It took some convincing, but at the start of this year, I ended a years-long relationship with Microsoft 365. I'd like to say I ditched the office suite for some nuanced reason, like I don't want Microsoft's AI assistant Copilot because I find it distracting and unhelpful, but really, I just wanted to save some money. And LibreOffice is a free alternative that has everything I need.

LibreOffice has roots that trace back to 1985, with the release of the word processing program Star-Writer I. In 2010, the independent, nonprofit German foundation The Document Foundation officially launched the free, open-source software suite LibreOffice. Since then, the foundation said government offices around the world have saved money by migrating to the office suite. 

In addition to being free and open-source, LibreOffice offers other benefits, like more document privacy than Microsoft 365 or Google Docs, but there are also some drawbacks, such as no native cloud access to those documents. Here's what to know about LibreOffice if you're considering switching from Microsoft 365 or Google Docs, as I did.

LibreOffice has programs similar to the ones you already use

LibreOffice includes six applications, and most of them will feel familiar to anyone who has used Microsoft 365 or Google's suite of office apps like Docs and Sheets. 

Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base are analogs to the Microsoft programs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio (for creating flowcharts and diagrams) and Access (or designing business apps and templates), respectively. LibreOffice also has a mathematics program called Math that allows you to create and edit formulas to be used within other LibreOffice programs.

LibreOffice runs on a variety of devices

You can install LibreOffice on Windows, MacOS and Linux devices. So you can download this onto a MacBook, a Microsoft Surface laptop and many other desktops or laptops. But there's no mobile app. 

LibreOffice also offers a portable app, meaning you can keep a self-contained copy of the productivity suite on a flash drive to use between your different computers. You don't even need to have LibreOffice installed on a device to run it, as long as you have it installed on a flash drive.

LibreOffice offers a lot of value at no cost

LibreOffice has some advantages over other office suites, including its nonexistent price tag. Here are some of the pros of LibreOffice.

You get some privacy and security benefits

Because LibreOffice is open-source, anyone with enough technical understanding can look into its source code to identify vulnerabilities or bugs. And if you're savvy enough, you can fix the issue yourself and provide a patch for others to use. Additionally, some elements of LibreOffice can make it more private and secure than other office program suites.

LibreOffice says it doesn't collect or send your user data without your consent. The organization also says it doesn't create a user profile for you or track how you interact with documents.

By comparison, Microsoft 365 collects two different types of data: what it calls required and optional. A lot of the data Microsoft 365 gathers is hardware- and software-related, which could be used for basic fingerprinting -- like understanding the hardware and software being used. But it might also collect client IP addresses. Your public IP address is like a home address in that it gives a general sense of your geographical location, along with information about your internet provider. While the info that Microsoft 365 aggregates may not pose as much of a threat if leaked as personal data like passwords and usernames, it's more information than LibreOffice collects, which is nice for privacy peace of mind. And you can always use a VPN to mask your public IP address and other information.

LibreOffice saves documents locally on your device -- not in the cloud or with a third-party -- and it lets you assign a password or encrypt a file using a GNU Privacy Guard key. So even if your device is stolen or someone gains remote access to it, there are measures in place to keep your files secure.

On the whole, LibreOffice is a great alternative to similar products from big tech that don't collect unnecessary data.

LibreOffice is compatible with many file types

LibreOffice is compatible with many documents, including Microsoft Word, Excel and Apple Pages files. You might run into compatibility issues with some font types, like multicolored fonts, when rendering in LibreOffice. 

One Reddit user also found that you might encounter issues if you exchange complex documents multiple times between LibreOffice and other office suites, like Microsoft 365. If you use LibreOffice and you exchange a document with someone who uses Microsoft 365, you might have to change the file type in order for the document to be readable in your chosen office suite. This can cause some issues with the document, but to avoid this, you could save the file in a common format, like .doc.

If you aren't planning on sending LibreOffice files to others, though, you shouldn't have an issue. I'm not planning on using LibreOffice for anything beyond budgeting and personal writing, and I don't want anyone outside my household to see either of those things. But if you plan to use LibreOffice for work documents or other high-stakes files, maybe keep backups in multiple file formats, just in case. 

It's highly customizable

LibreOffice allows you to customize the functionality of its programs through an extensive collection of extensions and templates in the LibreOffice Extension Center. Here you can find free plugins and extensions, like MLA format templates that let you easily add citations, different language spellcheckers and even a Snake game. Because who doesn't want to insert a game of Snake into a spreadsheet?

Did I mention it's free?

LibreOffice is completely free, and there's no subscription fee. This was a huge draw for my household as we look to cut unnecessary costs around our home. We couldn't justify Microsoft 365's price for how little we use it. 

Google also offers office productivity apps, like Docs and Sheets, for free, but unlike LibreOffice, it requires a Google account to use it, meaning you're handing over some personal data.

While LibreOffice is free and therefore enticing, it has some downsides

There are compelling reasons to use LibreOffice over its rivals, but it has some disadvantages compared with other apps, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Docs.

It might not be as user-friendly as other programs

Some people might feel that LibreOffice is more complex than other similar office suites. Google Docs, for example, is a fairly straightforward word processor that almost anyone can jump into and use. LibreOffice's interface might feel intimidating to new users by comparison to other office suites. 

For example, the interface for LibreOffice's Writer felt cluttered to me as symbols for options, like inserting footnotes and basic shapes, framed a ring around my blank document. It was a lot to take in at once, but I realized that some of these options were present in a Microsoft Word document under tabs like Insert and Layout. Having all those options present on one screen was slightly overwhelming for me, but it didn't take long for me to get used to the busy-looking workplace. 

There's no cloud integration

LibreOffice doesn't offer native cloud support or integration, which can be disappointing if you want to work on a document from multiple devices. This also means you can't collaborate in real time on a document with someone else if you aren't in the same location or using the same computer. 

If you wanted to work on a document on multiple devices, you could load the file onto a flash drive, sync files using a cloud storage service like Dropbox or email yourself the file, but those require extra steps and equipment.

LibreOffice has limited mobile device support

There aren't mobile versions of LibreOffice available at this time -- just desktop apps.

"The Document Foundation has limited resources and focuses on the desktop LibreOffice application," the organization wrote online.

There is a read-only app available for Android devices with what the organization calls "experimental editing support." Because of its experimental nature, I would not advise relying on this mobile app for document editing, as it might be buggy. 

Customer support is virtually non-existent

The Document Foundation doesn't provide technical support to individual LibreOffice users. So if you need customer support, you can file a bug report or consult the LibreOffice community assistance page. By contrast, if you're using another office suite, like Microsoft 365, you should be able to contact customer support more easily.

Should you switch to LibreOffice?

That depends. I'm a simple man and like that LibreOffice is free without losing the basic functionality of a word processor -- which is all I need it for. But the options to customize LibreOffice with new, free templates and extensions that can add more functionality make it feel like I'm getting a good deal. Some users on Reddit find LibreOffice is just as good as Microsoft Word, enjoy how customizable it is or appreciate how it's open-source. 

So if you want a customized experience with helpful extensions, want more privacy for your documents and enjoy free stuff, give LibreOffice a try. If you want an office suite that's easy to virtually collaborate with others on, want a mobile app or just don't feel like learning a new program, then LibreOffice might not be for you. 

For more, check out how to get Microsoft 365 for free, the best free VPNs and the best free antivirus software. 

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