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Apache OpenOffice vs. Google Workspace Essentials

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Apache OpenOffice

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/AApache OpenOffice is a free open source office suite that includes six applications: Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (diagramming and graphics), Base (database), and Math (formulas).N/A

    Google Workspace Essentials

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/AGoogle now offers Google Workspace Essentials (formerly G Suite Essentials), providing a solution for users of Outlook or Office whose teams want to use Google Meet and Google Apps without needing to involve a personal gmail account. Google Workspace Essentails includes Google Slides, Sheets, and Docs, as well as Google Meet, Google Drive, Forms, Sites, and Keep, in a bundle minus a gmail account. Basic Essentials supports (via Meet) meetings with up to 150 participants, and Google Drive with…

    $8

    per month per user

    Pricing
    Apache OpenOfficeGoogle Workspace Essentials
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apache OpenOfficeGoogle Workspace Essentials
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Apache OpenOfficeGoogle Workspace Essentials
    Considered Both Products
    Apache
    No answer on this topic
    Google
    Chose Google Workspace Essentials
    Google Workspace Essentials is more robust than Dropbox with the other features that are available. Google Workspace Essentials is very comparable to Microsoft 365, and we ultimately went with Google because at the time, it was free/priced better than MS, and now we have lots …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    19 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    17 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    19 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    79%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    16 Answers
    User Ratings
    Apache OpenOfficeGoogle Workspace Essentials
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (20 ratings)
    9.7
    (20 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.5
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    5.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apache OpenOfficeGoogle Workspace Essentials
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apache
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Well-suited for: Fast-paced drafting ideas, docs, charts, sheets, etc. Love it for client calls as well. Google Meet runs in a web browser; you don't need to download any special software. Shared Drives are great for sharing information; the ability to add a Google Notebook to them is the icing on the cake. It is less appropriate when Wi-Fi or the internet is spotty, or when you need heavy-duty Excel macro data crunching.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Apache
    • 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!
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • Google Docs & Google Slides are essential to our company as we are remote. Multiple people can work on the documents at one time.
    • Easy to share and store files in Google Drive.
    • Google Calendar is amazing, it integrates seamlessly with other Google products and it's our company's primary calendar tool.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Apache
    • Some people used to Microsoft products can feel it's a little bit old in its style
    • I saves documents in its native format, which is incompatible with MS Word or Excel, unless you change that in the preferences tab
    • The UI is not very pretty
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    • Record option to be there in Google meet
    • ability to share documents outside google accounts need to be looked at
    • Improvement in conversion to MS office based documents and converting those documents to googles format needs a little work.
    • Will be good to have a pdf to word converter and vice versa
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Apache
    It is a cheap alternative; however, with Microsoft 365 licenses also dropping significantly, we might opt to go in that direction to maintain uniformity.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Google
    Now that our department has used G Suite Essentials for close to 2 years, I can't imagine not using it. It has proven to be a very practical tool for sharing files / folders on a shared drive. It also makes it easy to modify and update content. It is user friendly and the interface is simple.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Apache
    It's good overall, just the UI it's not the prettiest, feels like an older version of MS office, but gets the job done. Once get the hang of it it's easy to use, besides it has great documentation on how to use it and there are many forums that discuss many related topics.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    It is so easy to use, very intuitive and the site looks nice. There is no hint of the old DOS days in the look and functionality. Let's be real, Google Workspace Essentials is attractive and easy on the eyes and even offers a dark mode if you want to rest your eyes a bit or are in a mood for such
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Apache
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Apache
    We found that it is possible to use Open Office to accomplish everything we need. Some tasks required searching for steps on Google.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Apache
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    Google Workspace Essentials is more robust than Dropbox with the other features that are available. Google Workspace Essentials is very comparable to Microsoft 365, and we ultimately went with Google because at the time, it was free/priced better than MS, and now we have lots of legacy files already stored on Google servers, so a switch would be too time-consuming. We went with Google Workspace Essentials over OpenOffice because of the email features of using Google.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Apache
    • 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.
    Incentivized
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    Google
    • Our fundraising and development efforts nearly doubled 2020-2022, largely in part to the organizational tools within Google Workspace Essentials.
    • We've opened up the capacity to work more closely with contractors in a more collaborative nature because of GWE's capabilities.
    • It was integral to our brand overhaul.
    Incentivized
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