Students use Microsoft Word for their essays and accountants use Excel to crunch numbers. Business executives rely on PowerPoint to pitch new products. It’s expensive, but since it’s the gold standard of productivity software, few people think to replace Microsoft Office.
That’s because Microsoft Office is so ubiquitous. Few people know that there’s a free alternative that works just as well. In fact, there are all sorts of cheap replacements for popular programs.
Freebies can help you save money without compromising quality. Tap or click here for seven free versions of popular programs. If you want to get all of Microsoft Office’s power without the hefty price tag, keep reading.
Allow me to introduce LibreOffice
It’s a free, open-source office suite compatible with Microsoft Office files. This open-source software is continually updated, at no charge.
LibreOffice offers six programs that will feel instantly familiar to you if you’ve used Office before. Writer, Calc and Impress are equivalent to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. They have most of the same features, although you just might need to poke around to find some of them.
Luckily, we’ve made it easy for you. Tap or click here for everything you need to know about these free programs. Once you start using them, you can keep more money in your pocket by kissing Office goodbye.
Replacing Microsoft Office comes with a few extra perks
Even better, LibreOffice can open and edit the documents you made in Office and save new files in Office formats. LibreOffice is compatible with the most popular document formats, not just Office documents.
It’s also compatible with OpenDocument Format (ODF) and you can even sign PDF documents without having to involve your printer. If you often have to e-sign paperwork, this is a godsend. Tap or click here to electronically sign PDF documents on every platform.
LibreOffice also includes drawing, database and equation programs, too, plus plenty of extensions and templates you can add to give the program more features.
How to download it
To download the program, go to the LibreOffice download page or use one of the yellow links below. Choose your operating system and hit download. Just like that, you’ve started to replace Microsoft Office and save money.
Your download should begin immediately. Because LibreOffice is a user-supported program, the company asks that you consider a donation if you are happy with the project, but it’s not required to download the program.
When the download is complete, open and run the installation file. We recommend using the default installation settings. There is no bloatware or add-on programs to avoid.
Note: This is a free program that is run by donations. It will not try to install bloatware, add-ons or any other extra programs. It will ask you for donations, but it will not prompt you for payment. If you see any third-party programs or it asks for payment, stop the installation. You have clicked on the wrong link.
This is a big program, so it will take a while to install. When the installation is complete you can run LibreOffice from a desktop shortcut.
