LibreOffice Information Reviews & Insights

Score9.4 out of 10

133 Reviews and Ratings

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for LibreOffice are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Pros

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.

LibreOffice Reviews

8 Reviews

InformationComputer Software6Internet1Online Media1

LibreOffice offers a complete feature set and compatibilty at zero cost

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 23, 2023

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

spreadsheet
wordprocessor
presentation

Cons

Presentations format is not fully 100% MS compatible
Importing MS Word documents is very very close but not perfect

Likelihood to Recommend

LibreOffice works perfectly for the type of situation it was designed for: desktop, offline office tools. It should be noted that it does not specifically do things the way MS 365 or Google Docs does: it does not utilize the internet and make things available like that to others who are collaborating. I think the whole store-and-edit-on-the-internet ideology is overrated and more gimmicky than having a shared folder and users who can edit documents. I see GDocs and 365 as security breaches at best and nefarious at worst.

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (Internet company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

LibreOffice - a full featured, free office suite

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

April 23, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

Full Featured - Just about everything you can get in a purchased office suite is available - word processor, spreadsheet, slides, drawing, database.
The Draw program provides features that you may not find elsewhere (at least not easily) - e.g. flowcharts with arrows that automatically connect to boxes, following smooth lines.
Follows industry standards - e.g. the spreadsheet uses the same formulas you'd be used to from Excel.
Compatible - Easily open and edit documents from Microsoft suite; save in all the usual file formats, with good formatting. (i.e. It won't look skewed when you send it to others. There are small issues with editing existing slides from PowerPoint, but these are minor.)
Editing PDFs - Word will not let you do this. For small-scale edits, LibreOffice Draw works great.
Maintained actively with frequent and useful updates.

Cons

The menus are outdated; while it's full featured, some tools are buried within dialogs that you'd have to find under sub-sub-menus, etc.
It's not online. The current way of collaboration is online apps like Google Docs. This makes collaboration less convenient.
It can give a poor impression if it becomes visible to clients or other stakeholders; this isn't a flaw with the suite itself, but often impression matters.

Likelihood to Recommend

For business usage, it is most appropriate to use as I've described - filling holes left by the main/purchased Office suite - e.g. on seldom used laptops, on servers, etc. This is not due to any flaws, but mostly impression.

It's also very useful for working at home if you need to edit documents on your own machine, but not often enough to merit purchasing an Office suite.

It would be less appropriate as a full-time Office suite used often each day in a professional environment, or where online collaboration is needed.

Jacob Wall

Senior Technical Writer / Client Services in Customer Service at Georef Systems Ltd. (Computer Software, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience

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LibreOffice, the best.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

November 9, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

It is available for installation on the three major PC platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac (including official application stores for these systems).
It has always been able to open, edit and/or export files (even with specific formatting) in MS Office proprietary formats without piracy, as it is completely costless.
It is constantly updated (certainly much more than MS Office), which ensures more security, stability, and new features.

Cons

Paid, online, fast problem-solving technical support.
An online version that is really similar and compatible with LibreOffice for desktop, similar to MSOffice 365.
An updated service that works within the LibreOffice itself.

Likelihood to Recommend

LibreOffice is ideal for organizations and people who don't want and/or can't pay for MS Office. Even in environments where the use of the Microsoft tool is well established, the familiar interface and ease of importing/exporting files from all commonly used applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) efficiently helps a lot during the transition period.
Therefore, it is only in situations where the official MS Office license has already been purchased (purchased or donated) that exclusive use of LibreOffice would not be recommended, but as licenses do not last forever, this situation may change.

Mauricio E Gleizer

CEO in Information Technology at GISMarxev (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience

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Heads above G Suite, but a few feet short of Microsoft Office

Rating: 6 out of 10

Incentivized

January 1, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

It's free, which is the biggest difference between Office. It definitely feels like a full-fledged office suite of software for no more than the cost of an optional donation.
Lots of templates exist out on the internet for Writer and Impress (the Word and PowerPoint equivalents in LibreOffice). The open source community really likes to support one another in their usage of each other's software.
It works smoothly on almost every OS out there, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Cons

It's a step up from Google Docs, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of Microsoft Office. This might simply be because if you grew up using Microsoft Office, the nuances add up spread across the multiple pieces of software.
There is no Outlook or OneNote equivalent in the LibreOffice suite. They recommend some alternative apps, and you can find suggestions on the internet, but nothing works or integrates as smoothly as the entire Microsoft Office Suite does.
Though lots of templates exist, it's clear that this software is mostly supported by developers and Linux users, which doesn't number a lot of graphic designers in comparison to MacOS or Windows.

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are working in a Linux environment, then LibreOffice is an excellent choice for you, if not the best choice.

If you don't need to collaborate with people often or the documents you are working on don't need to adhere to strict style guidelines, then you really can't beat the quality for the price (free) of LibreOffice.

However, don't expect the fluidity or integration choices you have with Microsoft Office or Google Docs. LibreOffice is built as standalone software, and whereas tools, apps, and workarounds exist, if you are used to the bells and whistles of the other office suites out there, then LibreOffice will require some patience and extra work.

Christopher Boyd

Freelance Web and Software Developer in Information Technology at Cre8tiveCoder (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

View profile

LibreOffice: Open Source, Free, Functional. Cut the proprietary cord!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

November 24, 2018

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

It converts MS Word very well. This is a strength for the same reasons I mentioned in my summary - LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite but most importantly, it provides identical functionality to MS' version, empowering those who otherwise cannot afford it. More than MS Word, it opens almost any word processing format
It also does a great job of opening/editing spreadsheets, also virtually any format.
For those of us who are using Linux OSs, this is your go-to Office alternative.

Cons

The Impress Presentation application does not open all MS PowerPoint files well. It seems it cannot translate the applied themes, at times. It DOES open them, and you can navigate slides well enough, but once opened, it often loses enough quality that you would not want to share as-is in an actual presentation (I've found using Google Docs to convert is more effective here).

Likelihood to Recommend

As mentioned, for cost-effectiveness and Linux users, it is a staple suite of apps. As also mentioned, it is less appropriate for sharing former PPT presentations with clients or anyone else where quality is paramount.

Jerry Janes

Digital Media Specialist in Marketing at Janes Consulting (U.S.) (Online Media, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience

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Opensource office suite program

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

November 2, 2018

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

It runs very well on a lot of laptops and computers, even if they're old.
It has a very good document editor very similar to Microsoft Word.
It's open source and free.
It does not consume a lot of resources of your computer. It's very fast and reliable.

Cons

The compatibility when switching the file format could be a little bit better.
Sometimes it crashes and you lose all your data.
It's a good alternative to Microsoft Office but it's not quite the same. We miss some features and tools.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is a good free software that has several programs very similar to MS Office. The text editor offers all the basic features needed to write, edit, and print text files. It allows you to save it in different formats as the word does. The archives of different softwares are also compatible, such as Word's .docx. It has no extension limitations and this makes your life much easier when it comes to editing documents. Other programs are also good, such as the spreadsheet. The only negative aspect that I find is that it is not visually pleasing and it is a bit more difficult to understand the menus and the options. But other than that, it's pretty good editing software.

Laura Gatius

Programadora Java/J2EE junior in Information Technology at VIEWNEXT (Computer Software, 1001-5000 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

View profile

Best open Office suite

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

October 29, 2018

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

It's lightweight, it opens fast and doesn't consume a lot of resources. Helpful for older computers.
Real multi-platform, I can use the same software on Windows, Linux and MacOS. I can compose a document on my MacOS laptop and the open it at my linux machine without any problems. Also workers can use any OS without losing compatibility with OpenOffice.
Great compatibility with other offices suites, it can open any document format so we don't have to worry about formats.
One click export to PDF, we can quickly creates PDF by exporting with a single click.

Cons

UI is outdated, it feels like an Office suite from a decade ago.
Some tools are not intuitive, I have to search documentation or online guides to do some tasks.
Their Microsoft compatiblity is not enough

Likelihood to Recommend

It's a great suite for organization where they can't spend a lot of money on licenses. I recommend it when employees have multiple operating systems and want to use a single office suite. I don't recomend it if all your bussiness platform is managed by Microsoft software.

Miguel Useche

Wordpress developer in Information Technology at Webdibs (Computer Software, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

6 years of experience

View profile

Hard to Beat at the Price Point

Rating: 7 out of 10

Incentivized

March 27, 2018

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros

Free to use, includes many core office applications including CAD
Relatively mature offerings and full featured software; applications such as Calc and Writer support macro functionality
Easy to get started with using if you're familiar with older versions of the Microsoft Office suite

Cons

Stability of the applications is a concern. It has improved over the years but expect at least a couple of crashes a month in Writer or Calc.
Does not support VBA scripts if importing documents from Microsoft Office
Weird formatting and rendering inconsistencies with switching between file formats or importing from MS Office.

Likelihood to Recommend

LibreOffice is your best bet if you appreciate working on documents offline and want to keep storing them locally. It is perfect for students. For Linux systems it's one of the best native offerings you'll get, short of spinning up a Windows virtual machine and paying for a MS Office suite license. A bit more effort will be required if you want to create Word documents or presentations that look slick, professional, and modern - so if presentation and time are important to you, go for other office suites instead. LibreOffice is free, so there's no harm in trying it out and seeing if it's sufficient for your needs.

Verified User

Engineer in Information Technology (Computer Software company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

6 years of experience

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Heads above G Suite, but a few feet short of Microsoft Office

Rating: 6 out of 10

Incentivized

January 1, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We ultimately didn't make the switch to LibreOffice due to the learning curve and nuances but are intending to review it again.

Pros

It's free, which is the biggest difference between Office. It definitely feels like a full-fledged office suite of software for no more than the cost of an optional donation.
Lots of templates exist out on the internet for Writer and Impress (the Word and PowerPoint equivalents in LibreOffice). The open source community really likes to support one another in their usage of each other's software.
It works smoothly on almost every OS out there, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Cons

It's a step up from Google Docs, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of Microsoft Office. This might simply be because if you grew up using Microsoft Office, the nuances add up spread across the multiple pieces of software.
There is no Outlook or OneNote equivalent in the LibreOffice suite. They recommend some alternative apps, and you can find suggestions on the internet, but nothing works or integrates as smoothly as the entire Microsoft Office Suite does.
Though lots of templates exist, it's clear that this software is mostly supported by developers and Linux users, which doesn't number a lot of graphic designers in comparison to MacOS or Windows.

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are working in a Linux environment, then LibreOffice is an excellent choice for you, if not the best choice.

Christopher Boyd

Freelance Web and Software Developer in Information Technology at Cre8tiveCoder (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

View profile