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LibreOffice

LibreOffice

Overview

What is LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is a free and open-source Office Suite from The Document Foundation, presented as the successor to OpenOffice.org. The suite includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing).

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

LibreOffice has gained popularity among users and organizations as a cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Office. Its functional …
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A Viable Alternative

9 out of 10
January 31, 2019
Incentivized
I have used LibreOffice (and its code predecessors, StarOffice and OpenOffice) since 2000. Compatibility with MS Office has improved over …
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Pricing

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What is LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is a free and open-source Office Suite from The Document Foundation, presented as the successor to OpenOffice.org. The suite includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula…

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.libreoffice.org/download/do…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Demos

libreoffice calc insert pictures

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LibreOffice Online short development demo

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fuzzing LibreOffice input events with american fuzzy lop

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Converting 0/1 values to TRUE/FALSE in LibreOffice Calc

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Demo: Creating CMS Content in LibreOffice

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libreoffice calc simple table format

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Product Details

What is LibreOffice?

LibreOffice is a free and open-source Office Productivity Suite from The Document Foundation, presented as the successor to OpenOffice.org. LibreOffice is compatible with a wide range of document formats such as Microsoft® Word (.doc, .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx) and Publisher. LibreOffice also provides native support for the open standard, the Open Document Format (ODF). Work can also be exported in many different formats, including PDF.

The suite includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing). It is available in an installed edition (available in Windows, Mac OS, and Linux versions), through mobile apps for Android and iOS.

LibreOffice Applications


LibreOffice Writer - Word Processor
Writer's features are aimed at presenting an open source alternative to Microsoft Word of the Microsoft 365 Office Suite. It is a word processor and desktop publishing solution. It is described by its developers and power users as able to support the creation of a book with diagrams, indexes, and illustrated content. Writer also includes typical word processor features such as various fonts, page layout and editing tools, and an autocorrect library. Writer also can be extended with templates, and comes with Wizards to help the user through more advanced workflows (e.g. mail merges). Common complex documents are supported with templates by default, and more niche forms may have templates available through extensions created by the supporter community.

LibreOffice Calc - Spreadsheet
A free spreadsheet program designed to be easy to use but able to support more advanced calculations , with wizards to guide the user through some commonly needed advanced number crunching and report generation. Calc includes a Scenario Manager to perform "what if..." analyses, and a solver component that enables the user to find optimum value of a particular spreadsheet given constraints appearing in other cells. Also, its "DataPilot" features lets Calc pull raw data from exogenous data sources, and also integrate real-time data streams.

LibreOffice Impress - Presentations
Impress lets users create slides, similar to PowerPoint, presenting a free alternative to the popular presentation tool. Impress can also be used for diagramming, or for creating and displaying drawings. Its Fontworks tool also lets users create and insert 2D and 3D images into presentations. Impress supports working with multiple monitors, and users can share slide notes, operate a presentation slider, etc.

LibreOffice Draw - Graphics
The LibreOffice suite also includes a graphics and diagramming tool. Draw also is designed to be relatively simple to use for quick sketches but also is able to support more advanced technical drawings, or brochures and the like that might be used to support marketing activities. Users can also work with existing graphical objects, using LibreOffice Draw as an editing tool with cropping, grouping, etc.

LibreOffice Base - Database
Base is designed to meet a range of enterprise DB requirements, and natively includes drivers for popular used database engines, such as MySQL, MS Access, and PostgreSQL. It includes JDBC- and ODBC- built-in support, to extend its versatility and enable Base to be connected to virtually any database. Wizards are present for help with database design, and it includes pre-defined tables for common use cases (e.g. sales orders, asset tracking, etc.).

LibreOffice Math - Formula Editor
Math is a standalone formula editor that can be used to generate formulae for presentations, spreadsheets, and word processors. Users can work with a range of elements with a pure focus on the math.

LibreOffice Charts - Charts & Visualizations
Similar to Math, LibreOffice also allows the user to work with charts in a freeform way, focusing on style, color, size, etc. across a variety of pie charts, bar charts, trend graphs, or 3D charts, so that the user can focus on perfecting its style before putting the chart on display in whatever presentation, drawing, or document its destined for.


LibreOffice is supported by an active community, FAQ, and documentation from The Document Foundation. Also, LibreOffice tutorials are plentiful and found online in video format. While The Document Foundation does not provide commercial support directly for enterprises, they do maintain a certification program for trainers, developers, and professional consultancies that do wish to provide premium support for LibreOffice implementations and on-going supports. Also, while LibreOffice is an installed option, a cloud-based service based on LibreOffice is available through Collabora Online, a SaaS based on the LibreOffice Office Suite that is available in a browser.

LibreOffice Videos

LibreOffice is a free, fully-featured and open source office suite used by millions of people around the world. Download it from https://www.libreoffice.org Support us: https://www.libreoffice.org/donate/ Background music: Energy, Bensound, http://www.bensound.com Office sof...
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How to create a budget in LibreOffice Calc
How to automatically update a time sheet in LibreOffice Calc
How to create a Vlookup and Hlookup formula in Libreoffice Calc

LibreOffice Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac
Mobile ApplicationApple iOS, Android

Frequently Asked Questions

LibreOffice is a free and open-source Office Suite from The Document Foundation, presented as the successor to OpenOffice.org. The suite includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics and flowcharts), Base (databases), and Math (formula editing).

LibreOffice starts at $0.

Microsoft 365, ONLYOFFICE Docs, and Google Workspace are common alternatives for LibreOffice.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 7.3.

The most common users of LibreOffice are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(129)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

LibreOffice has gained popularity among users and organizations as a cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Office. Its functional compatibility with Microsoft Office allows users to seamlessly open and export files, making the transition smooth. With its simple and user-friendly interface, average users find it easy to navigate and access its features. Many reviewers have used LibreOffice for various tasks such as writing manuscripts, solving complex calculations, and creating high-quality presentations.

LibreOffice is particularly useful in mixed Windows/Mac/Linux environments for internal collaboration and document management. Users appreciate that it is free to download, eliminating the need for costly upgrades and version compatibility. The software is commonly used for word processing, spreadsheet creation, and even database functions. It has been relied upon by individuals, students, and organizations for over a decade, demonstrating its reliability and longevity.

The compatibility of LibreOffice with various file formats is highly valued by users, allowing for easy document sharing and collaboration. It is also praised for its ability to handle tasks such as data tracking, inventory management, and creating signs in retail stores. Whether in business or personal settings, LibreOffice has become a default tool for document creation. Reviewers appreciate the considerable cost savings provided by LibreOffice compared to commercial document creation software.

With its support of the open-source community and compatibility across different platforms, many users choose LibreOffice over proprietary office suites like Microsoft Office. Its stability, reliability, and versatility make it suitable for producing various types of documents. Businesses and individuals who don't require the full Microsoft Office suite can benefit from using LibreOffice. Reviewers express their commitment to continue using and supporting LibreOffice through donations.

Clear and well-defined styles: Users have stated that Writer, the word processing software in LibreOffice, is very good at defining styles for paragraphs, characters, tables, pages, etc. This concept is clearer than in MS Office, making it easier to write documents with well-defined styles. This feature has been beneficial for future changes to the document.

High-quality typographical features: Many reviewers appreciate the typographical features of Writer when using supported OpenType fonts. They feel that these features make it easier to produce high-quality documents that are almost desktop publishing quality. Features such as kerning and ligatures enhance the overall appearance of the documents.

Convenient PDF export feature: A significant number of users have highlighted the embedded PDF export feature in Writer. They find it complemented by a lot of useful features and makes it convenient to export documents as PDFs without the need for additional tools. This simplifies sharing and ensures compatibility across different devices and platforms.

Consolidated Macro Recording in Calc: Several users have found the Macro recording feature in Calc lacking compared to MS Excel, making it difficult to use and limiting their ability to automate tasks effectively.

Compatibility Challenges and Complex Syntax in Basic: Users have experienced incompatibility and a more difficult syntax of Basic in Calc compared to Excel, resulting in frustration and decreased productivity.

Lack of Comprehensive Tutorials for Calc: Many reviewers have noted that tutorials for achieving various tasks are written for Excel only and cannot be reused for Calc. This lack of resources makes it challenging for users to find appropriate guidance, hindering their proficiency with the software.

Users highly recommend using LibreOffice as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, particularly for small ventures or businesses. They praise its compatibility across different operating systems and consider it a great substitution for other office suites. LibreOffice's word processing and spreadsheet functionalities are highly recommended for creating documents and PDF publishing, while users suggest exploring alternatives for database management. Despite concerns about support and community, LibreOffice is highly recommended for users in various domains, be it professional, academic, or personal.

Users particularly favor LibreOffice for companies or startups with limited budgets who cannot afford expensive office suites. While they recommend sticking to Microsoft Office if feasible, they see LibreOffice as a low-cost and relatively effective option. However, they caution about minor compatibility issues but recommend using LibreOffice for reading, writing, saving, and opening MS Word documents, as well as for college students and editing documents. Writer, the word processor in LibreOffice, is considered style-based and easier to use than Word. For office tasks beyond database management, LibreOffice is deemed perfect. However, it may not fulfill all needs when creating PowerPoint presentations.

Users recommend utilizing LibreOffice when working with Linux-based operating systems. While it may not have all the features of Microsoft Office, it is still regarded as a great free alternative. Some caution that it may lack user-friendliness compared to paid options. As a cost-effective alternative to proprietary licenses, especially for business tasks, LibreOffice receives high recommendations from users. Its ease of use caters to both non-technical and new users alike.

Users highly recommend giving LibreOffice a try to save money but advise planning accordingly because while it is free and powerful, certain limitations should be taken into account. Overall, users see LibreOffice as an excellent open-source alternative to Microsoft Office that won't disappoint if given a chance. It is recommended for various office tasks unless group presentations require PowerPoint or preferred software by teammates. Users find it surprisingly efficient with almost all the same options as Word and suggest comparing it with OpenOffice for desired features. In conclusion, users recommend using LibreOffice and believe it will be well-liked.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 29)
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Rene Agredano | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
The moment we get a new laptop into our company out goes all the bloated Microsoft ware and on goes Libre Office. it is the smoothest way to get up and running for the least amount of cost.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
LibreOffice fills in the gaps where I need a spreadsheet and/or word processor which are fully compatible with other file formats current in the industry. Unlike Microsoft, I can easily just setup LibreOffice on a computer without paying a cent and get users going with this quickly and easily. I really appreciate the work that has gone into LibreOffice as a cohesive system.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I used LibreOffice to write my dissertation. I also used it for years to write academic articles and to develop teaching materials for my students. One of the things that is important to me as an academic writer is to be able to use plug-ins that connect my word processor with my bibliography manager.
Karambir Singh Khalsa | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I am the only employee at a small nonprofit. I have been using LibreOffice back since it was OpenOffice. I need something that is affordable or ideally free so LibreOffice meets our price point. I mostly need a word processor and occasionally something to make presentations. I use Google Sheets primarily for spreadsheets mostly due to it's programmability and online integration with other tools.
Jacob Wall | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use LibreOffice to fill in any holes left by the Microsoft Office Suite licenses we purchase. For example:
  • LibreOffice has a Draw program that allows you to make diagrams and flowcharts - a feature missing from the Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Also, for laptops that are used only occasionally, where office applications are seldom used, it's not worth purchasing a license, so we install LibreOffice.
  • Likewise, for hosting servers, where Remote App users do not need to use a word processor, but may need to occasionally open or view an attachment, LibreOffice meets this occasional usage.
  • It also provides an excellent and full office suite while working from home for staff that may not otherwise need to purchase Microsoft Office.
November 09, 2019

LibreOffice, the best.

Mauricio E Gleizer | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Here at GISMarxev I use LibreOffice every time I need to edit documents via PC. Those traditional industry documents such as text, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDF formats. Yes, you're right -- it's our substitute champion for the MS Office package, and not only for being completely costless, but also for two other important reasons:
1) It is functionally compatible with the Microsoft package for both opening and exporting files.
2) It maintains a simple and user-friendly interface that wisely hides the most sophisticated features from the average user.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use LibreOffice through out the entire organization. It's mostly used for spreadsheets, data tracking, exporting and importing inventory via user-created .csv files and it's occasionally used for word processing and making signs in the retail store. The vast majority of users do very well with the minor differences from office, and not having to use the official licensing is a huge plus, especially when you have a front end that opens a document to merge with other data.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
LibreOffice is my default tool for document creation in my business and personal life. LibreOffice is a free and Open Source office suite application similar to Microsoft Office, it offers word processing, Spreadsheets, Publishing and presentation tools. As a small business operator, it provides considerable savings on the cost of a document creation software. And in not using a commercial application, I have not missed anything. LibreOffice does everything most commercial office suite software does, and more.
Md Shahinuzzaman | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
LibreOffice is a useful software for my research as I am using the Linux platform. It seems like the alternative of Microsoft office. I have been using it for writing my manuscript, solving difficult calculations and making high-quality presentations. LibreOffice is being used by our research group. LibreOffice is free of cost where other alternatives cost you money. Overall, we are satisfied with the LibreOffice.
January 31, 2019

A Viable Alternative

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have used LibreOffice (and its code predecessors, StarOffice and OpenOffice) since 2000. Compatibility with MS Office has improved over the years. I used to maintain an MS Office license to interact with documents in their native format, but I have not longer found it necessary to do so.

All of our internal documents, including user manuals with images, tables of contents, and indexes are produced with LibreOffice. We have found it to be as stable, reliable, and versatile as any other office software product.

If we ever move, as an organization, to MS Office, it will be due to other needs beyond just document creation and editing. In the meantime, we will continue to use and donate to LibreOffice.
Javier Schwersensky | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
LibreOffice is being used selectively in the organization based on licenses we have for proprietary software (Microsoft Office 365) and some computers which are not part of our secure network, used mostly in presentations.

LibreOffice is a good alternative for us because, as a charity, we like to support community-based projects such as LibreOffice and also because it helps keep our IT licensing costs contained.
Christopher Boyd | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
LibreOffice was reviewed within my company as a possible replacement to Office 365 (namely the desktop applications Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Whereas LibreOffice is an excellent program, ranking well above applications like Google Docs, it still isn't exactly a pop-in replacement for Microsoft Office. My disclaimer here is that I found LibreOffice to be excellent and would very much enjoy using it, if only it had an Outlook and OneNote application, or at least integrated with replacements for those smoothly elsewhere. Alas, the world of open source can be a little too open sometimes.

The aim was to replace Microsoft Office and not have to rely on Google Docs. We initially found LibreOffice to be very easy to use and incredibly user-friendly. The problems came when we needed (see: expected) to be able to just swap out Word or Excel for Writer or Calc. The default font settings, for example, are not the same between Word, Writer, and Google Docs. This led to confusion among users, despite it being configurable. We then had issues with the way Calc works versus Excel, and transitioning our spreadsheets over would have required reworking several of our formulas in large documents.

We ultimately didn't make the switch to LibreOffice due to the learning curve and nuances but are intending to review it again.
Jerry Janes | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have been using, and introducing/supporting clients to use, LibreOffice for over ten years. I began using OpenOffice over a decade ago and continued once it became LibreOffice a few years ago. I also shared it with my students over a decade of teaching, as I worked in poor, rural communities where proprietary solutions like MS Office were simply not viable.
Laura Gatius | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It's very helpful for us because we are a very large corporation and we needed an open-source free solution to use as an office suite. We use LibreOffice as an office suite. We edit, create, and print documents with it. We use it also to manage large files with data, like we would do with Excel.
October 29, 2018

Best open Office suite

Miguel Useche | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It's used by all the organization to write all documents and to make spreadsheets. We use it because we want to have all documents in an open format that we know it will be maintained for multiple years. Also their price is lower so it helps the organization to save costs by avoiding the need of multiple licenses for an Office software.
Jesús Noehi Posada Navarro | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use LibreOffice across the whole organization. Thanks to being free, it helps you to save money without losing any functionality while working with all kinds of Office files, like Docs or Sheets for example, which we use on a daily basis.
Igor Neumann | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I currently have Microsoft Office and LibrefOfice installed in my computer and use LibreOffice way more often for a couple of reasons... Mainly my job requires me to manipulate .csv files and Excel does a very poor job of opening it (it always assumes the delimiter character is ";" while I never saw it being used in my life, everyone - and their dogs - use "," as a delimiter), so you need to rename it to .txt in order for Excel to ask you), while LibreOffice always open it correctly. The other reason is its interface. Call me a dinosaur, but I'm still not a fan of the "ribbon" interface of MS Office, while LibreOffice's interface resemble the "legacy" (pre 2003) MS office interface.
The only program that I still prefer the MS option for is for presentations, but I still find PowerPoint BAD, so LibreOffice's Impress is even worse. (For context sake, I'm a designer used to Adobe Creative Cloud programs so it's natural to feel limited by presentation programs.) Im currently testing other alternatives for that.
Apart from that, LibreOffice offers some programs that are way superior to MS Office's options such as "Draw" (way better than Visio), its equation editor "Math" (way better than MS Office equation editor) and "Charts". So basically LibreOffice made most of its programs "as- ood" as MS alternatives (except Impress) and took some small MS Office features (Visio/equation editor/charts) and made them into full features programs as differential.

It does miss a key feature though... the CLOUD.

If you don't use Office365 Cloud features, PowerPoint isn't your main application, and aren't in love with the MS ribbon interface, LibreOffice is likely an as good (or better) option for you.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use LibreOffice for data cleaning in Calc. The portable version of this app is very useful for spot-case use where you don't want to fully install or use across multiple devices. This app is being used for data processing, cleaning, and ETL for databases and comma separated file/tab separated file manipulation.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have used LibreOffice throughout my undergraduate degree, and later as the main offline office productivity suite on my Linux desktop. LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite that includes applications for spreadsheet creation, word processing, presentations and database design. I use it to read documents, prepare presentations, and edit invoices.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I choose to use LibreOffice because of a few reasons. I like to support the Open-Source Community - yes LibreOffice is free. You can however make a donation to the project if you choose to show support for their efforts in continuing the project and making it better and better. I also like LibreOffice because it works across platforms. It will run Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. I use Windows and Linux both and they have the same product on both platforms; [this] is a big plus to me. For mobile devices, it is my understanding that they have a viewer for Android and the ability to edit on Android is still an experimental feature. Hope to see a full Android version someday. So, if you like LibreOffice and want to see it more robust on mobile devices, I would suggest letting them know and by making a donation for supporting the efforts.
Linda Sasenick | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use LibreOffice for all of our word processing and spreadsheet needs, as a free, open-sourced substitute for Microsoft Office. It also offers a full "suite" of services, including presentations, drawing, and database, and most importantly, we've had very few problems converting from and to other vendors' formats with LibreOffice. For us, it is a low cost (free!) solution for written communications, data management (we primarily use the spreadsheet), and other spreadsheet functions.
Glen Mehn | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It's a replacement for MS Office. It was used across the organisation, particularly for internal collaboration and documents in a mixed (Windows/Mac/Linux) environment. Once we got finance to start using it they actually preferred it to Excel (had some statistical features) though there was a learning curve. It's particularly handy because it's free and able to be downloaded and avoids the upgrade/version compatibility cycle that we have had with MSO.
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