The best office software for home. Free programs for Windows free download

When working with documents in an enterprise, the question often arises of purchasing a license for Microsoft Office. Since virtually no organization today can do without this application, maybe you were wondering if there are free alternatives to this super popular office manager? Of course, yes, and today we will talk about which free alternative Microsoft office ’a is available on the market today, what are its advantages, what are its disadvantages, and what role do applications of this class play in the life of a modern person.

LibreOffice is a free replacement for Microsoft Office

Full support for documents, spreadsheets, MS Office presentations and their respective formats; convenient and flexible customizable interface; thoughtful and comfortable work with templates; high-quality localization is far from full list Pros of LibreOffice. This package has long occupied a worthy place in the hearts of open source adherents, and today it's time to tell in more detail, but thanks to what, in fact, LibreOffice is so popular in the ranks of the network community, and is in such wide demand?

In LibreOffice, all documents can be classified into categories (eg "Confidential") according to the standards of the TSCP software specification. In addition to this, the application now supports digital signatures and descriptions, as well as import and export of signatures from OOXML files. If you want to export the selected document to PDF, it's also a breeze to do with a single button. You can read more about this procedure here.

Opportunities for working with each of the subtypes of documents are concentrated in a separate application: in relation to documents, this is Writer; as for spreadsheets, all functions for working with them are concentrated in the Calc program; presentations open in Impress; and database files are supported by the Base Composite Application. The interface of each of these programs is simple and visual, and in many ways resembles MS Office.

Now a few words about each of the applications separately.

LibreOffice Writer– light and fast text editor, which effectively copes with any Word-ovsky files, including tables, images, links, and elements highlighted in a different font or style. For ease of use, the latest version, the most relevant to date, has added a single toolbar mode. It lies in the fact that all the most requested and popular functions are concentrated on one single panel that contains icons for quick edit and text formatting.

To highlight text in a different style (italic or underline), you just need to highlight the corresponding phrase or sentence, and click the corresponding icon, as usual, just like in Word.

There is also a wide variety available bulleted lists and text alignment options: left/right, justified, or centered. Everything works quickly and smoothly, no bugs were found either.

If we talk about the general convenience and comfort when working with Writer, everything is done at the height, the functionality includes everything that is required from a full-fledged text editor, and all the buttons are just in their place, so you don’t have to look for anything for too long.

With regard to the tool for working with spreadsheets, surprisingly from their creation there is an exceptionally pleasant impression. The range of formulas is quite wide. For some of them on main panel icons have been removed, making it easier to access and use many of them.

The choice of data visualization tools is quite large and voluminous. All charts in Calc, like in Excel, are divided into categories, so finding the subtype you need is not difficult.

The range of possibilities here is incredibly wide, but it will take a minimum of time to access each of the functions presented, which is especially important when working with voluminous documents and bulky tables.

It's time to say a few words about the presentation application, Impress. If you're looking for a free alternative to Microsoft Office to create an impactful and stylish presentation, the best option, how LibreOffice Impress you can't find. A convenient intuitive menu, a wide range of effects for changing frames, a rich assortment of text design in slides - all this makes Impress an indispensable part of your design arsenal.

If you want to add animation, quickly adding effects to elements is made possible through the sidebar. This is much more convenient than each time calling the corresponding menu item and delving into its parameters.

A powerful slideshow mode is at your service, allowing you to specify exactly which slides will be displayed and in what precisely defined sequence. So, here you can configure whether the change of slides will be manual or synchronized, the visibility or invisibility of the pointer, the hidden or display of the navigator, etc.

In addition, Impress supports the OpenDocument format, one of the most recent international standards for documents today. This format is based on XML, and when used, your files may be opened by non-LibreOffice users. In addition to this, *.pptx is always available at your service - a format native to Microsoft PowerPoint.

For a snack, there remains the Draw vector editor and the Math formula editor. We would like to note that the manner of working with them is consistent with the general style with LibreOffice - everything is quite clear and concise.

In general, during testing, work with LibreOffice proceeded stably and without complaints. The #1 free alternative to Microsoft Office is a success. Let's see what other trump cards are up the sleeve of open source adherents.

openoffice

This package has long been in the clip of open developers, and is now published under the Apache License, proudly adding the Apache postscript to its full name. This means that the application has completely switched to “free bread”, and if earlier the rights to distribute the project source codes belonged first to the notorious Sun Microsystems, and then to the unforgettable Oracle, now the Apache Software Foundation is developing new versions and supporting the product, which cannot only the creation of the world's most popular web server based on the Unix kernel. What does this free alternative to Microsoft Office have in store for us?

This powerful package includes the same building blocks as in LibreOffice: Writer is designed for typing, editing and formatting text; Calc is associated with spreadsheets; Impress is used to create electronic presentations, etc. But in terms of work, there are some features.

First, at the initial start, the welcome form of Apache OpenOffice appears on the screen, where all composite applications are available without exception.

Such a start is immediately inviting, because to start working with modules there is no need to go to the start menu and look for the folder with the newly installed package there. Next, let's see how things stand with individual applications.

Needless to say, it's pretty good. Let's start with the Writer text editor. An important note that immediately catches your eye is the sidebar with duplicate document properties.

Although at first glance it may seem a little uncomfortable and pretentious, after a few minutes of working with the text, you begin to understand that the developers really know their stuff. First, you can switch between sections of the sidebar using the stylish icons on the right. Secondly, you can minimize and expand panel subsections to full screen again using the "-" and "+" buttons, respectively. And thirdly, the functionality of the sidebar significantly expands the capabilities of the top panel, so for the full formatting of subsections of the selected text, it certainly will not hurt. For those of us who still do not see the need in the sidebar, the authors have in store the ability to instantly close it using the icon with a cross (as usual, in the upper right corner).

What impressions does the interaction with a text editor evoke? Yes, the most positive! Writer is word processor, simple enough to take a simple note, yet powerful enough to write complete books with indexes, charts, table of contents, images and more. There are corresponding wizards for all types of documents. And, of course, you can create your own templates, or download ready-made ones from repository. Supported as open format*.odt, and Word native *.docx and *.doc.

The Calc spreadsheet tool is suitable for both beginners, who are immediately convinced of the intuitiveness and ease of learning of the application, and for professionals in working with numbers and various types data, both from the database and from local storage. The latter will also appreciate the huge range of advanced features of the module. It is worth noting the possibility of working with sheets of several users. By sharing the worksheet, other users can easily add their data to it, after which it is up to the sheet owner to quickly integrate new data with just a few mouse clicks.

All sheets can be converted to PDF in no time if the addressee of the sheet does not have the ability to work with a spreadsheet.

The remaining modules are designed in a common range with Writer and Calc. If you have a deep enough understanding of one of the components of Apache OpenOffice, then familiarization with Impress, Math or Draw will take you a few minutes of time. The interface here is just as intuitive and accessible.

So let's recap. A quality free alternative to Microsoft Office exists, and this is not an empty phrase. The complex applications presented in this review will serve as a great replacement for Microsoft's office manager, and if you have not yet thought about switching to free software, at least a glimpse of LibreOffice or Apache OpenOffice is definitely worth it.

Microsoft Office has many very good alternatives, both in the form of desktop programs for installation on a computer hard drive, and online, which can be used from any device with Internet access.

The second solution is very convenient for joint work. Just log in to access documents, including those created on another computer. We can easily share files with colleagues and edit them together.

Photo Source: shareski / CC BY-NC

High-quality office programs for free

The times when you had to pay for the opportunity to create a professional text document or presentation are gone forever.

Free LibreOffice will meet the expectations of most users. The controls take some getting used to, but it's worth it. If we often spend time on the road, packages in the cloud will be indispensable. Office Online or Google Docs let you lead convenient work on any device.

libreoffice

Free package, which is enough for everyday work. A great replacement for the expensive Microsoft package.

Benefits of LibreOffice

• Powerful and free office suite
• Support for MS Office files
• Built-in PDF creation module

Disadvantages of LibreOffice

• No options for document sharing and online collaboration
• Problems formatting complex Office documents

Language: Russian
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

Google Docs

An online office suite that runs in a browser window, you don't need to install it. Free and based on a Google account. It's worth trying it.

Benefits of Google Docs

• Support for MS Office files
• Ability to work with files on any device and in the cloud
• Many people can work on the same document at the same time and conveniently
• Edit documents, also offline

Language: Russian
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

office online

This is a free version of the most popular office suite - familiar features, well-known interface. Works online, without installation.

Benefits of Office Online

• Well-known interface from the current Microsoft Office suite
• Ability to collaborate on a file
• Ability to upload files in various formats

Disadvantages of Office Online

• Limited functionality of the application in relation to the standalone version

Language: Russian
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

WPS Office

Free package with advanced features and attractive interface. Unfortunately, only in English.

Benefits of WPS Office

• Modern ribbon-based interface
• Extensive database of templates
• Support for MS Office files
• Eye protection features

Disadvantages of WPS Office

• Limited number of spreadsheet features

Language: English
Distribution type: freeware
Price: free

Apple iWork for iCloud Beta

Applications from Apple for users... PC. The package has an attractive interface and basic features. Works online, in a browser window. Unfortunately, in English.

Benefits of Apple iWork for iCloud

• intuitive clear interface
• Attractive templates to use

Disadvantages of Apple iWork for iCloud

• No Russian language version
• Applications in beta
• Only 5 GB of space for "documents in the cloud"

Language: English
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

Apache OpenOffice

Until recently known as OpenOffice.org. It was on him that LibreOffice was based - now a much more actively developing student has surpassed the teacher.

Benefits of Apache OpenOffice

• Support for MS Office files
• Powerful tools available for free

Disadvantages of Apache OpenOffice

• Outdated look

Language: Russian
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

Lotus Symphony

An interesting alternative from IBM. We get a powerful office suite for free, with an attractive interface, with support for MS Office documents.

Benefits of Lotus Symphony

• Support for MS Office documents
• Attractive interface

Disadvantages of Lotus Symphony

• In the package we get only three applications

Language: Russian
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free

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Today office suite Microsoft applications Office is the de facto standard for Russian speakers. However, more and more often there are amateurs who do not want to pay money (and not small) for the use or purchase of Microsoft Office. It is these citizens who will benefit from this article, which discusses the most popular analogues of Microsoft office applications.

office suite- a set of programs that solve everyday user tasks, such as typing, working with tables and databases, creating presentations, and others.

In fact, there are quite a lot of applications for the office (free office), and you can download them for free, although they are little known to the general public. There are both paid and free options and even free.

It is clear that to tell about all in this article will not work. Therefore, we will only talk about those office suites that meet two criteria:

• The package works on operating system Windows
• The package is Russified.

openoffice

• The OpenOffice office suite is currently owned by the Apache Software Foundation and distributed freely under the name Apache OpenOffice under the Apache License v2.0. Part this package includes the following programs.

Writer is a word processor designed both for working with text and being a full-fledged visual HTML editor code. Calc- spreadsheet processor working with spreadsheets. Base is a DBMS that allows both independent work with databases, and connect to external DBMS. Impress is a program that allows you to create presentations. Draw - vector editor. Math is a special program that allows you to create various mathematical formulas and embed them in OpenOffice documents.

Download OpenOffice
(Official site)

libreoffice

• The LibreOffice office suite is an independent fork of the OpenOffice suite. The package is promoted and developed by The Document Foundation, a non-profit foundation. LibreOffice is a free office suite licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0. The source code of this software open.

The composition of the software is similar to OpenOffice. But thanks to the great openness and active involvement of the user community, LibreOffice is growing at a tremendous pace. Although for the average user there is no difference between OpenOffice and LibreOffice, for future work it is reasonable to work with LibreOffice.

Download LibreOffice
(Official site)

freeoffice

• FreeOffice is a very simple office suite from SoftMaker Software GmbH. FreeOffice is free for both home users and commercial organizations. In order to use this office suite, you need to register on the company's website.

The SoftMarker FreeOffice office suite includes only 3 applications: TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations. TextMaker is a word processor that allows you to fully work with text. PlanMaker is a spreadsheet processor that allows you to work with tabular data. Presentations is a program for developing presentations.

In general, this office suite visually resembles Microsoft Office 2003. Despite the small set of programs, this software suitable for everyday work ordinary users. The product is of high quality.

Download freeoffice
(Official site)

WPS Office

• The WPS Office package is published by Kingsoft and has both paid and free version. Previously, WPS Office was released under the name Kingsoft Office.

The WPS Office software product is a clone of Microsoft Office. It includes three applications: Writer (working with text), Spreadsheets (working with tables) and Presentation (working with presentations). The interface is made in the usual form of Microsoft products.

Download WPS Office
(Official site)

All of the above packages can open formats Microsoft documents Office, providing full or partial compatibility. All of them are distributed free of charge for the end user and have a Russian interface, which is an important factor when choosing a free alternative to such a familiar package as Microsoft Office.

The choice is always yours: either choose a package for your immediate needs: typing and creating presentations, or install an office suite with a wider range of functions that you don't need at the moment, but will come in handy in the future.

Working on a computer without office applications is not work. Without them, it will not be possible to open the most popular formats among users: doc, docx, xlsx, and so on. Many out of habit choose the office Microsoft package office.

But if you don't like using pirated copies, update, fix stupid mistakes (that is, do work instead of the application itself), catch reviews of the most adequate analogues.

open office

This Word replacement program is the best analogue of Microsoft Office. And if you are experiencing obvious problems with Windows 8 office suites, choose this analogue of Microsoft Word and Excel. It is enough to run the program, as you will see its suggestions.

The names of the documents coincide with their purposes and have the corresponding analogues of ms office: Text Document- this is the same Word, spreadsheet - free analogue Excel. Only the interface is different. See for yourself: here you can see who and why can replace Microsoft Office (ms office):

Why choose this package? Many argue that it works much faster than the usual Microsoft Office. And here are a few more reasons:

• free and Russian analogue of ms office;
• has the same package of documents;
• has a similar interface and layout of the main tools and buttons;
• supported by most popular modern operating systems.

LibreOffice

Do you know how you can replace Word or Excel if you have a 64-bit system installed on your computer? That's right - Libra.

Here are all the same document packages known to us from Microsoft Office. Here are its main advantages over the "old man".

Pros of using Libre Office:

• takes up much less space on your computer;
• completely free and domestic analogue microsoft office;
• fully Russified, as well as additionally translated into 30 other foreign languages;
• this free analogue of microsoft office (for windows 8 or other operating systems) works with and supports many formats;
• working with it will be much faster and more convenient than with the office;
• has a similar interface.

Abiword

If the previous examples are not enough for you, we know what else can replace microsoft office - this is Abiword.

Pros of using Abiword:

• high-quality Russian analogue of microsoft office;
• small volume;
• simple and clear design.

However, there are some disadvantages in this package of documents:

• there are not as many functions here as in the usual MS Office;
• the program does not support the popular docx format, which many people are currently working with.

Now you can get acquainted with new programs that are designed to solve your student problems. Well, if the chosen package is not able to help you - contact the student service, where you will be rescued, helped, supported!

As you know, on January 29, 2013, Microsoft Office 2013 became publicly available for purchase on the company's website. Undoubtedly, the new tool from Microsoft is simply "armed to the teeth" with a variety of options, features and branded "chips". But the problem is that it's far from free. Indeed, the cost of basic package An office of 3,000 rubles (let's not talk about 14,000 rubles for a professional version) will scare away many, if not all :), even though the program shines with opportunities.

It is for those who are "frightened" by the price tag, and who fundamentally do not want to use the cracked Office, we have compiled a list of five excellent freeware alternatives to this proprietary multi-purpose tool.

Today it is possible to use tools that allow you to print and edit documents through a web interface. This is very convenient, as it allows you to access your documents from any capable device from anywhere in the world where the Internet is available. The most famous ones are perhaps Google Docs, Zoho, and, ironically, even Microsoft Office Web Apps.

But even here there are pitfalls; the most basic "stone" is the security of your documents. Unfortunately, no one guarantees that your files will not be pulled from the "cloud" storage; although the companies that provide such storage spend billions on protection, there are still no guarantees. Therefore, it is better to work the old fashioned way, through special programs, five free of which we picked up with a mini-review of them.

1) Apache OpenOffice

Apache OpenOffice (also known as OpenOffice.Org or OOO) is the famous powerful open source tool. source code, which is close in functionality to MS Office and includes a text editor, spreadsheet, editor vector graphics, database management and a built-in math editor.

The program is easy to use. When you launch the main shortcut, a list of tools pops up for further download, and there is also a proprietary “wizard” to help you create a letter, presentation, spreadsheet, and so on.

The applications themselves look similar to the MS window Office versions 2003, that is, before the introduction of "patch-like" icons with editor tools. OpenOffice is able to open most documents saved in Microsoft Office, although the original formatting of the document does not always remain the same due to some differences between programs.

The only problem is that many developers left the project, refusing to follow the course set by the OpenOffice leadership. The departed developers founded their new project - LibreOffice, which is just below. It is not clear how the development of OpenOffice will go (and whether it will), but right now it is an excellent product that can “not lose face” in front of a proprietary competitor.

2) Libreoffice

A recent offshoot of OpenOffice, LibreOffice, looks almost identical to the first. There is a similar launch screen, similar basic features: text editor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, and so on. They work and look exactly like the OpenOffice equivalents.

I must say that LibreOffice fixed the shortcomings of its predecessor. There are a lot of small, but extremely useful fixes, for example: improved file format compatibility (including support for all Visio files from version 1.0 up to 2013); support Firefox themes for interface customization; better management samples; color intensity control in spreadsheets; word and character counter in Writer (local text editor, analogue of Word in MS Office), and so on.

Nothing revolutionary, but LibreOffice, at least, is progressing, and at the moment it has already “surpassed” OpenOffice in terms of functionality and ease of use.

3) SSuiteOffice

If power is your number one priority, then SSuite Office probably won't be for you. This tool more like MS Office 2003 than 2013. Key applications and features are very limited, and the program is not able to work with OpenXML files, Microsoft DOCX, XLSX and so on.

For a less demanding audience, though, SSuite Office can be a good fit between the other similar programs. SSuite Office is very easy to use, its text editor and spreadsheet are quite capable of doing the job, and doing it perfectly. The program also comes with many useful additional features: client Email, a graphics editor, a web browser, a player, an formula editor, an image viewer, a variety of online tools, and even a few games (they are very limited and unpretentious, but still quite fun).

If you're looking for something simple yet capable, then SSuite Office is perfect for you.

4) Kingsoft Office 2012

Kingsoft Office 2012 is replete with features that are mostly uninteresting, but it still has three main components that people care about: a text editor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation maker.

Each comes with a browser-like interface that makes it easy to open and edit multiple documents at the same time.

There are many attractive templates, the ability to encrypt documents will help protect important documents from ill-wishers. Most importantly, Kingsoft Office 2012 is arguably unrivaled when it comes to importing documents created in Microsoft Office, since the original format is preserved and the content is not redrawn upside down. Agree, it’s unpleasant when you work on a giant table at work, you come home, and it’s all skewed.

The program is free for personal use, but in terms of functionality it is seriously inferior to LibreOffice, which has more useful features(database management, etc.). But if you are a simple home user looking for something basic and comfortable, then Kingsoft Office 2012 will be the perfect purchase for you.

5) SoftMaker FreeOffice

One of the basic office tools, SoftMaker FreeOffice provides the following features: text editor (TextMaker), spreadsheet (PlanMaker) and presentation builder (Presentations). All of them are conveniently arranged and easy to use. A pleasant and familiar interface does not "hurt" the eye and makes the work very pleasant, which is rare.

Import of Microsoft Office documents occurs without problems, each application has the ability to export documents to PDF format. And although the program does not provide a dedicated graphic editor, TextMaker has many options for drawing inside your text document.

As a result, SoftMaker FreeOffice is a quality tool worth using even if not for work, then for your own interest.