LibreOffice review

LibreOffice is the closest like-for-like replacement for the Microsoft Office desktop apps, and it costs nothing. The Document Foundation ships six programs: Writer for documents, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress for slides, Draw for diagrams, Base for databases and Math for formulas. That last pair matters for people leaving Office Professional, because Base covers tables, forms, queries and reports, a job most free alternatives skip. The current 26.8.3 release has native downloads for Windows on x86-64 and ARM64, Macs with Apple Silicon or Intel chips, and Linux in rpm and deb packages. Version 26.8 added Markdown import and export, plus connectors between objects in Calc and Writer. The trade-offs are about modern extras: the desktop apps have no built-in cloud drive or live co-editing, the downloads cover desktop systems only, and help comes from the community and its documentation unless you pay a professional support partner. For a household or small office that edits files locally, none of that outweighs a free, complete suite.

Who it is for

anyone who wants a full desktop suite at no cost

Price

Free and open source.

LibreOffice provides unfettered access to our office productivity tools, at no cost to you.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 14, 2026.

Key features

• Six apps: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math
• Version 26.8.3 downloads for Windows (x86-64 and ARM64), macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux (rpm and deb)
• Markdown import and export added in LibreOffice 26.8
• Base builds database tables, forms, queries and reports
• Source code licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Costs nothing for personal or business use, with separate Personal Use and Business Use download paths
• Strength: Native builds for Windows on ARM and Apple Silicon Macs
• Strength: Includes a database app and a formula editor that Google Docs and iWork do not offer
• Weakness: No built-in cloud storage or real-time co-editing in the desktop apps
• Weakness: Downloads cover desktop systems only: Windows, macOS and Linux
• Weakness: Support comes from the community unless you buy it from a professional partner

Key facts

• Price: Free
• Latest version: 26.8.3
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
• Apps: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math

Where it ranks

LibreOffice is No. 1 in our Best Microsoft Office Alternatives verdict.