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Free alternatives to Microsoft 365 and Office apps

Free replacements for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, Visio, Project, Access and Publisher, plus the whole Microsoft 365 bundle.

Replacing all 10 paid apps saves up to $328 USD a year and $680 USD in one-time purchases

Last verified

Each paid app, its best free pick and what switching saves
Paid appBest free pickYou stop paying
Microsoft 365LibreOfficeTop pickLicense: Open source$100 a year
Microsoft WordLibreOffice WriterTop pickLicense: Open source$100 a year
Microsoft ExcelLibreOffice CalcTop pickLicense: Open source$100 a year
Microsoft PowerPointLibreOffice ImpressTop pickLicense: Open source$100 a year
Microsoft OutlookThunderbirdTop pickLicense: Open source$100 a year
Microsoft TeamsMattermostStrongLicense: Open source$48 a year
Microsoft Visiodraw.ioTop pickLicense: Open source$180 a year
Microsoft ProjectGanttProjectStrongLicense: Open source$680 once
Microsoft AccessLibreOffice BaseTop pickLicense: Open source$100 a year
Microsoft PublisherAffinityTop pickLicense: FreewareNo longer sold
Total for all 10 appsEach subscription counted once$328 USD a year+ $680 USD once

Savings are list prices for each app on its own plan, checked on the dates shown on each app’s page. Apps sold in the same subscription are counted once in the total, and a bundle can cost less than the sum. Discontinued apps are not counted: they can no longer be bought.

  1. Instead of Microsoft 365

    All 5 alternatives to Microsoft 365

    Swap the bundle for LibreOffice or ONLYOFFICE, plus Thunderbird for email.

    LibreOffice

    Best for a free offline replacement for the Office apps

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Active

    Saves $100 USD a year vs Microsoft 365 ($115 CAD)

    Also good: Google Workspace, ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Nextcloud.

  2. Instead of Microsoft Word

    All 3 alternatives to Microsoft Word

    Swap for LibreOffice Writer, or ONLYOFFICE for the closest DOCX layout.

    LibreOffice Writer

    Best for a full offline word processor on any desktop

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Active
    • DOCX: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Complex layouts and some fonts can shift
    • DOC: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Legacy DOC opens and saves; macros and embedded objects can differ
    • RTF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • ODT: opens and saves, full fidelity. Native format
    • PDF: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Exports PDF/A and tagged PDF; opening a PDF edits it in Draw, not as flowing text

    Saves $100 USD a year vs Microsoft Word ($115 CAD)

    Also good: ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Google Docs.

  3. Instead of Microsoft Excel

    All 4 alternatives to Microsoft Excel

    Swap for LibreOffice Calc. Power Query and VBA macros are the weak spots.

    LibreOffice Calc

    Best for a full offline spreadsheet on any desktop

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Active
    • XLSX: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Some charts, conditional formats and slicers differ
    • XLS: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Legacy XLS opens and saves; macros and some formatting can differ
    • CSV: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • ODS: opens and saves, full fidelity. Native format

    Saves $100 USD a year vs Microsoft Excel ($115 CAD)

    Also good: ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Google Sheets, Grist.

  4. Instead of Microsoft PowerPoint

    All 4 alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint

    Swap for LibreOffice Impress, or Google Slides in a browser.

    LibreOffice Impress

    Best for a full offline presentation app on any desktop

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Active
    • PPTX: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Animations, SmartArt and fonts can change
    • PPT: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Legacy PPT opens and saves; some effects can differ
    • ODP: opens and saves, full fidelity. Native format

    Saves $100 USD a year vs Microsoft PowerPoint ($115 CAD)

    Also good: ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, Google Slides, reveal.js.

  5. Instead of Microsoft Outlook

    All 2 alternatives to Microsoft Outlook

    Swap for Thunderbird on Windows, macOS and Linux.

    Thunderbird

    Best for a free open-source mail client on any desktop

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Android
    Status: Active
    • EML: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • ICS: opens and saves, full fidelity. Import and export of calendar events and tasks

    Saves $100 USD a year vs Microsoft Outlook ($115 CAD)

    Also good: eM Client.

  6. Instead of Microsoft Teams

    All 3 alternatives to Microsoft Teams

    Swap for Mattermost or Element for team chat, and Jitsi Meet for calls.

    Mattermost

    Best for self-hosted chat with developer integrations

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Active

    Saves $48 USD a year vs Microsoft Teams ($65 CAD)

    Also good: Element, Jitsi Meet.

  7. Instead of Microsoft Visio

    All 3 alternatives to Microsoft Visio

    Swap for draw.io, which imports VSDX files.

    draw.io

    Best for flowcharts and network diagrams on any platform

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    • Web
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Active
    • VSDX: opens only, partial fidelity. Imports VSDX; no VSDX export in current releases
    • SVG: opens and saves, partial fidelity. SVG export is meant for embedding; it is not an SVG editor

    Saves $180 USD a year vs Microsoft Visio ($245 CAD)

    Also good: LibreOffice Draw, Dia.

  8. Instead of Microsoft Project

    All 3 alternatives to Microsoft Project

    Swap for ProjectLibre or GanttProject; both open existing MPP files.

    GanttProject

    Best for simple Gantt planning with MS Project import

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Active
    • MPP: opens only, partial fidelity. Imports MPP files; exports MS Project XML instead
    • XML: opens and saves, full fidelity. Microsoft Project XML (MSPDI) import and export

    Saves $680 USD one-time vs Microsoft Project ($849 CAD)

    Also good: ProjectLibre, OpenProject.

  9. Instead of Microsoft Access

    All 3 alternatives to Microsoft Access

    Swap for LibreOffice Base, or Baserow for a web database.

    LibreOffice Base

    Best for a desktop database with forms and reports

    License: Open source
    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux
    Status: Active
    • ACCDB: opens only, partial fidelity. Connects to ACCDB files for reading and migration; may need Java
    • MDB: opens only, partial fidelity. Connects to MDB files for reading and migration; may need Java

    Saves $100 USD a year vs Microsoft Access ($115 CAD)

    Also good: NocoDB, Baserow.

  10. Instead of Microsoft Publisher

    All 3 alternatives to Microsoft Publisher

    Swap for Affinity, or Scribus, which imports some PUB files. Microsoft began removing Publisher on October 1, 2026.

    Affinity

    Best for free page layout with a Canva account

    License: Freeware
    • Windows
    • macOS
    Status: Verified
    • PSD: opens and saves, partial fidelity. Layers and adjustment layers import; smart objects are rasterized unless smart-object import is turned on
    • PSB: opens only, partial fidelity. Opens PSB files
    • TIFF: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • PNG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • JPG: opens and saves, full fidelity
    • +5 more

    Also good: Scribus, Canva.