An office suite is a collection of related software for knowledge workers. The software is distributed together in a single package, with a consistent graphical interface, and typically with strong integration between the different components.
The types of software included in an office suite often consist of word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, database and more. For many users the office suite (together with a web browser and email client) represents the cornerstone of their computing day, particularly in the business field. A high quality office suite is therefore a basic necessity for any computing platform to prosper.
Microsoft Office still dominates market share of office suites. Businesses have often rejected free Office alternatives. However, whether this will continue is uncertain. With the cost of a price plan for Microsoft Office, the average home user or small business will welcome a free alternative. Fortunately, there are some truly excellent free alternatives available for Linux (and other operating systems). Not all of the office suites featured here are released under an open source license, but they are all free to download and use without charge.
LibreOffice won our gold medal award in the Linux Means Business – Office Suite – Best Free Software category. LibreOffice is the most popular open source office suite. It comprises programs to do word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing, math, and database management. For business users, it offers good compatibility with Microsoft file formats. It’s fast, powerful, and the leading free desktop-style alternative to Microsoft Office.
Silver and Bronze medals were awarded to Apache OpenOffice and ONLYOFFICE respectively.
| Free Office Suites that Cut The Mustard | |
|---|---|
| LibreOffice | Powerful, complete, free open source office suite, developed by The Document Foundation |
| Apache OpenOffice | Office productivity software suite. It descends from OpenOffice.org and IBM Lotus Symphony |
| ONLYOFFICE | Multifunctional cloud online office suite |
| Calligra Suite | Integrated set of open source applications, forked from KOffice in 2010 |
| Google Docs | Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and form application |
| SoftMaker FreeOffice | Mature full-featured office suite for Linux and Windows |
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