Microsoft Office once had an unquestioned stranglehold
on the world of productivity suites and programs. However, recent
software developments have given rise to a slew of office suites that
fall outside Microsoft’s banner, many of which offer convenient
functionality designed to go beyond the basic editing and formatting
afforded by company’s premium suite and free-for-all offering
(aka Office Online). For instance, the latter still lacks advanced
tools such as Mail Merge and Pivot Tables, despite touting many of the
same features that comprise Microsoft’s more expansive package.
Fortunately, there’s a multitude of capable alternatives
available for Windows and Mac OS X, whether you’re looking for a quick
means to spell check the copy on your resume or string together complex
formulas prior to giving an important business presentation. Below are
five of our favorites!
FreeOffice 2016
SoftMaker’s FreeOffice is a feature-rich office suite that
provides a light (and free) version of the company’s more robust,
commercial suite. The free download includes Textmaker, Planmaker, and
Presentations as replacements for Microsoft’s big three, and each is
comparable to its Microsoft counterpart. Regardless of the application,
however, the lightweight software showcases the quickest loading times
and one of the best interfaces of any freemium offering on our roundup,
sporting a traditional but streamlined design that’s easy on the eyes
thanks to a familiar palette of resources and corresponding icons.
SoftMaker is good at keeping its products updated for the modern world,
and it shows with the latest support for the 2016 version of the
software.
Moreover, the software features innate compatibility with
other programs’ proprietary document types — more so than even Microsoft
Office — which makes it useful for switching back and forth between
official Microsoft docs. The latest version of the software also handles
password-protected files, too, while providing tools for creating PDF
documents, tracking document changes, and spelling check your copy. Some
of the latest features in the 2016 version of the software make use
of smart typing and more language tools, while incorporating
more export-import options and offering a ton of graphic support.
Download now for:
Apache OpenOffice
OpenOffice remains one of the oldest open-source
alternatives to Office. After 15 years, the software has developed into a
full toolset for creating word documents, graphics, presentations,
spreadsheets, databases, and a slew of other commonplace file types.
The software stores your data in an international open standard format,
and like most offerings on our list, it also supports Microsoft Word
documents, handles cell-dependent calculations, and spell checks your
work. There are six different productivity applications, including a
word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a presenter.
The developer, Apache, is constantly adding new features,
too, such as annotation capabilities and interactive crop utilities. The
company also continually strives to give you a greater level of
control, and works to increase file compatibility with a host of
laudable extensions and basic tools. The welcome templates repository
provides users with a host of frameworks for developing commonplace
documents, such as basic resumes and invoices, while embedded
instructional wizards aim to curb the difficulty often associated with
complex tasks such as mail merges. The
community forums, mailing lists, user guides, and issue trackers only
further your level of engagement and understanding of the freemium
software’s merits. This is software you can really dig into, and a
truly global product, but keep in mind that open-source software tends
to have a higher learning curve than traditional office suites.
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LibreOffice 5
Essentially an open office suite that parted ways with
OpenOffice back in 2010, the cross-platform LibreOffice uses the same
underlying source code and features the same basic productivity tools,
but looks very different.
While Apache has stayed with its spare open-source layout,
LibreOffice has developed a more modern user interface that looks and
feels a bit more like Office. The core suite includes Writer, Calc
(spreadsheets), Impress (presentations) and so on, each of which touts
full Microsoft compatibility as well as support for ODF.
The software also features a powerful and well managed list
of extensions that allows you to further customize the program to your
individual needs. The the fifth generation of the software sports a big
speed boost, simplified menus and controls, more presentation
transitions, and added support for Apple Keynote 6, VBA macro streams,
and cloud storage. LibreOffice is updated at intervals. If you’re a
developer or interested in getting involved, it also has an active
community of users and testers.
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Google Docs
Google Docs has been at the forefront of open office
software for many reasons — primarily because it’s free and accessible
from virtually anywhere with a valid internet connection. The well-known
office suite provides a word processor, spreadsheets, and presentation
capabilities, all without a price tag or even a downloadable .exe. The
software lets you create, share, and edit documents with anyone, in real
time, regardless of whether they have a Google account.
It also supports a wide array of file types, from Microsoft
Word’s .doc format to PDFs, not to mention integration with services
such as Google Plus, Gmail, and Google Calendar. All your documents are
even stored in the cloud for quick access when using iWork apps on your
iOS or Mac OS X devices. Other hallmarks include the ability to edit
documents up to 1GB in size and convert files to ePub format, along
with the options for inserting and editing inline tables.
The software isn’t known for its speed, but the interface
is minimal and slick — and if you use Chrome, you probably already have a
feel for it.
Access it now via:
Atlantis Nova
While a little crowded, the interface will look very, very familiar to anyone who used Word back in the day. Most of the tools mimic Microsoft’s, so if this matches your style, you may prefer it to the modern Word layout.
Keep in mind that Nova is the free version of the Atlantis Word Processor. The paid version costs $35, though there is a free month-long trial if you wish to try it out beforehand. The $35 price point is still pretty low when compared to other big name word processors, so you may want to consider it. The premium version of the software also comes with a better spellcheck, encryption, a host of document backup services, and other various advanced features aimed at more complex users.
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WPS Office 2016
WPS offers a free suite designed primarily for home and school work –
the business version requires a paid license. It comes with Writer,
Presentation, and Spreadsheets, but those simple names hide a
surprisingly deep system filled with extra features that include plenty
of formatting options, paragraph layouts, quick section navigation for
longer pieces, and customizable font formatting, among others.The layout is more like Microsoft Office than anything else, but with a much cleaner look – you’ll be pleased to know that any document you created with WPS will be fully compatible with Office if you need to switch platforms. There’s all some PDF support if you need it. We suggest checking out the layout on this service and giving it a try if you like what you see more than our other picks.
Download it now for:
iWork from Apple
Most of you probably know what you’re getting with this one: Apple’s
iWork was begun as a more direct competitor to the Office suite, rather
than an alternative for when Office won’t work. If you are in a MacOS
environment and need to use tools that fit well in the Apple landscape,
iWork’s Pages, Numbers and Keynote are exactly what you want.It’s true, if you’re switching from an Office background these apps will take a lot of getting used to – Apple prefers a very minimalistic layout and hides some tools in odd places. However, the latest updates have added more functionality and the ability to import Microsoft files and edit them across all three apps, which was a very welcome move. There’s also a lot of current iCloud support, which makes iWork more like Google Docs than you might expect.
Download it now for:
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