PCTools logoPCToolsProof before promises.
LibreOffice icon

LibreOffice

The best free Microsoft Office alternative: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base; reads and writes DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODF, PDF; ships full font metric compatibility. CJK/RTL has improved since 7.x; exports form fields and signatures in PDFs since 24.8.

Category
Office
Licence
Free and open source
Official site
www.libreoffice.org
Last updated
2026-10-17
Download from official siteAll free apps

What it does

LibreOffice provides Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw and Base, with broad import and export of Microsoft Office formats.

When it helps

For schools, home use and any organisation that does not want a per-seat subscription. ODF is an ISO standard, so your files remain readable regardless of what happens to any vendor.

Limitations

Complex Excel workbooks with pivot tables, macros or advanced charts can shift subtly on import. Heavy collaboration with Microsoft 365 users is smoother in the Microsoft ecosystem or in OnlyOffice. The interface is utilitarian compared to modern commercial suites.

Security and licensing

Open source (MPL), maintained by The Document Foundation, a non-profit. Macros should still be treated with suspicion in any suite — the difference is that you can read what the suite itself is doing.

Alternatives

OnlyOffice for the closest fidelity to Microsoft formats; Apache OpenOffice is the older fork and is no longer actively developed — do not choose it for new installs; Google Docs when real-time collaboration matters more than file ownership.

Common questions

Which is better, LibreOffice or Microsoft Office?

In a LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office comparison, LibreOffice wins on price: free forever, open formats, no account. Microsoft 365 wins when your work depends on exact Excel pivot tables, real-time co-authoring, or macros written for VBA. Most home and school use lands comfortably in LibreOffice.

How do I open a DOCX file in LibreOffice?

Double-click it — LibreOffice Writer reads .docx out of the box. For the best fidelity, install the Microsoft fonts package (including Calibri and Cambria) so the layout matches what Word would show.

How do I convert DOCX to PDF in LibreOffice?

Open the document, then File → Export As → Export as PDF. Adjust compression and font-embedding settings in the dialog if the file is for print. The result is a genuine PDF, not a print-to-driver approximation.

LibreOffice vs OnlyOffice — which is more compatible with Word?

OnlyOffice edges ahead on raw Microsoft-format fidelity because it reverse-engineers the OOXML quirks more aggressively. LibreOffice wins on features, language support, and maturity. For occasional DOCX viewing either is fine; for heavy mixed-format work try both with your real files.

Is LibreOffice safe? Does it phone home?

LibreOffice makes no telemetry calls by default. It is open source (MPL), maintained by The Document Foundation, a non-profit. Macros should still be treated with suspicion in any office suite — the difference is that you can read what LibreOffice itself is doing.

Related reading

← All recommendations