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Best Free Office Suite
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In a Hurry?
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Introduction
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An office suite is a collection of programs, mainly consisting of a word processor, spreadsheet & presentation application bundled together. With the pricey tag put onto the all popular Microsoft Office it leaves no surprise that the average home user or small business would be looking for an alternative. Below we have reviewed and rated all the popular freeware office suites and split them into categories making it easier to find the best solution. The suites are split into three sections: (i) Proprietary, privately owned software being offered up for free. (ii) Open Office, an open source suite and various mods based on the same programming code making them similar to use. (iii) Cloud / Online, web based suites than can be used on the move, some even contain a smartphone app for easy updating. |
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Proprietary Software
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(i) Kingsoft Writer, a word processor that can import from Microsoft Word (.doc & .docx) with the ability to have separate documents in a tabbed interface. (ii) Kingsoft Spreadsheet, a spreadsheet application that can import from Microsoft Excel and having the same cells range (65,536 rows * 256 columns) as the Microsoft Office 2003 equivalent. (iii) Kingsoft Presentation, a presentation suite that can import all Microsoft Powerpoint documents. For a freeware equivalent to Microsoft Office and for those who liked the simpler old style 2003 interface then Kingsoft Office Suite Free is the application. There isn't a single feature I found that isn't IDENTICAL to the Microsoft Office 2003 equivalent. The similarities even go far into the styles of WordArt. Kingsoft did offer a unique tabbed experience allowing multiple documents or spreadsheets within the same window making switching between them quick and simple. There are however two annoying selections upon installation: the startup of a browser linking to Kingsoft's website, and the other is a popup asking to switch to another UI (basically the new ribbon effect which isn't free). A quirky feature is the quick UI color feature allowing the UI to be alternated to an additional eight different skins helping color code your office suite with your OS skin. Screenshots:   
Each application can be a pick n' mix of different options and an attempt seems to be made to give the end user the ability to do everything within the suite itself. Anything not directly accessible within the application links to an alternative website (for example Google Translate). The GUI 's (graphical user interfaces) are really hard to follow and require quite a large learning curve to get used to.
There are too many different applications to list individually but the main ones are:
(i) WordGraph, a word processor which can import doc, rtf, htm, xml but no support for docx. With the exception of the GUI, WordGraph has a lot of nice features that could in certain circumstances become very handy.
(ii) Accel, a spreadsheet application which can import xls, csv, txt but no support for xlsx. We had extreme difficulty importing even xls files from other programs but has no problem importing the xls files previously exported from Accel.
(iii) General Utilities, a selection of helpful programs including an Address Book, Envelope Printer, Calendar, Notebook, System Overview with links integrated into other programs.
Overall, the selection is great, the tools are great but the interface has a really strong learning curve to get used to. This is a good selection for anyone looking for everything in one place. There has definitely been a lot of effort put into developing applications that are useful but has been tackled it an obscure way.
Due to the small file sizes, each application opens, run & saves super fast even for older slow end systems.
Screenshots:
  
(i) TextMaker, a fully functional word processor compatible with MS Word & OO Writer. (ii) PlanMaker, a complete spreadsheet solution with MS Excel & OO Calc compatibility. (iii) Presentation, a software presentation program with MS Powerpoint & OO Impress compatibility. This 58.7 MB download is available by visiting an official spin-off site and I found no links to the free version available from the official vendor website. Registration is required and a serial code is directly emailed upon registration. The installation process is simple and has the same interface as MS Office, no nagging bloatware or trick shareware installations to worry about. The advantages of the small installation file size mean low memory consumption and faster loading times. It comes complete with all the usual formulas & formatting features and won’t win any awards for originality. PlanMaker lacks any scripting or macro support making it unsuitable for the more advanced user. There are a couple of annoying features your hit upon opening an application. The first is the tips window which pops up automatically on the right but can be disabled by selecting View>Sidebar>Hide. Within PlanMaker, the spell checker (and background checking feature) isn’t activated by default and is buried deep in the options to get it started. When loaded into the system, the SMASH quick launch starts at start up and floods your taskbar with four shortcut buttons which could have been better as a stacking window rather than individuals. For free, Softmaker FreeOffice offers a simple, easy to use, basic featured solution that will run comfortably on slower computers and won’t use a great deal of space and resources. It can import all the latest file formats and supports direct PDF exporting. Screenshots:
Other notable suites
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Calligra Office which is currently released on version 2.5.4. Official announcement states that the Windows version of Calligra is 'highly experimental' and 'not all applications & features are included'. A stable release is due sometime in 2013. Due to the unstable release, a full review cannot be completed.
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Open Office & Variants
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We found it difficult to get Base & Calc to fully work using the latest version (v7) of Java JRE and had to resort to a previous (v6 32bit only) in order to get it loaded without errors.
From all the office products available, Open Office (and it's variants) are the only ones offering a free database management application.
There are four main applications included with Open Office:
(i) Writer, a word processor that can import nearly all text file formats available, plus the ability for a direct PDF export. The interface is similar to Microsoft Office 2003 and with no 'ribbon' available.
(ii) Calc, a spreadsheet that can import nearly all forms of spreadsheet formats. Within Calc there is support for scripting & macro's in the form of Basic, Javascript, Beanshell & even Python.
(iii) Impress, a presentation application that can import ppt, pps, pptm, pptx presentation files. The layout is simple and stable enough.
(iv) Base, a database management application that can create tables, forms, queries, reports, etc. It comes complete with Wizards to help transfer tables for forms etc.
All in Open Office is well rounded with a great support group and lots of help files and documentation. There is so much add-ons and file import & export formats that Open Office would be useful for both the novice users looking for a quick Wordpad alternative to Advanced users who can customize the source code for their own requirements.
  
LibreOffice began life in January 2011. During the acquisition of OpenOffice by Oracle from Sun Microsystems, some members of the project were concerned that Oracle would cease or restrict development of OpenOffice.org and started 'The Document Foundation'. Oracle eventually ceased commercial development of OpenOffice.org paving the way for LibreOffice to gain a major fan base, the child of this collaboration based on the OpenOffice.org source code.
As with Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice still requires 32-bit Java (JRE) for full operation but is currently working out the Java dependancy. Decisively heavier 205MB comparitive with 123MB from Apache, the GUI is fresher and modern and the support base is constantly growing. LibreOffice releases more updates and has better compatibility for importing from other office suites. Although we don't see where the additional 80MB's are used there must be some background stability issues addressed for that heafty increase.
The main differences from Apache OpenOffice include:
Universal
- Find / Find & Replace are Seperate Options
- Clear Direct Formatting instead of Default Formatting
- No media player
- No record macro option
- Undo instead of Can't Undo
- Redo instead of Can't Restore
Calc
- Delete Page Break instead of Delete Manual Break
- Page Break instead of Manual Break
- Insert > Names has additional 'Manage'
Writer
- Additional 'Title Page' option
Impress
- No Wizard upon opening (by default)
- Snap Lines instead of Guides
Screenshots:
Discontinued:
Unlike other suites based on OpenOffice, ILS only has three main applications included (with the exception of an integrated web browser based on Firefox):
(i) Lotus Symphony Document, a word processor which can open all Open Document Formats & Microsoft Office along with the variants and corresponding templates (odf, doc, docx, rtf, txt)
(ii) Lotus Symphony Spreadsheet, a spreadsheet application which can import all the standard document formats (sxc, xls, xlsx) with a handy disclaimer that general compatible Microsoft Office documents main not display some formatting correctly (with an option to discard in future).
(iii) Lotus Symphony Presentation, a presentation application which can import from MS Powerpoint (odp, ppt, pptx).
Generally speaking IBM Lotus Symphony is a nice clean office suite; the master window housing the individual applications does actually work well especially having a thumbnail (and search) facility for all open documents making it really easy to work with multiple files without taskbar clutter. The only issue is the annoying (portrait) side panel which is really cumbersome to use especially if working with smaller screen resolutions.
Effective from 2012, IBM have supplied the original source code to Apache for integration into the next OpenOffice 4 installment which should be released as an IBM Edition.
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Apache Open Office
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Cloud / Online Suites
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With recent development of smart phones, tablets & netbooks the need for online file sharing has never been greater. The 'cloud' is an online storage and sharing medium designed to share out an array of files over multiple devices. The selection of freeware cloud applications reviewed below allow a web-based interface to create, upload, save & share all variants of word processors, spreadsheets & presentation documents. As the files are online, a document can be created at home on a pc, updated on the train on a smart phone and finished at work just in time for that all important presentation.
Google Drive was formed earlier in 2012, Google integrated their Docs suite into their online cloud storage called Google Drive. A generous 5GB of storage space is available (although shared throughout Googles services - except Gmail) for saving the three main applications.
(i) Document, a straightforward word processor with all the most commonly used features crammed into one single menu-bar. The interface is similar to the older pre-ribbon style menu making it familiar for nearly everyone who uses it.
(ii) Spreadsheets, a spreadsheet application that can import all major formats including xls, xlsx, ods, csv, txt, tsv & tab. It does an excellent job of maintaining the original file formatting & cell formulas.
(iii) Presentation, a presentation creation application which allows uploading of popular file formats and allows importing of specific slides to help with organizing & creating.
The great feature with Google Drive is the ability to upload multiple files and multiple types quickly which automatically gets added it their native formats allowing sharing or importation to Google directly.
Additionally, Google Drive has the function to translate the whole document to over 50 other languages allowing a copy to be saving and maintaining the integrity of the original document.
Screenshots:
   
ThinkFree Online is another cloud suite. The first thing I found when trying to register for ThinkFree was the difficulty of finding the login & registration screens. Upon registration, the initial interface is quite warm and inviting, creating a document was harmless but due to the interface being Java based, there are a few security prompts.
When getting into the nuts & bolts, the interface was fantastic, to the untrained eye could easily be mistaken for an actual desktop application than a cloud but unfortunately due to it's Java dependency seemed to run slow and continually load each .jar part when hovering over or clicking anything. This eventually sub-sites on previously accessed options but happens every login, it can sometimes take a few seconds from click to load.
The three main applications found are:
(i) Write, a word processing application similar to the MO 2003 interface. As with all the others, can natively import all the doc, docx, txt, dot, htm & xml formats expected with an online office application.
(ii) Calc, a spreadsheet application again similar to the MO 2003 interface. Calc can import xls, xlsx, xlt, csv, xml, txt & htm. Import formatting and formulas are retained nicely upon import.
(iii) Show, a presentation application with the ability to import ppt, pptx, pps & ppsx.
Everything considered, ThinkFree Online is an excellent representation of what is possible with a cloud suite. If it weren't for the constant loading and stability issues this would win the best award in it's class.
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Zoho registration is simple and easy, all that's required is a username, email address and a password. After registration has been completed you have the option of choosing your custom portal name when has an associated URL which can be shared giving direct access to your files for the people who you want.
For free you have 1GB of storage available across 50 workspaces. Within this included space you can host files which are don't have native import from Zoho (example wps) for others to download in collaboration.
There are three main packages that Zoho offer for free include:
(i) Writer, a word processor that can import from doc, docx, odt, rtf, html, htm & txt. The interface is simple and follows a thinner 'ribbon' style interface traditionally found in later versions of MS. Quick loading times and a rich source of features make Zoho an excellent choice for online work sharing.
(ii) Sheet, a spreadsheet application that can import from xls, xlsx, sxc, ods, csv & tsv. Following the same thin 'ribbon' bar you have access to lots of features including the macro recording ability and VBA editor.
(iii) Show, a presentation application that can import ppt, pps, odp, sxi, pptx & ppsx. This application has lots of drawing tools included to make presentation creation easy to complete.
Some neat features included are the pop-up shortcut format bar which lets you do quick adjustments without fumbling through menu's. The PDF export function is excellent allowing for a direct PDF download and lastly within Sheet when an auto formula updates the cells effected highlight allowing the knock on effect to be seen.
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Related Products and Links
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You might want to check out these articles too: |
Required additional work for portable version to work http://freeoffice.com/en/support/tips/installation
Required JRE (Java Runtime Environment) v6 32bit Only
NB Fix pack 3 should also be downloaded to correct critical security issues.
Internet connection required.
Internet connection required.
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Editor
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This software category is maintained by volunteer editor m22rdy. Registered members can contact the editor with any comments or questions they might have by clicking here. Why not join us on the forum with the Official Editors Free Office Suite thread http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/home-office-and-productivity/10702-editors-official-free-office-suite-discussion.html |
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Tags
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office software, office suites, desktop office, cloud office suites, word, excel, powerpoint, open office, libre office, Oxygen Office |
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Comments
I agree that these are a list of the best office suite as Microsoft Office alternative.
The choice is always personal, depending on our needs.
Functionality and price are also concerned.
I just want to say to developers, keep up the good work.
And for users, whichever product you use, if you like it, don't forget the people that makes that great product. A few dollars every month would be very nice. At least its way more cheaper than Microsoft Office...
IBM Lotus Symphony ends up being a 266m download
I downloaded Libre, Kingsoft, open office, IBM symphony, soft maker..
I like Kingsoft and Symphony the best so far..
I mainly just use them for the spread sheets(Timecard and OT sheet)..
One of the main reasons I like them is ease of use and tabbed interface
An excellent find (and confirmed). Updated Chris, thanks for the input.
What about Ashampoo Office 10? Also, isn't it related to either Kingsoft or Softmaker? Thank You
Hi Jill,
Unfortunately Ashampoo only offer trial versions and not full freeware editions. As these are commercial products unfortunately they have to be omitted from any freeware review.
You can check Kingsoft & Softmaker sites directly for any comparisons/affilations.
http://www.kingsoftstore.com/
http://www.softmaker.com/
Thank you for the reviews. I stick with SoftMaker Office 2010, which was given away for Linux from a German PC Magazine called c't and for Windows as Ashampoo Office 2010 from computerbild, as KingSoft has problems with my time sheet. After saving the file it cuts out many values, which are needed to calculate the time and everytime I launch the file a popup appears, that it has loaded these values with basic settings. The size of the document is somewhat bigger (3400 KB) than KingSoft (2401 KB) and M$ Office 2007 (2450 KB).
How does the OpenOffice compare with Libreoffice in terms of performance and features presently?
Hey M6, you can check out the features of each product using the links below to see which best matches your own requirements.
http://www.libreoffice.org/features/
http://www.br.openoffice.org/product/index.html
Performance cannot be measured easily because this will depend on your machine specs and for instance what security software you have installed as this will often affect how other programs operate.
In addition to the above mentioned sites, you can join us on the forum and discuss specific aspects of each package.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/home-office-and-productiv...
This is the first I've heard of Softmaker FreeOffice 2012. Up until now, I have been using Softmaker Office 2008, which is also still available for free and is (presumably) the same commercial product they were offering in 2008. I wonder if it makes up for some of the deficiencies noted in FreeOffice 2012? I think it is a fine program.
LibreOffice has been updated to v3.6.3 (2012.11.01).
Thanks! Product now updated to latest version & file size accordingly. All others checked and appear to be accurate.
Welcome m22rdy. Looking forward to your reviews.
In time may you include the newer versions of SoftMaker Office Free, SSuite Office Software and hopefully at last an unbiased review of Kingsoft Office Suite Free.
Your wish has been granted :)
I have tried the latest versions of Apache OpenOffice and LibreOffice and I have to say that in my opinion OpenOffice wins easily over LibreoOffice as OpenOffice displays all saved text formats far better than LibreOffice also OpenOffice at126Mb is a much smaller download than LibreOffice at 209 Mb. Finally I find the OpenOffice GUI much easier on the eye than the the newer trendy libreOffice.
You make a good point about the interface Aussieboy. I too prefer the OpenOffice GUI and have just replaced my Linux LibreOffice.
MC - Site Manager
Whilst I wish LibreOffice well in their endevours I cannot understand the unabated and wholesale take up by the Linux world as well as Gizmo's preference for this office suite over Apache OpenOffice. I think it says more about the politics of the open and free software movement versus large multinational software companies.
I guess this is a debate more suited to the forum than here in the comments and doubtless others might express a different opinion. I did however feel sort of "sucked up" by the move to LibreOffice. I messed for a while with the free Softmaker beta for Linux that became available but then reverted back to OpenOffice. OO is not as quick to open as LO on my Zorin 6 x64 system, but a few microseconds is nothing to lose sleep over. :)
MC - Site Manager
Thank you Midnight Cowboy for your point of view which I appreciate.
Off Topic......I tried Zorin 6x64 on a AMD Quad Core with 8Gbs of RAM wih no luck. It wouldn't update and the browser chooser didn't work and as for the look changer......forget it. You obviously have the magic touch!
I had lots of issues with the RC and enough with the final release to prevent me from installing it. I did however re download this last week to do a demo install for someone else and it's pretty faultless. From memory, the browser chooser has always given problems so I'm not sure why he persists with it. Updates for me were fine except it did freeze part way through. Re-booting however put everything back on track and it all went OK from there. I also get the odd error message which never means very much as everything is working. Overall, my experience has been better than most and I've now decided to dual boot my laptop with Zorin too.
There's a couple of simple screenshots here in case you're interested.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/77529-post185.html
Could you also test and compare SoftMaker Office Free ( http://freeoffice.com/en ) and KingSoft Office Suite 2012 Free ( http://www.kingsoftstore.com/kingsoft-office-freeware.html ) and maybe SoftMaker Office 2010 (both Linux and Windows were given away in a German computer magazine for free).
Also, we do not review software from giveaways, because they are not actually freeware, but just commercial versions given away for free, which does not qualify as a true freeware.
Thank you for the answer, but a review from both free versions (FreeOffice and KingSoft) would be nice.
This category currently has no editor so there will be no changes to the content until someone offers to take it over.
Writing outlines are a very important feature for my use. MS Office has THE most "logical" functionality in this regard. Even the FREE Word Stater has this functionality.
All the free Office alternatives have some kind of quirky difference. Some readers have mentioned the free Kingsoft Office as an alternative.
BOTTOM LINE: Kingsoft outliner function is NEARLY IDENTICAL to MS. If this functionality is important to you, you MUST check out Kingsoft Office / Writer.
The reports of the death of Apache OpenOffice are greatly exagerated.
On May 8, 2012, Apache released their v.3.4(1) and announced plans to develop v.4.(2) Just yesterday (Aug 23), they released v.3.4.1.(3)
Since I have converted to LibreOffice, I now plan to extricate myself from this quandary of too many riches by installing both and using my context menu to choose which one to "Open With..." In other words, I plan to jump off the fence and plant my feet firmly on both sides.
So much "Best Freeware." so little time....
John
1. http://www.openoffice.org/news/aoo34.html
2. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/08/apache_openoffice_graphics_version/
3. http://blogs.apache.org/OOo/entry/announcing_apache_openoffice_3_41
Thank you for all of the research. I really appreciate it. I have a brain tumor, and some other health issues, and I simply cannot afford to pay for Office. I have tried the Libre, and must say I am very impressed so far.
I might try the other one, the King one, just for comparison. Either way, my message is this:
THANK YOU to those of you that are smart enough to work on this type of freeware. It is such a blewssing to people like me. I'd mail $$ if I had any, just know that all of your hard work and efforts do NOT go unnoticed!!
skydrive has online office suite. it's the most compatible with ms office docs. cause it's from microsoft. duh. hehehe.
C'mon MS is trying to make a buck. They make a great product and want people to use their nicely designed formats... so what? I know there are not a lot of MS defenders out there but why such animosity. Is it wrong to be profitable? Open Source and other Freeware products are wonderful, which is why they we all use them and love them, but is a company in err becuase they charge for there products, or try and get you to buy them? Really?
That being said, every freeware office I have ever used is slow and clunky and does not do the jobs I need it to. I like Google apps a lot becuase of the portabily with my Android, but it too is limited and quirky.
Heck, if we could have the best of all worlds, we should all kick in a single USD per year and create a product that has the features and portability that most of us are looking for. Please intelligently slam me, but don't be hateful.
Don't know about the rest of the guys here, i have no hatred towards MS whatsoever, but if there are good free alternatives, i know of better ways to spend my money on, don't you agree?