When it comes to productivity office software, Microsoft still holds the edge over most competitor products. Back in the day, it was a near-impossible thing to find a Microsoft office substitute as there were hardly any companies focused on this subject. Nowadays, it’s not a difficult task to find Microsoft alternatives. Here we give you the best alternatives to Microsoft Office for Android and iOS, more or less with the same features.
What Are the Best Microsoft Office Alternatives?
1) Evernote
What is the best free office alternative software to MS OneNote? The obvious answer is Evernote. We think no one would argue with that as both are fighting closely for the same crown. Microsoft OneNote is a relatively new addition to its Office tools added in the year 2007, and Evernote broke on to the scene in the next year.
As of 2020 January, the Evernote developers stated that they had acquired over 225 million users worldwide. It is believed that Microsoft’s OneNote reached 1 billion. It’s fantastic to see as a standalone platform how successful Evernote is.
The software works fantastic with Windows, Mac, and all mobile devices. Working in Evernote is relatively straightforward as you can design notes from scratch. Also, it is easy to store the notes as per your requirement in a searchable and browsable manner.
If you have ever worked with its word processor, you will notice that it is one of the top Microsoft Word replacements ever. Microsoft OneNote has a complete set of online formatting and collaborative tools. You can share any work online with your colleagues within seconds.
The Microsoft OneNote also comes as a standalone product but works best within Windows. Still, the same cannot be said regarding Evernote. It is versatile cute looking software and compatible with most of the OS, and simply one of the best free Office alternatives to MS OneNote.
Website Android IOS2) Google Docs
Google Docs is a part of its G-suite. G-suite consists of many tools such as Google Meet, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Chat, and Google forms other than Google Docs. You can choose Google Docs as one of the best Microsoft Word alternatives. It helps you work online without having to download anything from the internet.
Another great thing about Google G-suite and Google Docs is that you can add plugins as integrations to combine more additional features with working freely. Also, it works fine with lots of other file programs; even you can open and edit MS Word documents with Google Docs.
Yes, it’s perhaps the best Microsoft Word substitute, but the downside is that there are specific difficulties when you work offline with Google Docs; because the plugins you get via Google Chrome have various issues, and the consistency of these plugins cannot be guaranteed either.
Still, assuming you are searching for free software like Microsoft Word, Google Docs can be a brilliant alternative for you. If you are an individual user, you can enjoy Google’s G-suite apps for free, and the business plan of it starts at %6 per head.
Website Android IOS3) Polaris Office
Your Office software option choice doesn’t necessarily have to be the most advanced or overloaded with features. This is where you need to be smart, and you should understand your requirement before you explore the features of the applications. Polaris Office is a product from South Korea.
You can use it for personal and business purposes to the fullest even though it comes with limited resources compared to Microsoft Office tools. However, there are some features in it that Microsoft doesn’t provide as well. The ability to convert PDFs to Word is one such example. Besides, it is a light and fast tool capable enough to work without problems on various devices, including mobile ones.
They permit you to enjoy all the features of paid subscription for free for 14 days before purchasing the business package, which we think is kind of not enough to take a real grip of the tools. But, their paid subscription won’t demand you to rob a bank as well. The business plan costs only $6.99/month for an annual subscription. They allow more users to work with the applications.
Website Android IOS4) JotterPad
We would say the way of writing has evolved with Jotterpad. If you are a writer, the writing process can be streamlined and personalized with this excellent software solution’s features. You can write in syntax if you like or perform the task as you would usually do and convert the final draft into the programs like Microsoft Word instantly.
You can say Jotterpad is one of the programs similar to Microsoft Word. It helps you write; but, we see more in it. It provides many additional options, such as syncing your files on Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive across all devices, including PCs and mobile.
Besides, Jotterpad has features like a dictionary, thesaurus, search and replace, rhyming dictionary, and in-app manager to help you write the best possible piece for your audience. Once you complete the writing, you can convert the written piece into PDF, HTML, rich text, and several other popular output formats.
Thinking you are going around for an app like Microsoft Word for your Android or iOS device, we urge you to try Jotterpad at least once to feel the real difference, especially if you are a professional writer, novelist, or journalist.
Website Android IOS5) Writer Plus
Writer Plus also is a handy writing app you can use as a free alternative to Microsoft Word to jot down quick points. With Writer Plus, you can do most of MS Word’s regular tasks, such as write, italic, bold, keyboard shortcuts, undo/redo, open, edit, save, and folder support options.
When it comes to additional features, you can enjoy night mode, sharing options, header sizes, right to left support, and there are nine languages to play with. These languages include English, Chinese, German, Italian, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish.
Mobile users know how difficult it is to find programs like Word. Working with them is not convenient; even we feel Microsoft Word itself is sometimes hard to use on mobile devices.
Moreover, most free apps like Microsoft Word are not lightweight and demand a considerable chunk from your memory to work well. This is not the case with Writer Plus, as it’s a tiny little free Microsoft word alternative app weighing only 860K yet powerful enough to do most of the works of MS Word.
Website Android6) AndrOpen Office
Thanks to AndrOpen Office features, you can edit, insert, and export any office documents. AndrOpen has five essential tools; writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Math. These tools can be used as a writer platform, spreadsheet, graphic presenter, drawing tool, an equation editor.
This says you can do most of the MS office tasks with AndrOpen, and it supports hundreds of file formats on MS Office. Further, this Office app is built to support more than 40 world-famous languages, including French, German, English, Spanish, Swedish, Hungarian, Japanese, and many more.
The users of AndrOpen suggest that it is one of the best alternatives to Microsoft Office 365 regarding the features. Still, we must say that the app had a couple of bugs previously and tend to work a little differently from one device to another even now.
Another downside is that it contains many ads that we see as a distracting factor when you do important work using the app. Overall, we would rate AndrOpen 8 out of 10. You can check whether our statement is correct or wrong by downloading it to your Android device.
Website Android7) LibreOffice
The key difference between MS Office and LibreOffice is that LibreOffice is a free, open-source program. The Office is a paid package. However, both these software solutions are compatible with multiple devices. There are lots of similarities in the functionalities as well.
Even though Libre comes without any cost, it has most of the tools to match MS Office applications; but, it doesn’t have a dedicated email program to match Microsoft’s Outlook. You can use a third-party add-on application like Thunderbird as the preferred email solution, which is a fantastic email tool you must try if you haven’t yet.
Most Office formats are compatible with Libre. However, the appearance is somewhat different, mainly because of the fonts’ variations between the two platforms. This we feel is nothing much of a deal because of Libre’s other helpful features and given the difficulty of finding magnificent free programs like Microsoft Office.
Is LibreOffice or Microsoft Office Better?
It’s not fair to compare a product that comes at no cost with the best one on the market. Still, LibreOffice is one of the top free alternatives to Microsoft Office, not because it comes free of charge but its robust office software solutions.
Libre indeed lacks some of the MS office features, but you can cover most of those features through add-ons or third-party applications. Another must-mention difference is that you can’t edit the files on Android and iOS devices with LibreOffice as you do with Microsoft applications.
Can I Open Microsoft Word Documents with LibreOffice?
Yes, you shouldn’t have any difficulties opening word documents with Libre as far as you have it installed on your device. When you have both the programs installed on your device, it will ask the app you need to open the word document.
You can open any word document with LibreOffice Writer program itself. We wanted to emphasize what we wanted to emphasize with this LibreOffice review because it is one of the best free MS office software you can come across.
Website8) DropBox Paper
You can edit documents and create new ones using DropBox Paper, a free product from DropBox. It’s more of a work management software tool as it helps you organize teamwork and work regardless of the place you are in. The appearance of DropBox Paper looks like blank paper when you open it for the first time.
Still, it has three features for creators, collaborators, and presenters. You can pick one or more features to accomplish the work, depending on your requirement. In fact, it can do most of the works you anticipate as an alternative for Microsoft Word, and in the meantime, it helps the designers as well.
Dropbox Paper is a highly versatile tool and got great options to help users with various functionalities. But, it did not grab the world’s attention as it should have, and we doubt it will gain in the future as well. Still, Dropbox Paper can work as one of the best MS office alternatives free of charge. That’s the reason why we mentioned it on our list. We think you should give it a try, particularly considering it’s a free tool.
Website Android IOS9) WPS Office
As we mentioned, it’s not a difficult task to find Microsoft office replacements, which leads you to browse and explore the best office software. Suppose you are hearing the name of the WPS Office for the first time. In that case, it is strange because WPS Office is a well-renowned alternative to Office and the software is compatible with Windows, Mac, and all mobile devices.
The main goal of WPS Office developers was to create a workable tool with MS Office’s file formats such as docx, pptx, and xlsx. They have a word processor, spreadsheet editor, and presentation program acting as alternatives to MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint, respectively. Moreover, there are tools in WPS Office for emails and work management tasks.
This is one of the best office suites we recommend, and it comes to you free, but with ads! You can get rid of these ads by buying the WPS premium package at $29.99. When you buy the premium version, they give you the chance to convert PDF to Word, PDF Editor, merge PDFs, and cloud storage up to 20GB.
WPS Office applications contain spreadsheets, presentation tools, and writer tools, which are rated high by the users. In the free version, they give free cloud storage of up to 1GB, and the most exciting thing about WPS Office is that you can test it for free before you pull out the credit card. Overall, it’s among the fast and light-weighted best free alternatives to Microsoft office going around that anyone can try without much of an issue.
Is WPS Office Better than Microsoft Office?
The answer to this question cannot be explained in one sentence. We will rate Microsoft Office 9.6 and WPS Office 9.0 out of 10, which describes very little to separate these two products. However, considering the price factor, WPS Office is way more affordable than Microsoft, and unlike MS Office, you can pay monthly or annually to get the services from WPS Office.
Which is Better: WPS Office or LibreOffice?
LibreOffice has additional programs compared to WPS Office. Libre is free, open-source software in terms of built-in applications. We feel LibreOffice has a slightly upper hand over WPS Office.
Website Android IOS10) OpenOffice
If the price is the main reason you have to look for alternatives, this is another option you should have a look at. Yes, it might not have all the Office features but capable enough to do some basic stuff for you free of charge.
One is called OpenOffice Docs, which is again divided into Enterprise edition and Developer edition. The second one is the OpenOffice word processor spreadsheet and presentation application. Anyway, long story short, OpenOffice has an excellent free MS Word alternative.
Overall, you can do most of the MS Office stuff at the near same quality with little to no cost. You can write letters, make presentations, do mathematic tasks, produce 3D illustrations, and many more Microsoft Office-related tasks with OpenOffice. It has most of the best open-source office suite’s expected tools, and even they provide online support free of charge as well.
Is OpenOffice as good as Microsoft Office?
Especially its spreadsheet feature is among the best alternatives to Microsoft office excel apart from Google sheets. Overall, OpenOffice is considered one of the best, if not the best free office suite for windows other than LibreOffice, and working with OpenOffice is also not that much challenging as most of the options we brought today; but, not as good as MS Office.
Is Apache OpenOffice the same as Open Office?
Yes, Apache Software Foundation is the current developer of this program; they received the trademarks and code from OpenOfice.org in 2011. The software is officially named Apache OpenOffice.
11) Zoho Docs
Zoho Docs app can be downloaded to your Android or iOS device as an online document management application for personal use or business. The app is the mobile version of the main program, and if you don’t have an account with Zoho, you can create one using the app instantly to use the features.
Zoho docs allow you to access and edit all word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs you created with Zoho. These programs are very much identical to the MS Office tools. The developers have done a great job making the platform one of the best free alternatives to Microsoft office 365.
Further, It is a top-notch free office suite for Windows for individual users; having said that, there are paid versions of Zoho if you want to connect more users to the software. There are two pricing structures. It gives free access to 5 users in their free version, which is excellent to start with the tools, and has two paid plans at $4/month and $6.4/month.
You can try both those paid packages for free for 15 days before you purchase. They accept various payment methods, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and PayPal. Unlike most office software suites, you don’t require to enter your credit card details when you sign up for the free trial.
Website Android IOSWhat is the Best Alternative to Microsoft Office?
If you go through the options we provided, you can see great Microsoft Office alternatives, mainly Android and iOS devices. We recommend LibreOffice, WPS Office, OnlyOffice, and Polaris Office as the top Office competitors.
What are The Best Alternatives to Microsoft Office for Mac?
The move from Windows to Mac always comes with a hefty price tag as you have to install software all over again; this is where tools like LibreOffice come into the equation. LibreOffice is a free program, and it is the best office alternative for Mac. Other than Libre, Google G-suite, Quip, and iWork Suite are some of the options you can consider for your Mac.
What are The Best Linux Alternatives to Microsoft office?
Again, LibreOffice is the go-to Office program for Linux users besides Microsoft Office. All the LibreOffice applications are compatible with Linux, and the feel is very similar to Windows 2003. WPS Office, Apache OpenOffice, and OnlyOffice also work fine with Linux.
Summary
Microsoft is the king of Office software programs, hands down. However, things have drastically changed over the years. Still, you might have valid reasons to switch to alternatives. Because it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to come up with new software similar to Microsoft office options considering the state of the technology that existed at that time
Mobile users, in particular, look for less bulky and straightforward options than MS Office. We tried to cover the best Office alternatives today. Now you must check one or a few of these. Do let us know if you have more programs in your knowledge armory and your experiences with the above-mentioned Microsoft Office alternatives. That’s it for this piece; have a great day!
I’m Jhon Max from Nevada, USA. I’m graduated as a computer engineer and I have more than 10 years of experience in app developing, web developing and software developing.
I welcome you to my site, Archies of Tech. The main objective of our website is to provide you with information on apps, games, software, which are similar to some of the popular applications available out there.
