Skip the Microsoft 365 subscription with this free office suite

Paying for Microsoft 365 can be expensive, especially if you don’t use it all the time or don’t need all of its functionality. If you want to save some money or need a simple office app, then OnlyOffice might be exactly what you’re looking for.

OnlyOffice is a free productivity suite that lets you create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations—either in your browser or through downloadable desktop apps. Think of it as the open-source lovechild between Microsoft Office and Google Docs, but with a new generation twist and a simplified feature set.

The app comes with pretty much everything you’d want from traditional office software, such as a document editor, presentation editor, spreadsheet editor, PDF editor, and more. What’s more, those familiar with Microsoft Office will feel right at home, as OnlyOffice closely mirrors the layout of those products. Plus, the apps can open and edit common file formats like DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX without things breaking or shifting around.

OnlyOffice also takes a note from Google Docs’ playbook when it comes to collaboration. Multiple people can work on the same document simultaneously, add comments, track changes, and chat within the document itself. If you’ve used Google Docs before, the experience will feel pretty similar.

One advantage that OnlyOffice has over Google Workspace is flexibility. You can use OnlyOffice entirely in the cloud, install the desktop apps for offline work, or even host the platform yourself if you want more control over your data. It also integrates with services like Nextcloud and other file-sharing platforms.

OnlyOffice is great for students, freelancers, or anyone who occasionally needs office software without paying for a subscription. Give it a try, you might find it’s the only office suite you really need—pun very much intended. For more useful productivity and app recommendations, be sure to subscribe to our PCWorld Try This newsletter.