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Desktop App

LibreOffice

A free, open-source office suite for your desktop: Writer, Calc, Impress and more.

Visit LibreOffice4.5
  • Rating

    4.5 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Beginner

  • Works on

    Windows, macOS, Linux

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

What is LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is a free, open-source office suite with six apps: Writer for documents, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress for presentations, Draw for diagrams, Base for databases and Math for formulas. It runs on your own computer with no account and no subscription, and its source code is under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. The latest major release is LibreOffice 26.8.

Pros: what LibreOffice does well

  • Completely free with no account or subscription
  • Full desktop suite that works offline
  • Open source (MPL-2.0)

Cons: where it falls short

  • Complex Word and PowerPoint files may not look identical
  • No built-in real-time co-editing

Who LibreOffice is for

Anyone who wants a full desktop office suite without paying.

Who can skip it

Teams that co-edit documents live every day.

What people use LibreOffice for

  • Writing letters, reports and CVs in Writer without paying for an office subscription
  • Building budgets and data tables in Calc
  • Making slide decks in Impress
  • Opening and editing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on a computer without Microsoft Office

How to get started

  1. 1Download LibreOffice from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS or Linux.
  2. 2Install it and open the Start Center to pick Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base or Math.
  3. 3Open an existing Word, Excel or PowerPoint file, or start a new document.
  4. 4When saving, keep the default OpenDocument format or choose a Microsoft Office format if you are sharing with Office users.

LibreOffice pricing

LibreOffice is free and open source under the Mozilla Public License, with no paid edition. You can donate to The Document Foundation, and businesses can buy professional support from partner companies. See current prices on LibreOffice's site

Checked 2026-10-24. Prices change, so double-check before you pay.

LibreOffice FAQ: quick answers

Is LibreOffice really free?
Yes. It is free for anyone to download and use, at home or at work, with no account or subscription.
Who makes LibreOffice?
A community of volunteer and company contributors, coordinated by The Document Foundation, a non-profit.
Can LibreOffice open Microsoft Office files?
Yes. It opens and saves Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats, though files with complex layouts or macros can look a little different.

LibreOffice alternatives

Not sold on LibreOffice? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

WPS Office

Focus: pdf. Shares office suite and microsoft office alternative with LibreOffice. Freemium (LibreOffice: Free). Adds Android, iOS and Web. Rated 4.1 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFree planWindows, macOS

Tiny Little Office

Focus: documents and privacy. Shares office suite and spreadsheets with LibreOffice. A web app, not a desktop app. Adds Web. Rated 4.3 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Web AppFreeWeb

Bento

Focus: documents and portable. Shares office suite and spreadsheets with LibreOffice. Rated 4.6 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

Atuin

Focus: shell history, terminal and command line. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux

btop

Focus: system monitor, terminal and processes. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux

Free alternatives to LibreOffice

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

fd

Focus: file search, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

Handy

Focus: speech to text, dictation and whisper. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS

htop

Focus: process viewer, system monitor and terminal. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux

Hugo

Focus: static site, blog and documentation. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows

KeePassXC

Focus: password manager, security and offline. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Adds Chrome, Firefox and Offline. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS

MuseScore Studio

Focus: music notation, sheet music and composition. Shares open source with LibreOffice. Rated 4.7 (LibreOffice: 4.5).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
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