The author ended a long subscription to Microsoft 365 to save money and now uses the free, open-source suite LibreOffice on all major desktop platforms, though it lacks native cloud access and mobile apps.
01Summary
- 01LibreOffice was launched in 2010 by The Document Foundation, a German nonprofit, and traces its roots to the 1985 Star-Writer program.
- 02The suite includes Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math, which are analogous to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Access and a formula editor.
- 03LibreOffice collects no user data and does not track how you interact with documents, contrasting with Microsoft 365 which gathers hardware, software and IP addresses.
- 04The software is available on Windows, macOS and Linux, but there is no mobile app; a portable version can run from a flash drive without installation.
- 05Users may encounter compatibility issues with complex documents exchanged between LibreOffice and other suites, especially with multicoloured fonts.
02Why it matters
For anyone looking to cut costs or increase document privacy, LibreOffice offers a free alternative to paid office suites, though it requires local storage and may pose compatibility challenges for collaborative work.
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