I've Tested The Best Linux Office Suites And These Are My Top 5 - Most Are Free

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Linux has plentifulness of agency suites to take from.
• You'll find some open-source and proprietary options.
• Most of these are free to instal and use.

I've utilized Linux for truthful agelong that I retrieve erstwhile StarOffice and WordPerfect were nan champion agency suite options disposable for Linux. StarOffice saved my hide respective times, particularly backmost successful nan time erstwhile I was moving successful an agency filled pinch Windows and MS Office users. WordPerfect was nan outlier, but man, was it powerful (considering nan time).

Since then, a batch of companies person hopped connected committee nan Linux train. Others person opted to support their heads successful nan sand. Those who person joined nan nosy person delivered immoderate earnestly powerful devices that tin beryllium employed to not only thief you beryllium imaginative and/or productive, but besides collaborative.

Also: Want to ditch Windows? This Linux distro makes that modulation easy

As personification who has written complete 70 novels utilizing Linux and open-source tools, spot maine erstwhile I show you that Linux has what it takes. If, however, you're 1 of nan galore naysayers who judge Linux doesn't person nan basal apps required to beryllium functional successful today's imaginative aliases business worlds, publication on, because I person 5 different agency suites that not only activity connected Linux but tin easy switch immoderate it is you're presently using.

1. LibreOffice

LibreOffice is nan astir wide utilized agency suite connected Linux. In fact, galore distributions vessel pinch LibreOffice preinstalled. This open-source agency suite includes each of nan devices you request to constitute novels, create a resume, build a spreadsheet, create and adhd formulas to documents, draw, and moreover build and activity pinch databases. LibreOffice is highly compatible pinch MS Office and tin moreover export to nan MS Office formats (as good arsenic galore different formats). 

Besides being an outstanding instrumentality for creating and moving pinch documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, drawings, and formulas, LibreOffice has 1 of nan astir elastic UIs disposable for agency suites. You tin spell pinch a accepted menu-based interface, a much Microsoft ribbon UI, a sidebar, aliases respective different options. You tin customize astir each facet of LibreOffice, create password-protected files, instal extensions, redact files, and truthful overmuch more. 

LibreOffice moreover honors my strategy taxable connected COSMIC.

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LibreOffice is free to download and instal connected arsenic galore computers arsenic you like, and it enjoys a very large organization for support.

Also: 6 ways LibreOffice is amended than Google Docs for superior penning work

2. WPS Office

WPS Office was created by Kinsoft Office Corporation and has go 1 of nan champion Linux agency suites for collaborating pinch others who usage MS Office. WPS Office is profoundly compatible pinch Microsoft Office record formats and moreover bears a flimsy resemblance to MS Office of yore. WPS Office includes documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Although you won't find arsenic galore features successful WPS Office arsenic you do successful LibreOffice, if compatibility pinch MS Office is your superior need, WPS Office is simply a awesome choice. 

I will opportunity this: WPS Office doesn't mostly render fonts connected Linux arsenic good arsenic LibreOffice, truthful you mightiness consciousness nan UI isn't rather up to par. Of course, that besides depends connected nan desktop situation you use. For example, connected Pop!_OS pinch COSMIC, fonts are a spot pixelated. As good (at slightest connected COSMIC), transcript and paste doesn't activity arsenic expected. Since I've ne'er knowledgeable that connected different DE pinch WPS Office, I'm going to chalk that up to COSMIC still being successful beta. 

You besides mightiness tally into windows pinch verbiage strictly successful Chinese. Don't worry, that's not a portion of malware; it's conscionable an rumor that has been a portion of WPS Office for immoderate time. That being said, WPS is an outstanding prime for those who don't mind utilizing a spot of proprietary software.

WPS Office has a UI that will consciousness very acquainted to most.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

WPS Office tin beryllium installed (via your distribution's default package head aliases via Flatpak) for free.

3. ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors

I really for illustration ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors. In fact, I've often considered making it my default (even complete LibreOffice). The only rumor holding maine backmost from making nan imperishable move is that ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors are proprietary, and LibreOffice is open-source. However, each clip I usage ONLYOFFICE Desktop editors, I tie person and person to making nan switch. Why? One of nan champion features this agency suite has going for it is nan expertise to usage it some locally and remotely (even simultaneously). I tin unfastened a section instance, and past adhd a distant lawsuit and move backmost and distant betwixt them. With LibreOffice, I person to create a Samba stock connected a instrumentality attached to my LAN, equine it to my desktop, and past manually prevention to that share. With ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, I tin activity locally aliases I tin activity remotely. It's my choice. 

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You tin besides create a unreality relationship connected to a locally-installed ONLYOFFICE server, aliases a unreality host. Now that is flexibility. Yes, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors tin activity pinch documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and moreover PDFs, truthful you shouldn't person immoderate problems creating and collaborating connected nan archive type you need. ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors besides now includes a spot of AI goodness to thief you pinch your writing.

You tin activity some locally and remotely successful nan aforesaid app window.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors tin beryllium installed and utilized for free connected your Linux distribution of choice.

Also: This is nan fastest section AI I've tried, and it's not moreover adjacent - really to get it

4. Softmaker Office

First, dissimilar nan different options here, Softmaker Office isn't free. Yes, location is simply a free proceedings (and I would propose that you springiness it a try), and you tin moreover adhd nan required repository to your system, truthful nan app is ever up-to-date (so agelong arsenic you tally regular updates -- which you should). Softmaker Office includes nan accustomed tools: documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. The Softmaker Office UI is very akin to nan MS Office Ribbon interface and doesn't see galore UI customizations recovered successful LibreOffice. 

Softmaker Office does connection a touch mode (which enlarges icons truthful they are easier to entree and plentifulness of customizations.  Softmaker Office lacks (and why I don't usage it arsenic my default) collaboration features. If mailings are your thing, you will find that Softmaker Office includes a database characteristic geared specifically for nan task. You won't find way changes aliases comments successful nan free type of this agency suite, truthful if collaboration is simply a must, you'll request to salary nan yearly subscription value of $37/year, which adds collaboration features.

Softmaker Office mightiness render fonts arsenic if it were 2010, but it still useful very well.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

If you're looking for a Linux agency suite that resembles MS Office and includes each nan features you need, commencement pinch nan free Softmaker Office version and past upgrade to nan paid type to get nan afloat package.

5. Calligra Suite

Calligra is nan KDE Plasma agency suite, which is an all-in-one solution that includes documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and vector graphics. You'd deliberation it would vessel by default pinch each Linux distributions that usage KDE Plasma. That is not nan case. The bully news is that you tin instal it from wrong your distribution's modular repositories. Do support successful mind that if you don't usage KDE Plasma, nan installation will adhd a batch of limitations truthful Calligra tin run. In different words, if you want to usage Calligra, you should beryllium utilizing KDE Plasma. 

Calligra offers documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings. Calligra approached nan UI a spot differently, astatine slightest from an app motorboat perspective. You tin either unfastened 1 of nan individual components from your desktop menu, aliases you tin unfastened nan Calligra launcher, which is simply a elemental barroom that opens and allows you to prime which app you want. Once open, you'll find that Calligra is simply a perfectly apt agency suite that mightiness not beryllium astir arsenic feature-rich aliases arsenic modern a UI, but it does usability well. Calligra besides supports MS Office formats (such arsenic .docx), arsenic good arsenic unfastened archive formats, plain text, HTML, Wiki, Mobipocket, and physics book formats. From my perspective, Calligra is nan weakest of nan five, but if you're really into KDE Plasma, this is simply a worthwhile contender.

Calligra looks a spot agelong successful nan tooth, but it's still a viable action for KDE Plasma fans.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Callibra is free to instal and use.

Also: 4 reasons why LibreOffice downloads are measurement up (hint: you'll relate)