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Indie alternatives to Microsoft Office
4 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Microsoft Office does, 4 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.
At a glance
| Product | Price | Open source | Self-host | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LibreOffice | Free | Yes | – | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| SoftMaker FreeOffice | Free | – | – | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| ONLYOFFICE | Free plan | – | Yes | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted |
| WPS Office | Free plan | – | – | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
The alternatives
1. LibreOffice
Free, open-source office suite
A free office suite with a word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, drawing and database tools that opens Microsoft Office formats. For anyone wanting an offline Office alternative.
Free · Mac, Windows, Linux · Website ↗
2. SoftMaker FreeOffice
Free Microsoft Office-compatible office suite
A free office suite from SoftMaker with TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations that read and write Microsoft Office file formats.
Free · Windows, Mac, Linux · Website ↗
3. ONLYOFFICE
Office suite and collaborative editors compatible with Microsoft formats
An office suite with document, spreadsheet, presentation and PDF editors, available as free desktop apps and as online collaboration servers. For people and teams needing strong DOCX/XLSX compatibility.
Free plan · Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted · Website ↗
4. WPS Office
Office suite for documents, spreadsheets, slides and PDFs
An office suite with Writer, Spreadsheet, Presentation and PDF tools compatible with Microsoft Office formats, plus cloud storage and AI features.
Free plan · Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android · Website ↗
Questions
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Office?
Yes. 4 of the 4 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: LibreOffice, SoftMaker FreeOffice, ONLYOFFICE and WPS Office.
Is there an open-source alternative to Microsoft Office?
LibreOffice is open source.
Can I self-host an alternative to Microsoft Office?
Yes: ONLYOFFICE can run on your own server.
Which Microsoft Office alternatives work on Mac, Windows, iPhone or Android?
On iPhone and iPad: ONLYOFFICE and WPS Office. On Android: ONLYOFFICE and WPS Office. On the web: ONLYOFFICE.
What makes these alternatives to Microsoft Office “indie”?
They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Microsoft Office.
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