Most of the Office 365 plans for business, schools, and non-profits include the fully installed desktop apps, but Microsoft also offers basic plans with the online versions of Office, file storage, and email. Most of the Office 365 plans for business, schools, and non-profits include the fully installed desktop apps, but Microsoft also offers basic plans with the online versions of Office, file storage, and email.

In the realm of office productivity software, no one has a significant presence as Microsoft Office. They’ve produced a piece of software for just about every task necessary in the modern office, short of a few niches or specializations. Apps like Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc. Have got so many features nowadays that it takes weeks of classes to learn the ins and outs of a single product ( almost as many features as text editors). Then there’s the feature that most people aren’t so much a fan of, the price tag. Having said that, do you wish to know some great free Microsoft Office alternatives to make your tasks easier? Some people need specific features or compatibility with other contacts, and that’s understandable; it’s expected to come at a price.

But what about those who don’t need much out of an office software? The average person, even if technically inclined, doesn’t need much out of a word processor ( I mean, it’s not like it’s a text editor or anything). So, should you pay for something that you don’t need? Probably none of my business, so I’ll just give you the facts to make an informed decision and select the best Microsoft Office alternative: 7 Best Microsoft Office Alternatives For Free 1. Google is known for its omnipresence in all things technology, there are few places Google hasn’t touched, and the office isn’t one of them. Google’s own set of web apps can be used as the best alternative to Microsoft Office apps as they are available for free and their cloud-based nature doesn’t need you to go through a tedious installation process. Google Docs online office suite comprises of a word processor (Docs), a presentation app (Slides), a spreadsheet (Sheets).

Apart from these primary office apps, Google Drawings, Forms, are also a part of the free office suite. Google’s office suite apps can be accessed without any cost from any location on the globe, all you need is a Google account and an active internet connection. However, the biggest advantage can be a deal breaker for the users having a scarcity of internet. Although there is an official extension that enables offline mode, it only works for the files stored on your Google Drive. Google Docs supports simple export to industry standard document formats such as Microsoft ‘docx’, PDF, and several others. Similar is the case of other Google office apps like Sheets and Slides. Google Sheets now includes a feature where you can create pie charts and bar graphs for a given data just by typing the description into a text box.

You can upload files from your device or directly edit the files stored on your Google Drive. Google office apps allow the sharing of documents privately with friends, or even publicly. And in addition to the sharing, you can even invite people to edit with you in real-time collaboration. Why choose Google Docs? Google Docs is undoubtedly the best and free cloud-based office software that also gives close competition to Microsoft Office Online. You can also add a number of add-ons built by Google or third parties which extend the functionality of Google Docs. The freely available Microsoft Office alternative can be beneficial to home users and students searching for a cost-effective set of office apps, you’re only paying for the internet.

However, for commercial users, Google also sells these apps in the form of a subscription called G Suite (here’s the) which also includes Google’s other cloud-based solutions. G Suite comprises of Gmail, Calendar, Google+, Hangouts, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, etc. It also includes the digital interactive whiteboard Jamboard. Photo editing software for macbook air. Platforms supported by Google Docs: Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems via a web browser. Apps are available for Android and iOS.