Free & Affordable Alternatives to Microsoft 365

With the growing popularity of the Office 365 suite. Many companies created their own productive suits that provide the same or better functions. So, in this article, we will share with you the top best Office 365 alternatives which are affordable and easy to use.

Microsoft Office 365 is one of the best suites for big or small organizations. Providing the best features like collaboration tools, better communication and cloud storage it is very popular among professionals. Users can access Microsoft’s applications with cloud features and AI-enhancing tools.

However, companies who have a small budget, want to control their data or operational models. Microsoft 365 is not suitable for them. According to current trends, there are some solutions that are giving good competition to Office 365. So, if you want to know more about other suite programs that provide great features and are cheaper than Microsoft’s program. We have prepared a list for you.

Why Do You Need Office 365 Alternatives?

Before going through the list, we first clear the query of why you need Microsoft 365 alternatives. Although, it depends on the users or administrator personal reasons. There are some common factors that we share with you.

• Small businesses that are cutting their cost by finding free and cheap alternatives.
• Because Office 365 is based on cloud platforms. Users are concerned over privacy and data related issues.
• They want a program that is less dependent on Microsoft services.
• Other programs provide you a more focused or minimal approach for productivity.

Whatever the reasons for using the alternatives instead of Office 365. We have created a list of programs similar to Microsoft 365 with the help of experts. In the upcoming sections, we will explain each suite with their pros and cons. So, here are the Office 365 competitors.

Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite)

Google Workspace or G Suite is also a cloud based productivity suite by Google. As you know Google is a famous company that provides many applications like Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet and Calendar. The key features of the program is

• It is a cloud-first collaboration, which means you don’t need a particular device to use the programs. Also, whatever you are doing in your web browser, it automatically saves to Google Drive.
• Just like Microsoft, G Suite provides you familiar products such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
• For the communication tools, you have Gmail, Google Meet and Chat.
• This suite can be used to integrate with third-party tools and add-ons for customizations.
• It offers you cloud storage per user starting from 30 GB to unlimited (depending on the plan.)
• G Suite works on all the platforms including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux.

Pros

• You can do a real-time multi-user collaboration.
• The interface is simple with minimum learning curve.
• You don’t need to install any software. All the products can work on web browsers.
• It has spam protection and uptime features in Gmail.

Cons

• You can edit your data offline, but it is limited compared to other Microsoft’s desktop apps.
• There are less advanced features than other Office 365 applications.
• All the data is store in the cloud platforms. Which is a concern for those who have strict compliance policy.

Zoho Workplace

Another cloud productivity suite developed by Zoho Corporations. Here, you will get many integrated tools for communications, collaborations, and document management. It is best for small and mid-sized businesses.

• Provide you Zoho Writer, Sheet, and Show applications. They are also compatible with Microsoft file formats.
• Zoho Mail, Cliq, and Meeting is used for email and communication.
• To store your data, it uses Zoho WorkDrive. A cloud storage that provides you real-time collaboration features.
• Similar to Microsoft 365 Admin Center, there is also a centralized user management role and policy control.
• Zoho Workplace is fully compatible with mobile apps both Android and iOS.
• It strongly focuses on data privacy and offers data centers in multiple regions and GDPR compliance.

Pros

• The pricing plan is much more affordable than Office 365.
• The interface is clean and modern.
• You will be given built-in tools for collaboration, file management, and team communication.

Cons

• The ecosystem of the Zoho Workplace is smaller than Microsoft or Google.
• It provides you with fewer offline functions.

LibreOffice

A free and open source productivity suite by The Document Foundation. It is a desktop-based alternative to MS Office. The main features of the program.

• This suite offers you core software: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, and Math.
• It supports Micorosft file formats like DOCS, XLSX, and PPTX.
• All the tools in this suite are available offline. So, it is great for the users who have limited internet access.
• You can use third-party extensions and templates.
• You can use it in Windows, Mac, and Linux OS.

Pros

• It is a free suite which does not require license and subscription fees.
• You have a full control over your data and privacy

Cons

• The UI of LibreOffice is outdated compared to modern suites.
• You may encounter compatibility issues with advanced Office formatting and macros.

Apple iWork

It is also a free productivity suite for your Mac and iOS platforms. This suite is easily integrated with Apple’s ecosystem and for Apple users. It is a nice alternative to Office 365.

• With the help of this program, you can smoothly sync your account to Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iCloud.
• Using iCloud you can get real-time collaboration even though you are a non-Apple user.
• Easily open and export Office file formats like DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX.

Pros

• It is free for all Apple device users.
• The iWork is great for presentation and creative work because of intuitive design.
• It comes pre-installed on the Apple devices

Cons

• It has less compatibility with Windows and Android platforms.
• You will get fewer advanced features.

WPS Office

It is a lightweight productivity suite by Kingsoft. It offers similar applications like Microsoft Office with multiple file formats.

• The interface of the iWork is simple. So, there would be no issue for Office users to transition in this suite.
• it is available in Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms.
• The suite integrated with WPS Cloud to store, sync and share your files.
• You will get pre-designed templates and utilities like screen recording, file conversion and OCR.

Pros

• It is a Freemium program which means free version with essential features.
• The program is fast and lightweight.
• You can easily use it in your Android and iOS apps.

Cons

• In the free version you will get ads which is distractive for some users.
• The cloud service is hosted in China which raises concerns for data privacy for some regions.
• There is few advance collaboration tools

So these are the top 5 Office 365 alternatives. By analyzing the features, pros and cons of these programs you can choose your perfect suite. But, the problem arises when you switch your Microsoft 365 account.

In Conclusion

Many small organizations switch from Microsoft 365 to a more cost-friendly suite with nice features. So, here, we have provided the 5 best Office 365 alternatives. We provided the main features, pros and cons of these programs to help you decide which one. Moreover, we also discuss a common query about securing your data while switching to other programs.