ZDNET’s key takeaways
- There are many Linux office suites.
- Some offer more features than others.
- Most are free, and some offer paid plans.
The office suite is a tool unlike any other. It is an absolute requirement for many, a necessity for some, and a convenience for others. Without an office suite, things would be more challenging than you can imagine. Think: writing a book in a text editor (I tried), creating a spreadsheet in a desktop publishing app (don’t bother), or developing a presentation with a graphics editor (sure, why not?).
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For those coming to Linux from Windows, one of the first questions asked is: “Can I run MS Office or Office 365?” Well, sure, if you don’t mind using the web-based version of Office 365. As for locally installed MS Office, don’t worry. Even if you install this version with wine (which you can), you’ll probably find that it’s not as stable as you need.
1. If you need AI: OnlyOffice Desktop Editors
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETOkay, this is a big one, because more and more people are using AI to improve their work (or have their work done for them). However, not every Linux office suite includes AI integration (or the AI integration is a Mount Everest-like obstacle to climb). With OnlyOffice desktop editors, adding AI is easy.
I covered the how-to in the article, ‘How I added Easy AI to my favorite Microsoft Office alternative’ and I found OnlyOffice’s AI to be quite easy to use. I can even link the AI with locally installed Ollama (my preferred method of using AI), so I don’t have to worry about my work being sent to a third party. If you want to avoid this more complicated approach, you can choose from several services, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral, and more.
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You can install OnlyOffice Desktop Editors on Linux for free, and the AI plugin is also free. If you go with locally installed AI, that’s free too. If you go with a third-party AI, there may be associated costs.
One issue is that Grammarly doesn’t integrate with OnlyOffice Desktop Editors (doesn’t integrate with any of the other office suites here, which is a problem that needs to be fixed).
2. If you want an MS Office clone: WPS Office
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETWPS Office is the closest you can get to MS Office on Linux. Not only is it one of the best suites to collaborate with MS Office, but the UI looks very similar. If you remove the minimal branding, you’d swear you’re using MS Office.
I’ve used WPS to work with several collaborators (all using MS Office or Office 365), and it’s never been a problem. In fact, WPS Office defaults to MS Office file formats, so you don’t even have to worry about exporting a file before sending it. In addition, the WPS Office review features (such as Track Changes and Comments) work and look like those in MS Office.
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Whenever I collaborate with someone who uses MS Office, I don’t bother with other office suites and use WPS Office. There is just no comparison.
WPS Office Standard is free to use and includes the usual office tools, plus basic PDF features, a live PDF reader, limited templates, 1GB cloud space, 47 supported file formats and 46 languages. WPS Pro+ ($5.83/month or $69.99/year) adds full PDF editing and conversion tools, unlimited templates, advanced text recognition, full electronic signature, 20GB cloud storage, no ads, and essential AI tools. The Sharing Plan ($2.49/month/user or $29.99/year/user) is a multi-user subscription with user management, 20GB cloud storage, AI integration, and PDF tools for Word, Excel & PPT conversion.
Again, Grammarly does not integrate with WPS Office.
3. If you want a Google Workspace replacement: Proton Docs / Sheets
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETProton is the new kid on the block here, but it came out of the gate with full steam ahead. If you’re not familiar, Proton focuses on security, so you know your work is safe. For example, Proton Docs is a real-time, end-to-end encrypted document editor designed to protect files from surveillance, data leaks and AI training. If security is important to you, Proton Docs should be on your radar.
Here’s the thing: Proton’s collection of office tools isn’t quite as extensive as other options. You get documents, sheets, mail, calendar, VPN, password manager, video conferencing, AI and a wallet. The only component it lacks is presentations. Proton hasn’t officially announced such a tool, but user demand is high, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it appears in the next year.
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You can use Proton for free, but it is limited to 1GB of cloud storage, one user and one encrypted email address. You can get the Mail Plus account ($3.99/month) and upgrade to 15GB of storage, 10 encrypted email addresses, support for one custom domain name, unlimited folders and labels, 10 Hide-My-Email aliases, and priority customer support. If you want Unlimited ($9.99/month), you get 500 GB of storage, 15 encrypted email addresses, three custom domain names, unlimited Hide-My-Email aliases, ultra-fast VPN, an encrypted password manager, encrypted cloud storage for photos and documents, and advanced account protection.
4. If you want a self-hosted Google Workspace alternative: Nextcloud
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETIf you’re tired of Google Workspace (and its lack of transparency), consider Nextcloud. Before you get too excited, I’m talking about the self-hosted version of Nextcloud, which requires a server (preferably Linux) running on your LAN and enough skills to run it.
You can install an Ubuntu Server instance because you can add Nextcloud during installation.
What’s great about Nextcloud is that you can add as many components as needed – and there are tons of them. You’ll find apps for collaboration, security, communication, AI, appointments, analytics, organization, multimedia, games, files, and more.
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I will warn you that getting the Nextcloud Office document tools up and running is complicated, especially with the more recent releases and if you have it deployed on your LAN with a self-signed SSL certificate. Your best bet is to get an official SSL certificate. I also recommend installing Nextcloud manually instead of using the snap option. The snap option tends to lead to more complications.
Hosting Nextcloud on your LAN is free.
5. If you need a light office suite for older hardware: SoftMaker Office
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETIf you have an older machine or even a newer machine with low-end specs, and you want a full-featured office suite, SoftMaker Office is a great option. One thing to keep in mind is SoftMaker Office does not have a free option. You can use it for a 30-day trial, but if you want to buy the app, it’s $39.90 for the first year and $49.90 every year after that.
SoftMaker Office looks and behaves like MS Office, but requires less system resources. I can easily run SoftMaker Office on an Ubuntu desktop instance with only 4GB of RAM and two CPU cores, and it will outperform MS Office on a significantly more powerful machine.
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With SoftMaker Office you get apps for documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Other features include AI image creation, AI in presentations, grammar and style checking, color themes, print preview, outline view with drag and drop, and emoji support.
I will offer this one warning: SoftMaker Office is like LibreOffice in that the only grammar and style checking is done via Language Tools, and I’ve found it to be hit-or-miss with grammar. It is certainly not grammar (which SoftMaker Office does not support).
6. If you want an old-school, no-AI, no-grammarly option: LibreOffice
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETLibreOffice usually excels at these types of lists, but I’ve fallen out of favor a bit because as a professional writer it doesn’t have the integrations I need, especially grammar.
Yes, none of the options I suggested include Grammarly, but LibreOffice also has some other quirks that annoy me. For example, if I’m collaborating with my publisher’s editor on a book, and she’s added tons of track changes and comments, LibreOffice can slow down dramatically. Additionally, the track changes feature is cumbersome at best, so much so that I prefer to use Apple Pages.
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That’s saying something because I’ve lost a lot of work with Apple’s office suite.
LibreOffice is free to install and use, and is a favorite among the open source crowd. If this suite had Grammarly integration (and AI for those who need it), I certainly wouldn’t be close to avoiding it.
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