Microsoft Office Alternatives: 9 Office Suites to Try

Plenty of people only use a fraction of what an office suite can do: letters, invoices, a simple spreadsheet and the odd slide deck. That's a good reason to look at what else is out there before you renew another licence.

The nine suites below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the suite's own website, read this week. If you mostly need to share finished files, my guide on converting Word documents to PDF helps whichever suite you pick.

Microsoft Office alternatives at a glance

In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free account or open source software. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start for free.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Apache OpenOffice	Free and open office suite	A long-standing free desktop suite	Yes
Collabora Online	Open source collaborative document editing	Documents kept on your own servers	Yes
CryptPad	End-to-end encrypted open source office suite	Private collaboration on documents	Yes
FreeOffice	Free office suite from SoftMaker	Free use at home and at work	Yes
Google Workspace	Online productivity and collaboration suite	Teams working together in the browser	Trial only
LibreOffice	Free and open source office suite	A private desktop suite	Yes
ONLYOFFICE	Open source office and document platform	Self-hosted docs with AI tools	Yes
Polaris Office	AI document office suite	Working on documents across devices	Trial only
WPS Office	Suite for Word, Excel, PDF and slides	A familiar layout with PDF tools	Yes

Nine Microsoft Office alternatives to consider

Apache OpenOffice

Best for: People on older computers who want a free desktop word processor and spreadsheet that has been around for many years.

Collabora Online

Best for: Organisations that want open source document editing they control, with team collaboration on Microsoft and ODF files.

CryptPad

Best for: Privacy-minded teams and journalists who want documents, sheets and forms that are end-to-end encrypted and open source.

FreeOffice

Best for: Small businesses that want a free suite they can use for business as well as personal work, on Windows, Mac or Linux.

Google Workspace

Best for: Teams that want shared documents, sheets, slides, email and video calls in the browser with a free trial to start.

LibreOffice

Best for: Anyone who wants a free, open source desktop suite for documents, spreadsheets and presentations, with no forced AI features.

ONLYOFFICE

Best for: Companies that want open source document, spreadsheet and slide editors they can host privately, with optional AI tools.

Polaris Office

Best for: Mobile-first users who want one subscription for documents on phone, tablet and desktop, plus AI help with document work.

WPS Office

Best for: Students and home workers who want a free office suite that looks like Microsoft Office and handles PDFs too.

Still on Office 2016 or 2019? Read this first

Microsoft's own lifecycle page lists Microsoft Office 2016 and Microsoft Office 2019 among the products that reached the end of support in 2025. Microsoft says that after end of support there are no new security updates, non-security updates or online technical content updates.

That doesn't mean your old copy stops opening files, but it does mean it no longer gets security fixes. If that's you, it's a natural moment to compare the suites below, or to decide that a current Microsoft plan is still the right fit.

Desktop suite, online suite or self-hosted?

Desktop suites install on your computer and work offline, which suits people who write long documents or work on trains. Online suites live in the browser and shine when several people edit the same file at once.

Self-hosted suites run on your own server or cloud account. They're aimed at organisations that want control over where documents are stored, and they usually need someone technical to set them up.

Questions to ask before you leave Microsoft Office

1. Will it open and save Word, Excel and PowerPoint files cleanly?
2. Does it need to work offline, online or both?
3. Do clients or colleagues need to edit with me in real time?
4. Does it run on every device I use?
5. Are there templates for the documents I make most?
6. Who will help if something goes wrong?

How to move your team to a new office suite

Start with one person and one week. Ask them to do their normal work in the new suite and note anything that breaks, such as a mail merge, a chart or a template. That small trial tells you more than any feature list ever will.

Then convert your templates first: letterheads, invoices and proposal layouts. Once those look right, the rest of the team can move with far less fuss. Keep the old files in their original format too, so nothing's lost if you ever need to go back.

Signs you're paying for more suite than you use

• You only open three apps. Most features sit unused.
• Files live in email attachments. Real-time editing would help.
• Old versions still run. Security updates matter.
• Staff ask for logins they never use. Count actual users.

Do you make an office suite? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on choosing a Microsoft Office alternative

Test your three most complicated files before you switch, such as a spreadsheet with formulas, a branded proposal and a slide deck. If those open and save without breaking, everything else will be fine.

And think about the people you share with. If every client sends Word files, a suite that handles them cleanly saves a lot of awkward emails. For the AI side of Microsoft's own tools, my explainer on what Microsoft 365 Copilot is fills in the picture.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Office?

Several suites on this list say they're free or open source. The free plan column shows what each suite's own site says.

Can these suites open Word and Excel files?

Most can open and save Microsoft formats, but complex formatting and formulas can shift, so test your own files.

Is Office 2019 still supported?

Microsoft lists Office 2016 and Office 2019 among products that reached end of support in 2025, with no new security updates after that.

Can I use an office suite for business for free?

Some free suites say they can be used for business as well as personal work. Check each suite's licence terms.

Which office suites work in the browser?

Online and self-hosted suites on this list run in the browser, which helps when several people edit one file.

Do I lose anything by leaving Microsoft Office?

You may lose some advanced features and add-ins. For everyday documents, most people won't notice the difference.