But one could easily come across a MS Office giveaway for Windows, but finding the same for Mac is not an easy task. The Styles system on which Apache Open Office is based really streamlines the process.Microsoft Office is not a free package for any platform. I use the Mac version of OpenOffice (called NeoOffice) for fairly large appraisal reports that usually run more than 100 pages–sometimes a LOT more. MSO will do that, but the process is pretty painful. When that TotalCost user variable changes, I can update it at any point in the document. And I can drop that variable into the text as many times as needed. As the report grows, the reference to page 12 automatically updates to page 1024 (or wherever it is.) Cool, and really essential for me.Īnother thing I like is the fact that I can create–on the fly–user variables e.g. You insert a cross-reference on page 8, referencing that analysis on page 12. So you put an analysis into the appendix (insert->file) and set a cross-reference. Your report template may be only 6 – 8 pages. There is at least one thing OpenOffice can do better than MS Office: Cross-references. Which of these Microsoft Office alternatives have you tried, or would you consider trying? Please let us know in the comments below or by starting a new discussion in our community forum. Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone Google Docs is great for its collaboration tools and iWork is great for its simplicity, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that is quite good as Microsoft Office just yet. Objectively, Microsoft Office is still the king, but those that really only need something to bang out a few documents will have no trouble with any of these alternatives. The answer is that it really depends on what you need it for. Final ThoughtsĮach of the programs listed has great features, but the real question is whether or not any of them are anywhere near as good as Microsoft Office. There is a premium version available for just $29.99/year, which offers a few additional features for the heavy user but is unnecessary for the average user. WPS Office can run on Windows or Mac as well as mobile devices.īest of all, it’s free. This suite of applications is very lightweight, runs smoothly, and is compatible with Microsoft Office. While it may not be as popular as Microsoft Office, WPS Office is nearly just as powerful as the Microsoft programs users have grown accustomed to. WPS Office includes the Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheets applications, which offer many of the same tools and features you’d find in their Microsoft counterparts.

Free alternatives for ms word on mac