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Last checked October 15, 2026

Best Free Alternatives to Microsoft Word (2026)

Word is the document people still email around. The useful test is whether another editor opens the file, keeps styles, and works when the network does not.

IndividualsSmall teamsStudentsPrice unverified

What Microsoft Word costs

Paid plans exist. A current dollar figure is not copied into this listing.

Microsoft Word website·Pricing source

Ranked by Drop-in score

How we rank

#1 is the highest-scoring alternative that is not sponsored. A featured listing, when one is sold, is labeled and sits after #1.

  1. 90
    #1Open sourceReview notes

    LibreOffice

    A desktop suite that opens Office files.

    Last checked October 15, 2026 · MPL-2.0

    MacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsMigration guideWebsite
  2. 80
    #2Open sourceReview notes

    Collabora Online

    LibreOffice in the browser for a file share.

    Last checked October 15, 2026 · MPL-2.0

    WebSelf-host
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  3. 80
    #3Open sourceReview notes

    ONLYOFFICE

    Browser editors for DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX.

    Last checked October 15, 2026 · AGPL-3.0 (community docs)

    WebSelf-hostMacWindowsLinux
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  4. 57
    #4Open sourceReview notes

    CryptPad

    Encrypted collaborative docs in the browser.

    Last checked October 15, 2026 · AGPL-3.0

    WebSelf-host
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  5. 43
    #5Open sourceReview notes

    AbiWord

    A small desktop word processor.

    Last checked October 15, 2026 · GPL-2.0

    LinuxWindows
    Cost and detailsWebsite

Feature by feature

Full is the whole job. Partial is a real version with a gap. Missing means it does not do this. Not checked counts as zero in the score.

FeatureLibreOffice#1 · 90Collabora Online#2 · 80ONLYOFFICE#3 · 80CryptPad#4 · 57AbiWord#5 · 43
Opens and saves DOCXWeight 10FullFullFullPartialPartial
Styles, headings, and a table of contentsWeight 8FullFullFullPartialPartial
Comments and tracked changesWeight 8FullFullPartialPartialMissing
More than one person in the same fileWeight 6FullFullFullFullMissing
Works without an accountWeight 8PartialMissingPartialPartialFull

Real cost

LibreOffice

Free tier
The desktop apps are free to download.
Hosted plan
No hosted price recorded.
Self-hosting
Not a self-hosted product. The desktop apps are not a server. Collabora Online is the browser version.

Collabora Online

Free tier
The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
Hosted plan
No hosted price recorded.
Self-hosting
Moderate. Typically deployed next to Nextcloud. It is a server, not a laptop app.

ONLYOFFICE

Free tier
The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
Hosted plan
No hosted price recorded.
Self-hosting
Moderate. Plan on Docker or a small VM. A hosted plan, when one exists, is separate from the free self-host.

CryptPad

Free tier
The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
Hosted plan
No hosted price recorded.
Self-hosting
Moderate. Plan on Docker or a small VM. A hosted plan, when one exists, is separate from the free self-host.

AbiWord

Free tier
Free desktop app. Unverified.
Hosted plan
No hosted price recorded.
Self-hosting
Not a self-hosted product. Desktop only.

Top pair

Migrate from Microsoft Word to LibreOffice

Export each DOCX from Word, including files that only live in OneDrive.

Read the migration guide

Questions