Microsoft Word Alternatives for Linux

Microsoft Word is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is LibreOffice - Writer, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Microsoft Word and 16 are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Microsoft Word are Apache OpenOffice Writer, ONLYOFFICE, WPS Writer and TextMaker.

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Microsoft Word alternatives are mainly Word Processors but may also be Note-taking Tools or Spreadsheet Apps.  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.
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Widely-used word processor offering extensive document editing tools, SmartArt, PDF support, and integrated search features on multiple platforms.

More about Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word alternatives page was last updated Apr 10, 2025
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Alternatives
  1. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    An open-source word processor offering rich formatting and style options across multiple platforms. Versatile enough to handle both simple memos and complex book publishing, it supports a wide range of document formats and Microsoft Word compatibility, enhancing productivity through templates and layouts.

    81 LibreOffice - Writer alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • ReactOS

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Export to PDF
    2.  Built-in PDF converter
    3.  Portable
    4.  Spell Checking
    5. Microsoft Word icon  Export to Word
    6. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Compatible with Microsoft Office
    7. LibreOffice icon  LibreOffice Integration
    8.  Auto Correction
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  QR Code Generator
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Export to EPUB

    LibreOffice - Writer VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about LibreOffice - Writer as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Comment summary: LibreOffice Writer is frequently praised as a reliable and cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Word. Users commend its open-source nature and compatibility across multiple platforms. Its capability to handle a wide range of functions like Word, without a price, is highlighted. However, some users note challenges with certain features, such as image cropping and citation management. While newer versions may face compatibility issues with DOCX files, many find it a suitable replacement for Word.
    Top Positive Comment
    KuboFHromoslav
    May 15, 2017
    41

    If you do not need some very rare functions, LibreOffice Writer is better and totally libre alternative!

    Most Recent Comment
    SureasAlways
    Positive Nov 5, 2024
    0

    Really good alternative to Microsoft Word, its free, open source, and has pretty good features too. Not really compatible with opening or saving .docx files, especially .docx files with certain elements like formulas and image caption. Overall, this is a great software.

    Guest
    Positive Jun 27, 2024
    0

    It's an incredibly reliable tool available to everyone, helping them to get started.

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    3 of 59 comments
    Microsoft Word Icon
    LibreOffice - Writer icon
    • Almost everyone thinks LibreOffice - Writer is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • LibreOffice - Writer is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Microsoft Word.

    • LibreOffice - Writer is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Microsoft Word.

    • LibreOffice - Writer is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Word is Paid and Proprietary
    • LibreOffice - Writer is Privacy focusedMicrosoft Word is not according to our users
  2. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Writer, 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...

    74 Apache OpenOffice Writer alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Discontinued

    Last major release was in 2014

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Export to PDF
    2.  Spell Checking
    3.  Fractions
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Full-Text Search
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  No registration required

    Apache OpenOffice Writer VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about Apache OpenOffice Writer as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Top Positive Comment
    chtfn
    Aug 31, 2021
    6

    Unfortunately, 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.

    Top Negative Comment
    AndreStork
    Jan 3, 2022
    1

    It's pretty much the worst Office alternative available. It has a bad UI and I shouldn't talk about compatibility with .docx files

    Most Recent Comment
    KuboFHromoslav
    Positive Feb 21, 2025
    1

    OpenOffice was a great alternative to Word about 15 years ago. Since then, the development has staled and the new leader is LibreOffice. Unless you are using OpenOffice for some obscure, niche reason (compatibility with very old stuff, "not fixing what is not broken", etc) a much better alternative to MS Word would be LibreOffice.

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    3 of 10 comments
    Microsoft Word Icon
    Apache OpenOffice Writer icon
    • Most users think Apache OpenOffice Writer is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • Apache OpenOffice Writer is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Word is Paid and Proprietary
    • Apache OpenOffice Writer is Privacy focusedMicrosoft Word is not according to our users
  3. ONLYOFFICE icon
     556 likes
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    Open-source office suite offering document, spreadsheet, and presentation editing with co-editing modes, plugin support, integration across 30+ services, robust security, and mobile access. Available in Community, Enterprise, and Home Server editions for versatile deployment.

    70 ONLYOFFICE alternatives

    License model

    • Free PersonalOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • LV flagLatvia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • AppImageHub
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flatpak
    • Cloudron

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Compatible with Microsoft Office
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Real time collaboration
    4.  Tabbed interface
    5. Nextcloud icon  Nextcloud integration
    6.  Team Collaboration
    7.  Export to PDF
    8.  Multiple languages
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Cloud based

    ONLYOFFICE VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about ONLYOFFICE as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Oct 27, 2020
    2

    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.

    Most Recent Comment
    OpenSourceSoftware
    Positive Mar 27, 2025
    0

    Very easy to use and has a familiar interface. It’s much better than LibreOffice for both compatibility with MS Word and its overall design.

    Daniel Castelli
    Positive Apr 23, 2022
    1

    Best alternative I tested to date.

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    3 of 7 comments
    Microsoft Word Icon
    ONLYOFFICE icon
    • Almost everyone thinks ONLYOFFICE is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • ONLYOFFICE is the most popular SaaS & Self-Hosted alternative to Microsoft Word.

    • ONLYOFFICE is Free Personal and Open SourceMicrosoft Word is Paid and Proprietary
  4. WPS Writer icon
     113 likes
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    WPS Writer, part of WPS Office , is dependable and fast word processing software that is highly compatible with Microsoft Word , and can read and edit DOC and DOCX formats.

    68 WPS Writer alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • CN flagChina

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    WPS Writer Features

    1. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Compatible with Microsoft Office
    2.  Spell Checking
    3.  Eye Protection Mode
    4.  Convert Word documents to PDF
    5.  Tabbed interface
    6.  Built-in PDF converter
    7.  Office-like
    8.  Convert URL to DOCX
    9.  Student Tools

    WPS Writer VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about WPS Writer as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Comment summary: WPS Writer is praised for its similarity to Microsoft Word, featuring a comparable interface, low system requirements, and cross-platform stability. Users enjoy its wide range of features, including PDF conversion, and note its compatibility with DOCX files. Despite positive feedback, some users express concerns about limited open-source availability, lack of an equation editor on Linux, spell-check issues, and occasional document navigation frustrations.
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Jan 13, 2017
    7

    I think WPS Office is the closest you can get to Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). It handels .docx witch was my main problem. The WPS Writer may be in a early stage but I see alot of potential of it becomming better, more easy to use, beautiful and more stable.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    May 12, 2019
    8

    Very poor multi language / proofing support.

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Sep 25, 2021
    2

    The tool almost same as microsoft office. I think It's the closest to microsoft office

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    3 of 22 comments
    Microsoft Word Icon
    WPS Writer icon
    • Almost everyone thinks WPS Writer is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • WPS Writer is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft Word is Paid and Proprietary
  5. TextMaker icon
     64 likes
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    TextMaker is the word processor in SoftMaker Office – fast, powerful, compatible and GDPR-compliant.

    70 TextMaker alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Compatible with Microsoft Office
    2.  Export to PDF
    3.  Compatible with Libre Office
    4.  Portable
    5.  Export to EPUB
    6.  Autocompletion
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Spell Checking
    11.  Works Offline

    TextMaker VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about TextMaker as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Sep 6, 2018
    5

    If you are like me: one who only needs the necessary to fulfill your needs, and really like when the response of the software comes quickly (think that the MS Office in general certainly does not). This is the right solution. It is fully compatible with outputs formats from MS Word; it is fast; and it does everything you need to white a nice and organized document, whatever that is.

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive Apr 10, 2025
    0

    Similar feature set; much much faster with larger documents.

    Klaus
    Positive Jun 24, 2023
    0

    The free version (FreeOffice) ist quite sufficient for everyday word processing tasks. The commercial version (SoftMaker Office) has in its latest version nice extra features like DeepL and ChatGPT integration. Both versions are highly compatible with MS word (much better than LibreOffice; docx may even be used as the standard file format) and much easier to handle. Much better support than MS, very responsive forum. All in all, the best word processor I have found so far.

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    3 of 7 comments
    Microsoft Word Icon
    TextMaker icon
    • Almost everyone thinks TextMaker is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • TextMaker is the most popular commercial alternative to Microsoft Word.

    • TextMaker is Paid and ProprietaryMicrosoft Word is also Paid and Proprietary
    • TextMaker is LightweightMicrosoft Word is not according to our users
  6. AbiWord icon
     259 likes
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    AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. It is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks.

    69 AbiWord alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • GTK+
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    Discontinued

    The latest update is from November 2019, and the official website is no longer available.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Multiple languages
    3.  Spell Checking
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  WYSIWYG Support

    AbiWord VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about AbiWord as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Most Recent Comment
    thomaszoschke
    Positive Jan 8, 2021
    2

    It does what the user wants. It's a full featured text processor. It is affordable. It is not coded like a swamp.

    Daria Nowacka
    Positive Dec 1, 2022
    1

    Very simple to use, I really like it

    kaylinTechAU
    Positive Jan 6, 2017
    8

    AbiWord is a great simple word processor. However it doesn't have many advanced features. Just a simple text document. And it's free!

    Microsoft Word Icon
    AbiWord icon
    • Most users think AbiWord is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • AbiWord is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Word is Paid and Proprietary
    • AbiWord is LightweightMicrosoft Word is not according to our users
  7. Manuskript icon
     160 likes
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    Manuskript is an open-source tool for writers, with outliner, character management, plot development, distraction-free editor, etc.

    109 Manuskript alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak

    Top Manuskript Features

    1.  Outliner
    2.  Tree structure
    3.  Tracking of plots
    4.  Distraction-free Writing
    5.  Tracking of characters
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  No Tracking
    11.  Support for MarkDown
    12.  File Versioning

    Manuskript VS Microsoft Word

     
    Comments about Manuskript as an Alternative to Microsoft Word
    Guest
    Negative Aug 17, 2020
    3

    Manuskript is an app for planning and writing books. It is not a word processor, or an appropriate alternative to MS Word.

    Microsoft Word Icon
    Manuskript icon
    • Most users think Manuskript is a great Microsoft Word alternative.

    • Manuskript is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Word is Paid and Proprietary
7 of 16 Microsoft Word alternatives