Everybody knows Microsoft Office, however, it is not the only option for word processing, presentation, and spreadsheets application. While Microsoft Office does enjoy a cult status amongst the different software suites and it is the top choice amongst people and businesses, there is not harm in knowing more about other competing software suites. Office has several advantages such as advanced features, it is easy to set up at office.com/setup, and it contains a number of productive apps. Let’s find out more about the alternatives to Microsoft Office.
LibreOffice
Who wants to pay for a productivity suite when you can get LibreOffice for free? LibreOffice runs on various Operating Systems such as Linux, macOS, and Windows. It can also be used on the web browser if the user uses LibreOffice Online as the software-as-a-service or SaaS server on a cloud container, bare-iron container or a Docker container. The most recent version of LibreOffice, which is LibreOffice 6.0 possesses way better file compatibility tool than Microsoft Office documents.
The office suite includes Writer which is a word processor with similar to Microsoft Office Word. It also has Calc, which is a spreadsheet software just like Microsoft Office Excel. Impress is a presentation program which is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. Draw is a vector graphics editor as well as a diagramming tool which resembles Microsoft Visio.
Google docs
Google Docs is simply the most famous office software suite across the globe after MS Office. It can be somewhat complex as “Google Docs” is the name of the word processing application itself, but can also apply to the consolidated set of applications which are Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets.
The chief reason to work on Google Docs? It is straightforward to use.
One does not have to install anything, and one can share documents without the receiver installing anything, the user interface is absolutely intuitive and straightforward.
The most exceptional features of Google Docs:
Up to 15GB of free storage space which includes Docs, Slides, and Sheets files.
The user can track revisions and version records for documents.
Up to 50 users can simultaneously collaborate online on a real-time basis.
Users can manage permissions and limits regarding what can and cannot be done in the document.
Offline editing feature syncs automatically as soon as the user comes online.
Integration with other Google services such as Gmail and Calendar.
There are a number of free fonts available from Google Web Fonts.
iWork for iCloud
Here is something which you may not know: While Apple iWork suite usually is usually sold for $10 per application, Pages, Keynote, and Number can be worked on for no cost on the web by using iWork for iCloud, which is an alternative to Google Docs as well as Microsoft Office Online.
Apple’s iWork for iCloud mirrors the desktop variant for Mac, and it is precisely what anyone might expect from Apple: pleasant yet straightforward interface, sufficient versatility to create whichever sort of documents you need, however not a lot of workspace customization choices.
This office suite is the reasonable choice for people who use iWork on Mac because it blends excellently and allows the user to work on their files wherever they go. The only con is that it depends on iCloud for storage, which is a decidedly less successful cloud storage solution.
The most significant features of iWork for iCloud:
Up to 5GB of free storage on iCloud.
Integrates very well with iWork for Mac and is a robust option for Mac users.
An elegant and simple user interface which is easy to navigate.
Neatly exports and imports documents and files of Microsoft Office.
