LibreOffice: the Free Microsoft Office Alternative

Last updated: 12 October 2026

What LibreOffice replaces, and how well

LibreOffice replaces the desktop Microsoft Office apps. For example, Writer stands in for Word, Calc for Excel and Impress for PowerPoint. It also includes Draw for diagrams and simple layouts, Base for databases in the way Access works, and Math for writing formulas. The apps are installed on your machine, so nothing you type goes to a remote server.

For letters, reports, CVs, budgets, household spreadsheets and slide decks, it does the job well. However, the gaps show up with complex Office files: spreadsheets built on Excel macros, the newest Excel chart types and heavily designed PowerPoint templates. Those open, but they can need fixing by hand.

Do Mac users need it?

On a Mac, Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote are already free, and Apple confirms they stay free alongside its paid Apple Creator Studio bundle, which adds premium templates and AI tools for £12.99 a month. For documents that stay on Apple devices, they work well. However, they save in Apple's own formats, and they are not available on Windows. If you work with people who send Word and Excel files, or you switch between a Mac and a Windows PC, LibreOffice keeps you on the Microsoft formats on every machine without a subscription.

It is also the answer for anyone who does not want a Google account holding their documents. Google Docs is free too, but your files live in Google's cloud and editing offline needs setting up in advance.

Key features in LibreOffice 26.8

• Six apps in one download: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math.
• Microsoft format support: opens and saves DOCX, XLSX and PPTX, plus older DOC, XLS and PPT files and Publisher files.
• PDF export: built in, with options for forms and accessibility tags.
• No AI features: The Document Foundation states that nothing in 26.8 contacts a remote server.
• Better justified text: a new paragraph composer spaces justified lines more evenly.
• Variable fonts: support for OpenType variable fonts.
• Pivot tables: calculated fields in Calc's pivot tables.

Who makes LibreOffice, and which version to download

LibreOffice comes from The Document Foundation, a non-profit based in Berlin. It is released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Version 26.8 came out on 26 August 2026, and then the 26.8.1 update became available on 8 October 2026. The download page also offers 26.2.6, the older and more tested branch, which is supported until 30 November 2026. The Foundation suggests 26.8 for experienced users, while 26.2 suits work where stability matters most.

Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany has made LibreOffice its standard office software, and the state government says nearly 80 per cent of its workstations outside the tax office now use it, saving more than €15 million in licences.

How to get it

Download it free from libreoffice.org for Windows, Mac or Linux. On a Mac, pick the Apple silicon build for any Mac from 2020 onwards with an M-series chip. LibreOffice is also on the Mac App Store for £8.99, sold by The Document Foundation. That is the same software as the free download, minus the features that need Java, such as some of the database tools in Base, so the free download is the better choice.

Get LibreOffice for Windows, Mac or Linux

Macros, new Excel charts and live co-editing

First, Excel macros written in VBA run only partly. LibreOffice's help pages say its VBA support covers common uses but that you may have to edit the code. The newest Excel chart types, such as waterfall and treemap charts, survive a round trip but cannot yet be displayed or edited. And there is no Google Docs-style live co-editing in the desktop apps, so two people cannot type in the same file at once.

The default toolbars also look older than Microsoft's ribbon. Still, you can switch to a tabbed layout similar to Microsoft's ribbon under View, User Interface, which helps if you are moving over from Word. Finally, the full list of changes in 26.8 is in The Document Foundation's release announcement.

FAQs

Is LibreOffice completely free?

Yes. The download from libreoffice.org is free for home and business use. The £8.99 Mac App Store copy is the same software, so it is optional.

Can LibreOffice open Word and Excel files?

Yes. It opens and saves DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. However, complex files with macros or the newest chart types may need fixing.

Is LibreOffice better than Pages and Numbers on a Mac?

It is better if you share files with Word and Excel users or also use a Windows PC. But if all your documents stay on Apple devices, Pages, Numbers and Keynote are free and polished.

How much does Microsoft 365 cost in the UK?

Microsoft 365 Personal is £84.99 a year or £8.49 a month, and Family is £104.99 a year. LibreOffice is free. I checked Microsoft's prices on 12 October 2026.

Does LibreOffice have AI features?

No. The Document Foundation has kept AI out of LibreOffice 26.8, so the suite does not contact a remote server.

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