Why LibreOffice is Better than Microsoft Office?

Many of my friends and acquaintances use Microsoft Office. Until 2023, I myself actively used this office suite, until I decided, for the sake of an experiment, to completely switch to LibreOffice. And, frankly, I was pleasantly surprised.

In my blog, I want to talk about the pros and cons of the main competitor of Microsoft Office, consider other similar office suites, and also share my experience of using the application from The Document Foundation.

2. Comparison of different office packages

Let's start with a general overview: which office suites are the most popular today and how LibreOffice differs from them.

Microsoft Office

So, Microsoft Office and its successor Microsoft 365 are the most common platform. The desktop version provides a "perpetual" license with a fixed purchase, but Microsoft 365 is a cloud subscription with a regular payment. Both versions are popular in the corporate environment, education, and among private users.

Pros:

• Probably the best compatibility with .docx, .xlsx, .pptx formats;

• A vast ecosystem that includes mail (Outlook), and the successor to Skype (Teams), and, of course, cloud storage (OneDrive);

• A familiar interface - intuitive, which makes it easy to start working in Microsoft Office.

Cons:

• High price. The more applications included in the package, the higher the price;

• For some, the interface is overloaded;

• Relative dependence on a Microsoft account (not so noticeable in the desktop version);

• In version 365 - limited offline work.

Google Docs

Free software that works through a browser - hence the main problem. On the other hand, no installation on a PC is required. Extremely limited functionality, low compatibility with Microsoft formats for complex layout, as well as complete dependence on Google services and their policies. Great for real-time collaboration, but not as a primary solution.

WPS Office

Office suite from Chinese company Kingsoft. Lots of advertising and limitations in the free version, closed source code, questions about privacy and data security arise. The advantages include compatibility with Microsoft formats, availability of mobile applications.

OnlyOffice

An open-source, web-based office suite focused on collaboration. Can be installed locally or used in the cloud. Supports Microsoft Office formats. The main drawback is the limited feature set compared to LibreOffice or Microsoft Office.

LibreOffice

A free office suite, the successor to the OpenOffice project. Supports many formats, including MS Office and ODF.

Pros:

• Free forever and without ads;

• Full functionality without additional charges;

• Support for open formats;

• Works offline;

• Ideal for educational and government institutions;

• Installed on Windows, Linux, macOS.

Cons:

• The interface may seem "outdated" after Microsoft Office;

• Does not always open complex documents with macros perfectly;

• Less integration with cloud services (which, however, can be a plus).

3. Why I stayed with LibreOffice

In short, LibreOffice has everything that Microsoft Office has. Writer (analogous to Word) may have a less “modern” interface, but it is logical, stable, and not overloaded with unnecessary things. In addition, toolbars can be customized: enable classic view, ribbon interface, or compact panels — everything is under the user’s control.

Things are a little worse in Calc (an Excel analogue). It is not inferior in basic and even in many advanced tasks. Support for formulas, conditional formatting, charts, filtering and even macros makes it a serious tool. However, some Excel macros (especially those written in VBA) may not work "head-on". But against the background of its advantages - a smaller installation volume and higher speed of work - these shortcomings fade into the background.

I used Impress to prepare the presentations. Yes, it has fewer effects and templates than PowerPoint, but for business, academic and educational purposes it is more than enough. Presentations are saved in .odp format, but if necessary, you can export to .pptx - and vice versa.

And of course, the most important advantage of LibreOffice is that it works on many operating systems. For me, as a Linux and Windows user, this is the number one factor when choosing an office suite.

It's also worth discussing the challenges faced by those considering moving away from Microsoft Office. You'll have to adjust the formatting when opening .docx documents, especially if they contain complex layout or tables. I, for example, often had problems displaying images. In such cases, you might want to consider switching to the open ODF (.odt) format.

4. Conclusion

LibreOffice is not just a “free alternative” to Microsoft Office. It is a mature, reliable and versatile tool for everyday work with documents, spreadsheets and presentations. It gives freedom, protects data, does not require constant payment and at the same time offers full functionality. The main thing is that it is under the control of the user, not a large corporation. If you have not tried LibreOffice yet, I recommend at least installing it and seeing it in practice. Perhaps, like me, for you it will start as an experiment - and end with a conscious transition.

You can download LibreOffice from the official website - click to go.