Likelihood to Recommend In my opinion, Apache OpenOffice is best suited for writing, editing and proofreading texts in any language. You can also download additional language packages that really take up little space in your PC's storage. Of course, Apache OpenOffice is comprehensive of spreadsheet-/drawing-/database-related softwares and so on, but I primarily use it for writing and editing my own texts. I don't see any scenarios where it is less appropriate, at least so far.
Read full review Great for anything that you would use
Microsoft Visio for. It is a great software and has a great team behind it. At the end of the day, it will do everything that you need it to and it looks like they are always expanding. I have been surprised by their product and plan to continue to use it in my nonprofit role. If you are hesitant, don't be, it is everything Visio is plus more.
Read full review Pros The number one strength of OpenOffice is the flexibility it gives. We can open any file type, save any file type - it's pretty much invincible. Even if we're going to work on this in a different program, just being able to open some of these ancient files that we get from local city governments is a huge win for us. It's also administrator friendly - I'll use it a lot on the road because the licensing is so much easier to deal with than trying to check out a license from a server or make sure that everybody has internet connectivity. It just looks pretty! It's legitimately a quality product, the layout looks good, it's not nearly as pushy as "other suites," and for the money it's the best! Read full review Multiple templates Integration with other tools in the suite An extensive set of samples and examples showing the usage of various types of diagrams Read full review Cons There seem to be issues using this app in Windows 10. It worked fine when we used it on Windows 7, but after we upgraded the network with NEW Win 10 computers, it takes a very long time to process commands. It will not allow any upgrades. Read full review Keyboard shortcuts are non-intuitive Re-scaling can be tricky if you don't set the page up correctly at the beginning of your project Read full review Likelihood to Renew It is a cheap alternative; however, with
Microsoft 365 licenses also dropping significantly, we might opt to go in that direction to maintain uniformity.
Read full review Usability It is so easy to use and produces quality work comparable to its paid competitor, Microsoft Office. I highly recommend this free software to any who need to make the switch to powerful and free Office software.
Read full review It needs a bunch of work. For the price it could be better. And even though I am using it still I find it very difficult to use but I make it work
Matthew James Junior Systems Administrator | POS Programming Specialist
Read full review Support Rating Is there really support? There is a user forum but I do not see much developer input. Support options are limited. The most recent (Sept 2019) version of the product seems to have issues operating under Windows 10, yet there are few recent comments in the community forum, most comments are regarding older versions.
Read full review I've never had any major problems with the ConceptDraw team. Actually, they update their software frequently. It's always small updates, but they're necessary to make sure it will work properly. I had a question one time and decided to send to them. The problem was solved in less than three hours, which I believe is a really good point to consider.
Read full review Implementation Rating We found that it is possible to use Open Office to accomplish everything we need. Some tasks required searching for steps on Google.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Apache OpenOffice is less intense on our computer systems and saves us a ton of financial resources. Since our document creation and editing needs are typical of a small business and not very complex, Apache OpenOffice is sufficient for us. We think that almost any smaller to medium sized business would feel the same way if they don't have a need to make or edit complex documents.
Read full review Cheaper, lower learning curve. Looked for something that would meet our needs and allow us to quickly diagram a database and process maps. I have been using this in place of Visio and the one-time purchase is much better than a Microsoft sub. Looking forward to using this software in the future and hoping to get a copy for college classes as well in Database Design.
Read full review Return on Investment Moving to OpenOffice will save the company the cost of 500+ of Microsoft Office licenses in our company. Because it is cross-platform, we could also save 500+ of Microsoft Windows licenses if we move everyone to Linux. On the negative side, the lack of online collaboration and browser support may be an issue when you use clouds like Box, Workboard etc. Read full review Saved time Helps with conveying message properly across team so increased efficiency I came to know of many new diagraming techniques by seeing solutions built into ConceptDraw. Read full review ScreenShots ConceptDraw DIAGRAM Screenshots