Office 365 is the evolution of Microsoft’s productivity suite. It unites the legendary Office software package with an attractive online suite. This product lets you create a document in Microsoft Word, sync it to OneDrive, and open that same document in Word Online in any web browser.
Right now, no other office suite offers the same online and offline integration. It’s what makes Office 365 worth its subscription price of $100 per year. Plus, given its advanced features, it’s indispensable for professionals worldwide.
If you want to step out of Microsoft’s shadow, however, or simply don’t want to pay, you can choose from excellent free and low-cost offline alternatives to Office. Here’s we’ll have a look at the online alternatives for Office 365.
1. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
If you’re comparing Office Online with Google’s online office suite, there’s plenty in Google’s favor. For example, unique features like using your voice to type! Moreover, Google Docs is better than Microsoft Word for research writing. But Microsoft Excel remains the king of spreadsheet software, despite Sheet’s “Explore” feature. Slides and PowerPoint are neck-and-neck to create presentations. So the decision to use Google or Microsoft is about what you use more: word processing or spreadsheets, respectively.
That said, Google’s office suite doesn’t work well without the internet. While you can technically use Google Docs offline by installing Google Drive, it’s clunky software.
Actually, you can have the best of both worlds. You can use Office when without the internet, and go online with those files in Google Docs. It’s all possible with the official Google Drive plug-in for Microsoft Office.
The one problem is that Google Drive will actively convert the files to Google’s own formats. The changes are minute, but it’s an inconvenience nonetheless.
2. Open365
Open365 is the new darling of the tech world. It’s based on the excellent LibreOffice, a free open-source Micorosft Office alternative. And using Open365 is like using LibreOffice in a web browser.