Alternatives to Microsoft 365
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with cloud storage and collaboration. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Microsoft 365
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with cloud storage and collaboration.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Microsoft 365.
Google Workspace
Google's online office suite with Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, Drive and Meet in one account.
Google Workspace runs in the browser with Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail and Meet, storing all files on Google's servers and requiring a Google account instead of a Microsoft one.
LibreOffice
The full free office suite: word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, drawing, database and formula editor.
LibreOffice is a free, open-source desktop suite for Windows, macOS and Linux with no account or subscription, though complex Word and Excel files can shift layout.
ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors
A free desktop office suite built around close compatibility with DOCX, XLSX and PPTX.
ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors is a free, open-source AGPL desktop suite focused on DOCX, XLSX and PPTX compatibility, working offline without an account and lacking mobile apps.
WPS Office
Office suite with strong Microsoft Office file compatibility.
WPS Office offers strong Office file compatibility on desktop and mobile including Linux, but the free version shows advertisements and the software is closed source.
Zoho Workplace
An online suite from Zoho combining mail, team chat, meetings, file storage and office editors.
Zoho Workplace is a hosted suite combining mail, chat, meetings, file storage and office editors, with data held on Zoho's servers and a focus on business teams.
Collabora Online
LibreOffice running in the browser with real-time collaboration.
Collabora Online brings LibreOffice to the browser with real-time collaboration, can be self-hosted on Linux, and needs a paid subscription for production use.
CryptPad
End-to-end encrypted collaborative office suite.
CryptPad is an open-source AGPL suite with end-to-end encrypted documents, sheets and slides in the browser, which limits server features like full-text search.
Apache OpenOffice
The original open source office suite, still maintained, but LibreOffice is where the work went.
Apache OpenOffice is a free, open-source desktop suite that can open but not save .docx or .xlsx files, with releases years apart.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Microsoft 365 as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Beautiful.ai
A web-based presentation editor with AI generation and slide layouts that align content automatically.
Microsoft 365 provides PowerPoint on desktop, web and mobile with real-time co-authoring, giving a blank canvas instead of auto-aligning layouts, under subscription pricing.
Calligra Suite
KDE's office and graphic art suite with word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, vector and database apps.
Microsoft 365 is a subscription suite on Windows, macOS, mobile and web with co-authoring, but offers no native Linux apps.
Etherpad
Real-time collaborative plain-text editor you host yourself.
Microsoft 365 provides real-time co-authoring in Word across desktop, web and mobile, with subscription pricing and closed source instead of free self-hosting.
FreeOffice
A free office suite with word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps compatible with Microsoft Office.
Microsoft 365 is the reference implementation of Office formats with mobile apps and real-time co-authoring, but it needs a subscription for desktop apps and a Microsoft account.
Gamma
An AI design tool that generates presentations, documents, websites, social posts and graphics from ideas.
Microsoft 365 provides PowerPoint on desktop, web and mobile with real-time co-authoring, so decks are built by hand in a standard format behind a subscription.
Keynote
Apple's presentation app for building slide decks on Mac, iPad and iPhone, and in a browser.
Microsoft 365 provides PowerPoint on Windows, macOS, mobile and web with real-time co-authoring, but desktop apps require a subscription.
Numbers
Apple's spreadsheet app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, with tables, charts, formulas and a browser version.
Microsoft 365 provides Excel on Windows, macOS, mobile and web with co-authoring, removing file conversion with Excel users but requiring a subscription for desktop apps.
ONLYOFFICE DocSpace
A document collaboration platform built around rooms where teams and guests co-edit and review office files.
Microsoft 365 provides co-authoring across desktop, web and mobile apps on a subscription, tied to a Microsoft account and without self-hosting.
Pages
Apple's word processor and page layout app for Mac, iPad, iPhone and the web.
Microsoft 365 provides Word on Windows, macOS, mobile and web with real-time co-authoring, but desktop apps require a subscription and a Microsoft account.
Pitch
A collaborative, AI-assisted presentation platform for teams that create, share and deliver slide decks.
Microsoft 365 provides PowerPoint on desktop, web and mobile with real-time co-authoring, but uses subscription pricing for the desktop apps and ties you to a Microsoft account.
Polaris Office
Office suite for HWP, PDF and Microsoft Office files, bundled with AI tools called NOVA.
Microsoft 365 offers Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook on desktop, web and mobile with real-time co-authoring, but requires a subscription and a Microsoft account, and HWP support is not listed.
Prezi
A web presentation platform with AI drafting and live audience polls, quizzes and Q&A.
Microsoft 365 provides PowerPoint on desktop, web and mobile with real-time co-authoring and offline desktop use, but requires a subscription for the desktop apps and a Microsoft account.
SoftMaker Office
A commercial office suite with word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps compatible with Microsoft Office files.
Microsoft 365 is the reference implementation of Office formats, with desktop, web and mobile apps and real-time co-authoring, but it uses subscription pricing and no Linux app.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts app for desktop, mobile and the web.
Google Drive
Google's cloud storage and file sharing service with desktop sync and mobile apps.
Microsoft To Do
A free to-do list and task management app from Microsoft that works with Outlook tasks and Planner.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft's freeform digital notebook with sections, pages, web clipping and cloud sync.
