Corel Corporation is a Canadian software company specializing in graphics processing. They are best known for developing CorelDRAW, a vector graphics editor. They are also notable for purchasing and developing AfterShot Pro, PaintShop Pro, Painter, Video Studio, MindManager, and WordPerfect.
Corel has dabbled with Linux over the years. For example they produced Corel Linux, a Debian-based distribution which bundled Corel WordPerfect Office for Linux. While Corel effectively abandoned its Linux business in 2001 they are not completely Linux-phobic. For example, AfterShot Pro has an up to date Linux version albeit its proprietary software.
This series looks at the best free and open source alternatives to products offered by Corel.
Corel WordPerfect Office is an all-in-one office suite and word processing software. Document, spreadsheet, and presentation applications.
What are the best free and open source alternatives?
1. LibreOffice
When it comes to open source open source office suites our strongest recommendation goes to LibreOffice. It provides Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing).
Users who’ve used Microsoft Office for years will appreciate that LibreOffice has made enormous strides in offering better compatibility with DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files. For example, LibreOffice’s DOCX is saved in native 2013/2016/2019 mode.
LibreOffice has native support for a modern and open standard, the Open Document Format (ODF). ODF 1.3’s most important new features are document digital signatures and OpenPGP-based XML document encryption. The new ODF also boasts improvements in change tracking, and elements first pages, text, numbers, and charts.
LibreOffice is available on all major desktop operating systems. Besides Linux, it runs under macOS, ChromeOS, and Windows.
2. OpenOffice
An alternative to LibreOffice is Apache OpenOffice. It’s also an open source software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.
OpenOffice provides most features that WordPerfect offers. In addition, it runs on all platforms, not only on Windows.
All articles in this series:
| Alternatives to Corel's Products | |
|---|---|
| WordPerfect Office is an all-in-one office suite and word processing software. Document, spreadsheet, and presentation applications. |
 | Painter is a raster-based digital art software which is used for canvas painting and offers photo-art tools. Sketch, paint, and illustrate. |
 | AfterShot Pro is raw image processing software offering simple photo management, good workflow, and batch processing. |
 | WinZip is a file archiver and compressor with tools for system integration. The software also bundles an image manager and backup functionality. |
 | DVD Copy is simple-to-use software which allows you to copy DVDs, convert HD video, output to mobile devices, and more. |
 | WinDVD Pro allows you to play DVDs and Blu-rays. The player can also be used to play videos and audio/music files in other formats. |
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