Best Microsoft Office Alternatives for Linux

The dominant office suite with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Not available natively on Linux.

Proprietary price: $69.99/year (Personal) or $99.99/year (Family)

#1

LibreOffice

★★★★★

The most complete free office suite. Includes Writer, Calc, Impress, and more. Excellent Microsoft format compatibility.

Features

  • Writer - Word processor
  • Calc - Spreadsheet
  • Impress - Presentations
  • Draw - Vector graphics
  • MS Office format support
  • PDF export built-in
  • Extensions available

Install

sudo apt install libreoffice
#2

OnlyOffice

★★★★★

Modern interface that closely matches Microsoft Office. Best compatibility with MS formats among free options.

Features

  • Microsoft-like ribbon interface
  • Excellent DOCX/XLSX/PPTX support
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Document management
  • Plugin support
  • Self-hosted option

Install

sudo snap install onlyoffice-desktopeditors
#3

Google Workspace (Docs/Sheets/Slides)

★★★★☆

Free browser-based office suite. Best for collaboration and cloud storage. Works on any OS.

Features

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Cloud-based (works anywhere)
  • MS Office format support
  • 15GB free storage
  • Offline mode available
  • Mobile apps
#4

WPS Office

★★★★☆

Polished office suite with good Microsoft compatibility. Free version has ads, premium removes them.

Features

  • Clean, modern interface
  • Good MS format support
  • PDF tools included
  • Tabbed interface
  • Cloud integration
  • Templates library

Our Verdict

LibreOffice is the best all-around choice - it's powerful, free, and handles most MS Office files well. OnlyOffice is best if you frequently exchange files with MS Office users. Google Docs is ideal for collaboration.