Also derived from the original Openoffice.org like Apache Open Office, these two open source Excel alternatives are quite similar. In fact, it’s an alternative to the whole Microsoft Office app bundle, not just Excel. Excel features like pivot table and text to columns are also available in LibreOffice but it lacks extensive formatting.
Microsoft Office once had an unquestioned stranglehold on the world of productivity suites and programs. However, the and high-price of the 2016 alternative have given rise to a retinue of options that fall outside Microsoft’s banner. The best alternatives to Microsoft Office allow users the freedom to create and edit — many are even compatible with files made in Word, Excel, and other Microsoft’s programs.
If you’re loyal to Microsoft’s product, it’s worth trying out the Office web-based applications, which emulate a lot of the primary features of Office right in your browser for free. Outside of that, there are capable alternatives available for both and, whether you’re looking for a quick means to spell check the copy on your resume or string together complex formulas prior to an important business presentation. Below are a few of our favorites. Mark Coppock/Digital Trends The latest version of SoftMaker’s FreeOffice — released in 2016 — comes with full compatibility for DOC, DOX, XLS, XLSX, and PPT file formats, with a lot of work going into making them “loss free.” This means you won’t find any unexpected surprises when transferring your files into Word, which makes the software perfect for those who want a free alternative to Word but still need to work regularly with Word software.