OnlyOffice is a free and open-source, cross-platform alternative to the costly Microsoft Office.
You’ll no doubt already be aware of LibreOffice and OpenOffice, both popular alternatives to Microsoft Office, but OnlyOffice is a less well-known alternative.
OnlyOffice Overview
While OnlyOffice might be somewhat less feature-rich than both LibreOffice and OpenOffice, it has two distinct advantages over those two:
- OnlyOffice is far lighter, taking up only 1.2 GB of space when installed
- OnlyOffice is 100% compatible with Microsoft Office formats. Indeed, the default save formats for OnlyOffice are DOCX, XLSX, or PPTX, which precisely match Microsoft Office formats
(Click images to enlarge)
As you can see from the above screenshot, OnlyOffice differs from alternatives in that rather than installing separate applications, everything is presented and accessible from within a single interface. You’ll also notice that OnlyOffice includes a PDF option, which adds the ability to open, create, and edit PDF forms.
(OnlyOffice Word Processor)
As the main component of any office suite, OnlyOffice’s word processor pretty much follows the standard format, including a ribbon menu that closely resembles Microsoft Office’s ribbon, as well as an optional formatting panel on the right and an optional toolbar on the left for accessing features such as search and comments.
OnlyOffice’s word processor is a slimmed-down version of Microsoft Word, with all the essential features included and the most complex features omitted.
As well as the default DOCX, XLSX, or PPTX formats, documents can also be saved in a variety of eBook formats plus other standard formats such as LibreOffice’s ODT.
OnlyOffice also includes a “cloud collaboration” feature which is free but limited to two other persons.
Compatibility With Microsoft Office
- Word Processor: I imported several Microsoft Office documents with all formatting intact and as per original
- Spreadsheet: A large Excel spreadsheet imported perfectly and, in fact, OnlyOffice actually did a better job of rendering the worksheet’s charts in appealing graphic styles and legible labels
- Presentation: OnlyOffice’s presentation feature is pretty basic, lacking the advanced features of (say) Microsoft PowerPoint, but it does get the job done
PROS & CONS
BOTTOM LINE:
OnlyOffice might not be as full-featured as other free alternatives, but what it lacks in features it well and truly makes up for with its lightweight and excellent compatibility with Microsoft Office. Well worth a look.
- For more info plus direct download link visit: OnlyOffice Home Page
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