LibreOffice – A (Very Brief) Review

If you use Microsoft office or the Google document equivalents, one of the easiest ways to pull Big Tech claws out of your digital life is to switch over to LibreOffice. If you’ve ever used OpenOffice, you’ll be right at home. LibreOffice was developed as the successor to OpenOffice almost a decade ago. It’s compatible with all of the file formats in Microsoft Office, so your documents should load and save interchangeably between either of the office suites.

Rather than list pros and cons of the software in a detailed list, I’ll simply mention that LibreOffice is the only office replacement I’ve found that does the job. It’s free, open source, easy to install, and simple to use. It’s less sophisticated than the paid, Big Tech counterparts, and you’ll see that especially in the user interface, which looks a little dated:

You’ll also need to remember a whole new set of names, with “Writer” replacing Word and “Calc” replacing Excel, and so on.

Unlike my previous software recommendations, where I see a particular audience benefiting more or less from different options, this is one that seems like a universally good choice, unless you don’t need any office-style applications whatsoever. If you do, give LibreOfficea shot.