I like Microsoft Word. I like Google Docs. Both are extremely high-quality products with decades of development behind them. But with Word, you have to purchase and maintain a Microsoft license, and with Google Docs… well, there have been conspiracy theories circling ever since Google removed “Don’t be evil” from its terms of service. So, if you don’t like the two big options, and you want something open source, there’s LibreOffice to the rescue!
LibreOffice works primarily with OTD – OpenText Documents – and is compatible with the .docx and .doc file extensions, making it easy to import and export files from other programs, even if they’re old, even if they’re downloads. If you need to switch, LibreOffice is committed to making it as easy as possible for you.
LibreOffice also has many of the same tools as Docs and Word. You can leave comments! Generally, the same keyboard shortcuts will do the same things! There’s a review pane! Even if you choose to totally disconnect your computer from the internet, LibreOffice will continue to work, because it’s on your device, not in the Cloud, great for travel.
There are downsides, but there are downsides to both alternatives, too.
LibreOffice cannot connect across devices like Google Docs can, but then again, Word can’t either, and programs like Ellipsus designed to follow Google Docs’ example cost money. For the advantages of using a free program across multiple devices with a single login like Google Docs, you’re paying with Google space, which might eventually catch up to you if you write enough. Only the first 15 GB is free, and that is a lot of space, but you’ll be sharing it with pictures, email, and a copy of your phone if you use Android. Fill that up, and your email stops working until you buy or free up extra space! LibreOffice doesn’t have that very scarce pooled resource to worry about – it’s on your desktop computer, not in the cloud (unless you deliberately save your works as such), it doesn’t take a login, and won’t demand more money or lock up other features if you start too many files, an advantage it shares with Microsoft Word. It will behave itself.
LibreOffice is also open source, meaning that besides being free now, it will stay free – the money needed to fund it comes from somewhere else totally outside the program itself. You may have noticed that if you make a new Google Account, Google now slots advertisements into your inbox by default, in the promotions section. Google didn’t used to do that – old accounts don’t have that feature, but new ones do. Where you pay for Word up front and Google via ads, LibreOffice is a product made disconnected from profit.
To break it down, LibreOffice is functionally like Word, but for free! And like Google Docs, but without the downsides of being tied to your email!
