Free alternatives to Microsoft 365

LibreOffice is the free office suite to start with. It covers documents, spreadsheets and slides offline on Windows, macOS and Linux. WordCraft, GridCraft and DeckCraft are free too, but they are early alpha apps, so try them on simple files.

The quick answer

If you want one free replacement for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, choose LibreOffice. If you are curious about newer, open-source apps, the Craft trio is worth a trial. Microsoft also offers free versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the web with a Microsoft account, which may be enough for light use.

LibreOffice: a full suite at no cost

LibreOffice calls itself an open source office suite created by you, for you. It has six tools:

• Writer for word processing.
• Calc for spreadsheets.
• Impress for presentations.
• Draw for diagrams.
• Base for databases.
• Math for formula editing.

It is provided at no cost, and the source code is under the Mozilla Public License v2.0. Installers are offered for Windows, macOS and Linux. The system requirements list Windows 10 or 11, macOS 11 or later, and Linux.

There are two limits. Android users get a separate LibreOffice Viewer app, not a full editor. There is also no email or calendar app among its six tools, which Microsoft 365 plans include. If your workplace depends on Microsoft 365 cloud collaboration and add-ins, LibreOffice will not fill that gap.

WordCraft: a Word-style editor in alpha

WordCraft is a free, open-source word processor written in Rust. Its README calls it a clean-room reimplementation of Microsoft Word. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and in the browser, and it opens .docx files.

It is alpha. The README estimates it is about 60% of the way to replacing Word. Charts and SmartArt may not survive a .docx round trip, and pagination differs from Word. Native printing is still to come. Use it on simple documents, not on a file where exact layout matters.

GridCraft: an Excel-style spreadsheet in alpha

GridCraft is a free, open-source spreadsheet, also written in Rust and described as a clean-room take on Excel. Its README says it supports 513 of Excel's 523 worksheet functions and covers 89% of the Excel ribbon commands in its catalog.

It is also alpha, and the README estimates it is about 50% ready for real work. XLSX fidelity on real files is still being improved. There is no .xls import yet, and very large workbooks are a gap. Try it on simple workbooks first.

DeckCraft: a PowerPoint-style editor in alpha

DeckCraft is a free, open-source presentation app in the same family, described as a clean-room take on PowerPoint. Its README says it covers 84% of PowerPoint's features by breadth, and it has installers for Windows, macOS and Linux.

The README calls it alpha and estimates it is about 55% of the way to replacing PowerPoint. These percentages are the developers' own estimates. Versions are still 0.x, so expect gaps.

When Microsoft 365 is worth paying for

Microsoft 365 is for people who need the full desktop Office apps, cloud storage and compatibility with colleagues' files. Home plans bundle desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, plus Teams, Forms and Editor. Access is included on PC only. All plans include OneDrive storage.

Microsoft's compare page lists these US prices:

• Personal: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, for 1 person, with 1 TB of cloud storage.
• Family: $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year, for 1 to 6 people, with 2 TB shared.
• Premium: $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, for 1 to 6 people.

Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. If you prefer to pay once, Office Home 2024 is $179.99 for 1 PC or Mac. Business plan prices were not available to us, so check Microsoft's site for those.

It is worth the money if your job depends on exact Word, Excel or PowerPoint behaviour, or on Outlook and cloud sharing. It is not worth it if the free web versions or a free suite cover what you do.

Our pick

Start with LibreOffice for everyday documents, spreadsheets and slides. Keep Microsoft's free web apps for the odd file that needs to look exactly right. Watch the Craft apps as they mature, and pay for Microsoft 365 when your work needs the full Office toolset.