the download page.
Instead of downloading the whole Microsoft Office free alternative suite, you can choose to grab the word processor or spreadsheet program, for instance, as a separate download.
There's also a portable version on the download page called Blade Runner.