Microsoft Office Alternatives 2016

Introduction

I first wrote this article in 2014, however since then a lot of things have changed in the World on Office alternatives. Some free packages have got better with time, while others have been crippled by imposing limits of their free versions.

Also, since writing the first article, the United Kingdom Government has decided to adopt the .ODT Open Foundation format for all its documents. This means, if you need to download any paperwork from Government websites, they will now open perfectly in OpenOffice or Libreoffice.

Also, since the last article, it's not only the Government that have changed from Microsoft, but many smaller organisations have followed suit. It's not just cost cutting, as these Microsoft Office alternatives are really capable pieces of software.

Here we look at the top five free Microsoft Office alternatives. You really don't have to spend to have a quality experience.

Google Docs

Why Use Google Docs?
As a writer, the number one office suite that I use for my writing is Google Docs. The reason being? I can sign into any computer using my Google account and carry on whatever I am writing, wherever I am. Simply choose the document you were working on and as it saves after each key-press, carry on from where you left it. There’s no need to carry around a hard-drive or memory-stick as it’s stored on Google’s servers, so the only thing you need is an internet connection. Regardless of it’s my laptop, work PC or mobile device such as a tablet or phone, it works perfectly.

Features

Google Docs may be have less features than other office suites in this list, but it handles everything you throw at it easily. The word processor (Documents) handles Microsoft's .doc and .docx as well as the Open Format .odt files, .txt files and can save files as .PDF’s. In a couple of years use as a main source of handling word files from other companies, Documents has yet to let us down.

Google Docs also handles Powerpoint Presentations with it’s Presentation program, Excel Spreadsheets with it’s Spreadsheet program and so much more. Although not as feature rich as Microsoft’s complete Office suite, Google Docs is a formidable force that can handle day to day tasks quickly and easily. Files are automatically stored in the cloud, and should you wish, you can download files in the required Microsoft format to your PC.

Look And Ease Of Use
Google Docs looks basic, with just the one row of icons for formatting text. However, that combined with the pull-down menu options for adding photos and tables etc, means it’s very easy to use. So simple to use in fact, that anyone can create a document in no-time at all.


LibreOffice 5

Why Use LibreOffice?
LibreOffice is as close to Microsoft Office as you can get when it comes to features. LibreOffice comes with it’s extensive word processor Writer, it’s Excel matching Calc, it’s amazing Powerpoint beating Impress and Base (Database), Math (Equation editor) and Draw (Diagrams and sketches) programs.

For all intents and purposes, LibreOffice 5 is a free version of Microsoft’s Office. It can handle all the file-types that MS Office does, and although it doesn’t have the ribbon-look of the latest MS Office, it does everything quickly and easily while keeping a bit of familiarity of MS Office.

Moreover Libreoffice 5 uses the Open Document standard which means that interaction with Government bodies will now be seamless.

As a Writer, Libreoffice 5 is used to format documents and books, it gives a. Much cleaner saved file when transferring a book to eBook, meaning the formatting usually acts the way you want it to.

Features
LibreOffice is split into the programs that are mentioned above. The main programs, Writer and Calc have all the features of Microsoft’s Word and Excel. In every-day use, opening files from other business’, and sending files to people who have MS Office is error-free, and the recipients of any formats on MS Office and LibreOffice will not know which software suite the information was written on.

As an office based software suite, for business or students, LibreOffice 5 offers remarkable features and compatibility, and as available on Windows and Linux, so there is no reason why anyone concerned with sharing documents between systems should avoid this suite. It’s free, it’s fully-featured and quite simply amazingly mind-blowing to think that it is free!

Looks And Ease Of Use
Although LibreOffice has a somewhat dated look, with rows of icons and the ability to customise the icon space, it’s very reminiscent of MS Office from previous versions prior to 2013. It’s not a bad thing, as a lot of people dislike Microsoft’s ribbon-style interface. LibreOffice is suitable for beginners to advanced users, and is as hard or easy to use as you want it to be.


Softmaker FreeOffice

Why Use Softmaker FreeOffice?

FreeOffice is a light weight Office Suit that's low on resources but high on functionality. It's small footprint means it can be used on less powerful machines with ease.

Features

FreeOffice  contains only three productivity programs, TextMaker (Word processor), PlanMaker (Spreadsheets), Presentations (Powerpoint). The software works well, looks good and is very compatible with MS Office. Why should you download this software over the other options though? Well, it’s available on Windows, Android and Linux, so those on Linux who want a similar experience to Kingsoft Office could use this as a substitute.

Looks And Ease Of Use

FreeOffice looks a lot like older versions of Microsoft Office, which is not a bad thing. There is a consistent sidebar on the right of the screen, which you have to manually remove each time you start the program should you not wish to see it.

It's a simple office suit to use, with all the regular features that are offered by other packages. Sadly you cannot open or save .odt documents, only FreeOffice’s own extensions and Microsoft's extensions. This means it lacks some of the power of other programs mentioned here if you need to open files from various sources.

Apache OpenOffice

Why Use OpenOffice?
Another piece of software worth considering is Apache’s OpenOffice. Although once regarded as the must-have free office suite, when it forked into two, with one-fork being LibreOffice, OpenOffice’s development slowed down a little. It’s another great package, and one that gives an experience just as good as MS Office for the average user who needs it for everyday use.

Features
OpenOffice, just like LibreOffice is split into Writer, Calc, Impress and Base The main programs, Writer and Calc have all the features of Microsoft’s Word and Excel. In every-day use, opening files from other business’, and sending files to people who have MS Office is error-free, and the recipients of any formats on MS Office and OpenOffice will not know which software suite the information was written on.

Looks And Ease Of Use
Although OpenOffice has a dated look, with rows of icons and the ability to customise the icon space, it’s very reminiscent of MS Office from previous versions prior to 2013. It’s not a bad thing, as a lot of people dislike Microsoft’s ribbon-style interface. OpenOffice is suitable for beginners to advanced users, and is as hard or easy to use as you want it to be.

Microsoft Office Web Apps

Why Use Microsoft Web Apps?If, after reading this article, you still yearn for Microsoft’s products, then there is a free alternative by Microsoft themselves. MS Office Web Apps allows you to open, edit and create documents online in a similar mold to Google’s documents. However, where Google Docs is quite comprehensive for an online productivity suite, Microsofts own version is a little lacking in almost every department when compared to the alternatives. Perhaps this is a way that Microsoft want users to upgrade and pay for their services? Regardless, it’s an option, and will no doubt suit some people who feel the need to be tied into the Microsoft ecosystem.

Features

You get a very cut down version of the main Microsoft Office Suite apps. You get Word, Excel and Power Point (along with various other applications such as Mail, Calender and Sway). All these programs work in a similar way to Google Documents, however the experience is not as slick and over years of testing I have come across many problems such as documents not being synced properly, or general errors in formatting etc when writing articles.

Looks And Ease Of Use

These web applications look and act like the full versions of Microsoft Office, however the work is done in the cloud instead of saved and run off a computer. It's simple to use, and a familiar experience if coming off Microsoft Office.



Final Comments
Whichever productivity suite you decide to use, remember that there are some amazing free versions of Office Software. Just because something is free, doesn't mean it is no good. These above Office Suites have been tested by myself over many years in personal and business use and all do the job perfectly. As they are free, feel free to download them all and see which one you prefer, you have nothing to lose.

Which alternative to MS Office would I choose? Well, I use a combination of Google Docs to write all my documents as it means I can continue my writing on laptop, work PC, mobile phone or tablet with a real continuum experience. For formatting I exclusively use LibreOffice Fresh (Currently on version 5.1).