Best Open-Source Office Suites 2026: 6 Options Compared

An open-source office suite replaces Word, Excel and PowerPoint with software whose source you can inspect. LibreOffice is the default desktop answer, with Writer, Calc and Impress, and it is maintained by a foundation with regular releases. Apache OpenOffice is its older relative, volunteer-run and slower to change. Calligra is a lighter KDE suite. For browser-based collaboration, ONLYOFFICE, Collabora Online and CryptPad offer real-time editing: ONLYOFFICE emphasises Microsoft-format compatibility, Collabora Online brings LibreOffice's engine to the browser and is often paired with Nextcloud, and CryptPad encrypts documents end to end so the server cannot read them. Choose LibreOffice if you work alone or on a single machine. Choose ONLYOFFICE or Collabora if a team needs shared editing on its own server. Choose CryptPad if confidentiality matters more than features. Compatibility with complex .docx and .xlsx files is the usual pain point, so test your real files first, and expect macros and fancy chart styles to need tweaks. Several of these projects also sell supported editions or hosting, which were not priced here. Licences below come from each project's pages as of the check date.

LibreOffice

MPL-2.0 desktop suite with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools. Free to download and use with no account; the strongest all-round option.

Price: Free (download and use at no cost per its site) (LibreOffice pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. MPL-2.0 (open source) (license source).

Best for: Offline desktop work.

Worth knowing: Desktop suite of Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math; it has no built-in cloud storage or email.

ONLYOFFICE

AGPL-3.0 document server with strong Microsoft-format handling. The hosted startup plan includes 3 admins, 12 rooms and 2 GB of storage.

Price: Free (Startup cloud plan with up to 3 admins, unlimited users and guests, 12 rooms and 2 GB of storage); paid from $20 per admin/month (Business cloud plan; only admins are paid) (ONLYOFFICE pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. AGPL-3.0 (Docs server) (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 7.1k GitHub stars · latest release v10.0.0 (Oct 12, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: Teams needing .docx fidelity.

Collabora Online

MPL-2.0 browser-based editor built on LibreOffice's engine. Development has moved to Collabora's Gerrit, and supported builds are sold separately.

Price: Free (Source is free under MPL-2.0; Collabora also sells supported builds (not checked)) (Collabora Online pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. MPL-2.0 (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 3.4k GitHub stars · latest release 25.04.7-mobile (Dec 5, 2025) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Nextcloud-style collaboration.

Worth knowing: COPYING states MPL 2.0. README says active development moved to Collabora's Gerrit and the GitHub repository handles issues and release artifacts.

CryptPad

AGPL-3.0-or-later end-to-end encrypted suite with real-time editing of documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Features are narrower than desktop suites.

Price: Free (Source is free and open; hosted instances and any paid tier were not checked) (CryptPad pricing, checked 2026-10-24).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. AGPL-3.0-or-later (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 8k GitHub stars · latest release 2026.10.0 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Confidential collaboration.

Worth knowing: README: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite that synchronizes edits in real time; tagline lists spreadsheets, documents and presentations.

Apache OpenOffice

Apache-2.0 volunteer-developed suite that is free with donations accepted. Its release pace is slower than LibreOffice, so newer file-format fixes arrive later.

Price: Free (Free; developed by volunteers, donations accepted) (Apache OpenOffice pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. Apache License 2.0 (open source) (license source).

Best for: Users already familiar with OpenOffice.

Calligra Suite

LGPL 2+ and mostly GPL KDE suite, free. Lighter in scope than LibreOffice and aimed at KDE desktops.

Price: Free (Free KDE software) (Calligra Suite pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Linux, Windows. LGPL 2+ and GPL (mostly) (open source) (license source).

Project activity: 210 GitHub stars · last commit Oct 26, 2026

Best for: KDE users wanting a smaller suite.

Which one to pick

• You want a Microsoft Office replacement for one computer: LibreOffice
• A team needs shared editing on its own server: ONLYOFFICE
• You already run Nextcloud and want its editors: Collabora Online
• Your documents must stay unreadable to the server: CryptPad