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LibreOffice vs Microsoft 365: Which Office Suite Should You Use?

Compare LibreOffice and Microsoft 365 on price, desktop apps, sign-in, file sharing, open source and Office file support, and pick the suite that fits your work.

By listme.name 5 min read Share

Choose LibreOffice if you want a free, open-source suite that runs on your own computer with no sign-in, and you mostly work offline. Choose Microsoft 365 if your work already runs on Microsoft accounts, Outlook and OneDrive, or if you need its full desktop Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps. Both open Microsoft Office files, so cost, where your documents live and how you share them will decide it, and the LibreOffice vs Microsoft 365 comparison sets the two side by side.

Quick comparison

The table uses the product listings and the office suites ranking, which gives the most weight to document quality and reliability, then free use, open-source options and browser access. For how the scores are set, see how the rankings work.

LibreOffice Microsoft 365
Made by The Document Foundation Microsoft
Price model and free plan Free, with no subscription Subscription for desktop apps; free web apps with a Microsoft account
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, web
Works in a browser No Yes
Open source Yes, MPL-2.0 No
Where data is stored or key design difference Desktop suite with no sign-in and no built-in cloud co-editing Files shared through OneDrive and SharePoint, with Outlook, Teams and Copilot features in the suite
Best for Free offline office work on the desktop Office documents and Outlook for work teams

Pricing and free plans

LibreOffice costs nothing to download or use, and it has no subscription or sign-in step. Its source is public under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, so the license is open as well as the price.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription. The desktop versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint need a paid plan, while the web versions are free with a Microsoft account. The product listing counts the recurring subscription cost among its drawbacks, so the price question matters most if you need the desktop apps every day.

Plan details change over time. The listing points readers to Microsoft's support pages for what each plan includes, so check those before you buy. For occasional document work, the free web apps may be enough, and LibreOffice covers offline desktop work without any payment. If you want to compare a yearly subscription with a free suite over several years, the subscription cost calculator makes that comparison easier.

Platforms and sync

LibreOffice runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The desktop suite has no sign-in and no built-in cloud co-editing, so sharing usually means sending a file or keeping it in a folder that syncs through a cloud storage service. How to choose cloud storage covers the sync side in more depth.

Microsoft 365 has desktop apps for Windows and macOS and web apps that run in a browser. Its shared files live in OneDrive and SharePoint, and Outlook and Teams sit in the same subscription. The listing names Windows and macOS for the desktop apps, so a Linux desktop user would work through the web apps or choose another suite.

Features that set them apart

  • Desktop depth and the wider set. Microsoft 365's desktop apps are the main reason to pay, according to the listing. The subscription also bundles Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and Copilot features, and the listing says it has more desktop features and admin controls than LibreOffice or Google Docs. LibreOffice covers the core document, spreadsheet and presentation work with Writer, Calc and Impress, and adds Draw and Base, a database front end.
  • Sign-in. LibreOffice needs no account. Microsoft 365's web apps need a Microsoft account, and its desktop apps need a paid plan.
  • File formats. LibreOffice reads and writes Microsoft Office formats as well as the OpenDocument format. Microsoft 365 is built around the Office formats, so it is the reference point for files that come from Office users.
  • Interface. The LibreOffice listing says its interface looks more dated than the newest suites. Microsoft 365 is familiar to many workplaces, and its listing ties it to organizations that already use Microsoft accounts.

Privacy, openness and data ownership

LibreOffice's source code is on GitHub under MPL-2.0, so anyone can read it. Microsoft 365 is closed source, so its code cannot be checked the same way.

Files you share through Microsoft 365 sit in OneDrive or SharePoint, so Microsoft's storage and terms apply to those documents. The listings do not describe Microsoft's data handling in detail, so read its privacy terms and your admin settings before you store sensitive documents there.

On ownership, LibreOffice saves to Office and OpenDocument formats, and other tools can open both. That makes files less tied to one suite. For self-hosted online editing, ONLYOFFICE and Collabora Online can run on servers you control, as the other options below explain.

Who should choose LibreOffice

  • You want a free office suite with no subscription and no account.
  • You work mostly on one computer and need your documents to open offline.
  • You want open-source software under MPL-2.0 that you can read.
  • You can accept a more dated interface and no built-in cloud co-editing.
  • You still exchange Word, Excel and PowerPoint files with others, since LibreOffice reads and writes those formats.

Other choices are in LibreOffice alternatives.

Who should choose Microsoft 365

  • Your organization already runs on Microsoft accounts, Outlook, Teams or OneDrive.
  • You need the desktop Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps, and you accept a subscription to get them.
  • You want shared files, Copilot features and admin controls in one plan.
  • You can accept closed source and a recurring cost.

Other choices are in Microsoft 365 alternatives.

Other options worth a look

Compare head to head

Comparison tablePut the leaders side by sideMicrosoft 365, Google Docs, LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE

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