So should you switch from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice?ĭeciding to switch to LibreOffice over Microsoft Office is largely dependent on your specific workflow.

But you could have a completely different workflow that would be great for you centered on using LibreOffice on select devices and saving them onto a cloud like Dropbox. So, for me, these features are essential, and I could never switch away from Microsoft Office. I use Office Online often and use two different OneDrive accounts for work and personal use. I use a personal PC, work MacBook, work iPad, and personal Android phone. Much like the rest of this comparison, how much this affects you will vary. Microsoft Office also handles collaboration from multiple editors better than LibreOffice. You can do online editing with things such as Collabora and ownCloud, but that's more complicated to set up than just signing into your Microsoft account. If you need to save something on one device and jump to another and continue editing, you'll be better served by Microsoft Office. LibreOffice is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, but iOS and Android are limited to viewing files only unless you turn on experimental features. It also focuses on having apps on a variety of hardware, ranging from computers to tablets and phones. Microsoft invests heavily in the cloud to let you open and save documents anywhere you'd like. One of the biggest areas these two suites diverge is in how they approach online and cross-platform workflows. It's practically an advertisement for the open source community because of how great of an app you can legally get for free. The value of LibreOffice is truly impressive.

It supports open formats that allow you to use documents from other programs so you don't have to isolate yourself or your workflow into a Libre Office world. Its wide range of apps tackles the vast majority of office-related workflows. While there are many word processors and cheap or free programs that try to deliver a full office setup, Libre Office is one of the most comprehensive. It is a versatile and powerful set of programs, though it's worth noting that it emulates the older core set of apps from Microsoft Office and doesn't have equivalents to newer programs like OneNote.

It's one of the best free office suites of applications around and has programs for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. LibreOffice originally forked off of OpenOffice and has been regularly maintained and developed over the years. The first thing that catches the eye about LibreOffice is the price tag, or more specifically the lack of one.

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