The Best Open Source Microsoft Word AlternativesTop Word Processors and other similar apps like Microsoft Word
The best open source alternative to Microsoft Word is LibreOffice - Writer. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Microsoft Word and 17 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Microsoft Word are ONLYOFFICE, Apache OpenOffice Writer, AbiWord and Manuskript.
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Microsoft Word alternatives are mainly Word Processors but may also be Note-taking Tools or Team Collaboration Tools. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Microsoft Word.- Word Processor
- Paid • Proprietary
86 LibreOffice - Writer alternativesWriter has all the features you need from a modern, full-featured word processing or desktop publishing tool.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
- ReactOS
- Flathub
Top LibreOffice - Writer Features
- Export to PDF
- Built-in PDF converter
- Portable
- Spell Checking
- Export to Word
- Compatible with Microsoft Office
- LibreOffice Integration
- Auto Correction
- Privacy focused
- QR Code Generator
- Works Offline
- Ad-free
LibreOffice - Writer VS Microsoft Word
Is LibreOffice - Writer a good alternative to Microsoft Word?
65 ONLYOFFICE alternativesONLYOFFICE is an open-source, online office suite that includes editors for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms. It supports all common formats and MS Office files.
License model
- Free Personal • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- AppImageHub
- Snapcraft
- Flathub
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Flatpak
- Cloudron
Top ONLYOFFICE Features
- Compatible with Microsoft Office
- Works Offline
- Real time collaboration
- Tabbed interface
- Nextcloud integration
- Team Collaboration
- Project Management
- Export to PDF
- Multiple languages
- Portable
- Dark Mode
- Cloud based
ONLYOFFICE VS Microsoft Word
Is ONLYOFFICE a good alternative to Microsoft Word?Comments about ONLYOFFICE as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
If you know how to use Word, the you will feel at home using OnlyOffice. It's feature rich, supports all platforms and even the browser. You can collaborate with other people, and OnlyOffcie respects your privacy.
Compared to something like Apple Pages, it's not the cleanest and smoothest experience, but if you have used MS Word og LibreOffice, it won't be a problem.
2RiseiIt has a nice UI, and good support for microsoft document formats.
3Daniel CastelliBest alternative I tested to date.
1Hudson BorgesIts one of the best options to Microsoft Office, it has almost all tools. And is by far better then LibreOffice or OpenOffice.
1Very similar layout to Microsoft Office so its the best alternative for people use to that. And especially for me, ecuations in google docs and libre office are ugly compare to Microsoft format which OnlyOffice use.
2
75 Apache OpenOffice Writer alternativesWriter, part of the Apache OpenOffice suite, is an open-source word processor. It supports the ISO standard Open Document Format (ODF) for data interchange as its default file format, as well as Microsoft Office 97-2003 formats, Microsoft Office 2007...
Apache OpenOffice Writer Features
- Export to PDF
- Spell Checking
- Fractions
- Works Offline
- Ad-free
DiscontinuedLast major release was in 2014
Apache OpenOffice Writer VS Microsoft Word
Is this a good alternative to Microsoft Word?Comments about Apache OpenOffice Writer as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
chtfnUnfortunately, is lagging far behind LibreOffice. Would be great to see development pick up and take a different direction, but it seems very much stalled, with the latest major in 2014 (7 years ago at the time of writing). I strongly recommend using LibreOffice instead, for security reasons, and also for newer features.
5Martin MartinIt is basically a free version of Microsoft Office.
2AndreStorkIt's pretty much the worst Office alternative available. It has a bad UI and I shouldn't talk about compatibility with .docx files
1Larry TuckerI like OpenOffice's easier user features and dropdowns better than Word. I do use Word with Grammarly after I've finished my writing for editing.
0Pietro SmusiFree, simple, open-source. The interface is a bit old-styled, but you may actually like that more.
1
68 AbiWord alternativesAbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Linux
- BSD
- Flathub
- PortableApps.com
- Haiku
- GTK+
- Flatpak
- AmigaOS
AbiWord Features
- Lightweight
- Portable
- Multiple languages
- Spell Checking
- Works Offline
- Distraction-free
- Ad-free
DiscontinuedThe latest update is from November 2019, and the official website is no longer available.
AbiWord VS Microsoft Word
Is AbiWord a good alternative to Microsoft Word?Comments about AbiWord as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
thomaszoschkeIt does what the user wants. It's a full featured text processor. It is affordable. It is not coded like a swamp.
2Daria NowackaVery simple to use, I really like it
1kaylinTechAUAbiWord is a great simple word processor. However it doesn't have many advanced features. Just a simple text document. And it's free!
8
107 Manuskript alternativesManuskript is an open-source tool for writers, with outliner, character management, plot development, distraction-free editor, etc.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Snapcraft
- Flathub
- Flatpak
Top Manuskript Features
- Outliner
- Tree structure
- Tracking of plots
- Distraction-free Writing
- Tracking of characters
- Ad-free
- Works Offline
- No registration required
- Dark Mode
- No Tracking
- Support for MarkDown
- File Versioning
Manuskript VS Microsoft Word
Is Manuskript a good alternative to Microsoft Word?Comments about Manuskript as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
Manuskript is an app for planning and writing books. It is not a word processor, or an appropriate alternative to MS Word.
3
23 Calligra Words alternativesWords is an intuitive word processor and desktop publisher application. With it, you can create informative and attractive documents with pleasure and ease.
Calligra Words VS Microsoft Word
Is Calligra Words a good alternative to Microsoft Word?Comments about Calligra Words as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
CentaroIt lacks many features and the UI is a mess.
0
37 Story Architect (STARC) alternativesA smooth yet powerful writing experience for devoted authors. With only wanted features and native workflow it runs faster than all your previous apps combined.
License model
- Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Chrome OS
- AppImageHub
- Flathub
Top Story Architect (STARC) Features
- Outliner
- Screenwriting
- Lightweight
- Dark Mode
- Spell Checking
- Real time collaboration
- Portable
- Autocompletion
- Support for Themes
- Hierarchical Structure
- Distraction-free
- No Coding Required
Story Architect (STARC) VS Microsoft Word
Is this a good alternative to Microsoft Word?
Comments about LibreOffice - Writer as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
If you do not need some very rare functions, LibreOffice Writer is better and totally libre alternative!
It has virtually everything that MS Word does with exception of the most exotic functions - but it's 100% Open Source and 100% free.
It's an incredibly reliable tool available to everyone, helping them to get started.
It is a really good alternative to MS Word and Free/Open Source
It's ok it's free no ads and docx file are easy to edit but it's hard to use and missing some features like on MS Word like croping an image into shape the toolbars are missing some icon and features sometimes you need to add manually maybe because it's not MS Word haha but for me it's a big OK.