Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
X

Check out the LibreOffice productivity suite (pictures)

Take a look at the apps that make up LibreOffice, a popular open-source competitor to Microsoft Office.

libreofficeheader.png
1 of 5 Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

LibreOffice Writer

When you think office suite, there's a good chance you're thinking about the word processor. In LibreOffice's case, that's Writer: it does everything you'd expect from a modern Microsoft Office clone, including support for comments and tracking changes between multiple users. It will also read older Office documents that Microsoft Word has abandoned, which could come in handy if you have old Word files kicking around.

calc-shot.png
2 of 5 Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

LibreOffice Calc

Microsoft Excel remains the gold standard in spreadsheets, but even folks with complicated needs will find a lot to like in LibreOffice's Calc. Simple Excel files I've tested are imported flawlessly, and while more complicated sheets weren't always accessible I found I could generally duplicate their functionality using Calc's own tools.

impress-770.png
3 of 5 Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

LibreOffice Impress

I've never made a PowerPoint presentation, but if I ever had to, LibreOffice's Impress wouldn't be a bad choice. It's compatible with PowerPoint, so you shouldn't have trouble passing files around the office, and lets you embed images, charts, and video or audio files right into your slides.

draw-shot.png
4 of 5 Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

Interoffice Draw

Draw is a powerful diagram creation tool that doesn't actually mimic anything in the Microsoft Office toolkit. You can use it to quickly create flowcharts and sketches to tuck into existing documents or wherever you'd like.

math-770.png
5 of 5 Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

LibreOffice Math

Math functions like the Equation Editor you'll find in Microsoft's Word. You can use it to quickly create mathematical formulas with proper formatting using the standalone app, or within tools like Writer.

More Galleries

Yamaha motorcycle and instrument designers trade jobs (pictures)
yamaha01.jpg

Yamaha motorcycle and instrument designers trade jobs (pictures)

16 Photos
CNET's 'Day of the Dead Devices' altar (pictures)
dia-de-los-muertos-3318-001.jpg

CNET's 'Day of the Dead Devices' altar (pictures)

9 Photos
2007 Los Angeles Auto Show: concept cars
conceptss01_440.jpg

2007 Los Angeles Auto Show: concept cars

14 Photos
Best sound bars under $300
polk-magnifi-mini-15.jpg

Best sound bars under $300

18 Photos
2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke reports for diesel duty
2018 Ford F-150 diesel

2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke reports for diesel duty

22 Photos
Music-friendly cell phone accessories

Music-friendly cell phone accessories

11 Photos
Cosplay at Comic-Con 2016: From Stormtroopers to Sansa Stark
dsc0515.jpg

Cosplay at Comic-Con 2016: From Stormtroopers to Sansa Stark

34 Photos