# Page 5 | Apache OpenOffice Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 5 - Is Apache OpenOffice the right Productivity solution for you? Explore 499 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/160717/Apache-OpenOffice/reviews --- Apache OpenOffice 4.4 (499) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/160717/Apache-OpenOffice/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Page 5 - Reviews of Apache OpenOffice ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 101-125 of 499 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use SR Sandeep R. Quality Analyst Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Free and reliable office suite with good set of features" June 4, 2021 5.0 OpenOffice is a very good application for small to medium companies. Although it lacks few features overall the experience is great. It works very well and smooth without any lags even on low end pc. Pros First of all, it is free. It is the best free office suite application that is available in the market. It has documents, slides, sheets compatibility. It runs smoothly even on low end PC. It consumes very less memory and ram making it more efficient and quicker to load. Online community is great and wide to get any support. Deploying the software is easy and user friendly. It great to run test script using its Calc app. Cons No browser support, we have to download application in order to use. Sometimes the format gets messed up when we open files that are edited on other office apps like Microsoft Office. It doesnt support few file formats like docs. UI looks outdated. Review Source Gioacchino T. Studente Universitario Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Un' ottima alternativa" July 13, 2023 4.0 Ottimo software alternativo al più blasonato Microsoft Office. Molte funzionalità disponibili gratuitamente e tutte le applicazioni che ne fanno parte sono ben interconnesse tra loro. Se cercate una libreria del genere, Apache OpenOffice è la scelta giusta per voi. Pros Libreria ampia il giusto, possibilità di di scrivere, fare calcoli, studiare matematica, disegnare e creare presentazioni animate. Gratuito. Cons Essendo gratuito non offre la stessa qualità di Microsoft Office Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelance Videographer, Freelance Designer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I have used Open Office for over 5 years and I would never switch back to any other software." February 7, 2018 5.0 I get everything any other office software offers but it is absolutely free. Pros This software is absolutely free! The best thing about OpenOffice is that there is little to no compromise when it comes to features and functionality. Why pay for something when ApacheOffice offers it at no cost? Cons Although you can do anything with OpenOffice that you can with other software, I wish specifically that assigning hotkeys to your styles was easier to do. Review Source Javier G. Front-End Developer Internet Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Good Alternative to MS Office" June 6, 2022 5.0 Pros Being Open Source, you can use it without worrying about licence management Cons MS Office compatibility it's hit or miss Review Source JA João A. CEO Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Apache OpenOffice - The best productivity" April 19, 2023 5.0 Excelent experience, for me Apache OpenOffice is the best alternative to Microsoft Office Pros Easy and quick to use, easy and fast installation Cons Sometimes the compatibility with complex microsoft office files is difficult Review Source Dylan E. Software Programmer and Security Officer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best free-to-use office suite, which almost stacks up to the paid competitors" May 10, 2018 4.0 It is a great alternative to MS Office when that is not available due to the OS of the system or the costs involved. It allows me to have a very similar feel to MS Office, without the licensing issues. Pros The software is completely free and a lot smaller in disk size than its main competitor, Microsoft Office. It also has almost the same set of applications and functionalities as MS Office (as far as I use it). It can also run on any type of OS, which is great for Mac/Linux users. Cons The interface looks a little antiquated compared to its competitors. Also I dislike the OpenOffice native file formats, which cannot be imported in many other applications. I have also encountered some bugs when opening files in OpenOffice that were made in MS Office , or vice versa; lay-out would be distorted and images removed. Review Source MH MICHAEL H. Content Creator Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Awesome alternative to Microsoft Office" June 13, 2019 5.0 I started using Open Office in college. I was over at a friend's house and we were working on a project but he did not have Microsoft Office. I had heard people talk about Open Office, but to be honest I was a Microsoft fanboy. But that's an easy life when you are not directly responsible for paying for it. My friend downloaded and installed Open Office and we were able to create access the saved data files from class. No longer in college, and solely responsible for my finances, I have ditched the fanboy attire, and now I wear the FREE is for ME lifestyle. Pros The thing I like the most about Open Office is that it is a FREE alternative to Microsoft Office. Cons The thing I like the least about Open Office is trying to figuring how to do tasks that I am familiar with Microsoft Office, but I will say that Open Office did a wonderful job on the icons. Their similarities to Microsoft Office's icons and icon placement does help out alot. Review Source Waldo M. Director of Media Services Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "OpenOffice - Professional Functionality" May 5, 2022 5.0 OpenOffice does exceptionally well what it sets out to do, I.e. give the user an office suite with full functionality. The user interface is friendly and intuitive, and can be used by personnel at all skill levels. Pros The fact that OpenOffice is open source is a great motivator for usage; add to that the exceptional cross-platform document handling, and you have an office environment that can function well and efficiently. Cons At the time of use I cannot really identify a "least-liked" option. Review Source CJ Chelsea J. Actor Performing Arts Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I don't even use other word processing programs anymore." December 7, 2019 5.0 Open Office is my go-to for document creation and editing. Pros I absolutely adore the comprehensive document creating and editing program. It's just as efficient and user friendly as major namebrand word processing programs. It has bells and whistles that make document creation of more than just a business letter a positive experience; but at the same time it's also no-nonsense and uncomplicated. Cons Honestly I don't think there's anything I -don't- like about Open Office. Sure sometimes the .odt format can be a little annoying when someone else tries to open it up in a program other than Open Office, but that's easily fixed by saving it in a supported format. Review Source jB john B. Software user Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Personal Experince Working With Apache Open Office Software" July 21, 2022 5.0 My overall experience is really positive and I would recommend using it for me or friends and for business use. Pros I have tried to use this Apache Open Office on one of my PCs at home, and I enjoy the fact that it's open source software and provides you with a similar experience as when working on other paid programs. Cons I don't have anything that I disklike while using the Apache Open Office software. Review Source Liz W. Photographer Photography Used the software for: 2+ years ### "OpenOffice, free alternative to Microsoft Office" September 10, 2018 5.0 Overall, my experience with OpenOffice has been great. I am a small business owner, and there's nothing I can't do for my business using this software. I use it to create spreadsheets, invoices, receipts, and other miscellaneous documents. I don't experience hiccups with the software and I have yet to find missing features that I would otherwise use. And, of course, it is always free. Pros What I like most about Apache OpenOffice is that it's free and fully functional. I purchased an Apple laptop which did not come with Microsoft Office, and not wanting to purchase the latter, OpenOffice was the perfect substitute. Anything that I could or would do with Microsoft Office, I can do in OpenOffice. Cons What I like least about OpenOffice is that its default format is .ODF, so when opening .DOC documents, I do experience some format incompatibility. Review Source EM Emilio M. Store manager Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Software freeware affidabile" April 10, 2023 4.0 Pros Il programma di calcolo e di scrittura non hanno nulla da invidiare ad altri software a pagamento. Facile da utilizzare e compatibile con altre estensioni Cons Ogni tanto va in crash e talvolta non è possibile recuperare ciò che si era creato Review Source EP Ed P. owner E-Learning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Does everything and for free" June 23, 2020 5.0 I depend on it daily for writing and spreadsheets and am not disappointed! Cannot beat the free price. Pros It does everything -- i mainly use word processing and spreadsheets -- without getting wrapped up in Microsoft's intrusive and expensive software. I can open and save as Word, can open CVS, etc. Easy and effective Cons What's not to like, except they leave phone apps to private developers and i do wish i could search and replace tabs and other formatting symbols, but nobody's asked this since Microsoft Works in the 1990s! Alternatives considered [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) Reason for choosing Apache OpenOffice Less intrusive, free, and capable of opening and saving to Microsoft formats if needed. Review Source DC Domenica C. ASD marketing manager Entertainment Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "FAcilissimo da usare ed economico" June 20, 2023 5.0 Pros Credo che sia l'unica vera alternativa al più blasonato Office di Microsoft. Fa praticamente tutto, basta prenderci un po' la mano Cons Solo un piccolo inconveniente su integrazione con altri programmi meno noti Switched from [Microsoft 365](https://www.capterra.com/p/227157/Microsoft-365/) perchè con le stesse funzionalità, di base almeno, ho un prodotto economico Review Source Carlos R. Head of Industrial Metrology Lab Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Similar to Office, easy to use, the low cost option for yours documents." March 26, 2018 4.0 Pros Will permit make almost all the Office make, only formats complex (many borders and tables. specific paragraph configuration, etc) are difficult to elaborate. For personal, small and medium company its a MUST BE for efficient and fast work. Cons It posible to had any compatibility problems to open Office documents with complex formatting, its the only and mayor problem for this software in my opinion. Review Source GS Goran S. Owner Leisure, Travel & Tourism Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A great alternative" April 27, 2021 5.0 I switched from MS Office to OpenOffice and I must admit, I feel no difference. It is a good thing, though, as Microsoft Office is rather expensive, while OpenOffice is completely free! I would expect a significant quality drop between the two, but I have not found one. I can only recommend everyone to switch over as it has saved me hundreds of dollars so far. Pros It is good at doing what it advertises. It is a full on suite of programs on par with the mainstream alternatives. I was especially surprised with how easy it was to switch from Microsoft products to OpenOffice and how little difficulty there was. Cons Sometimes it lags a bit. It feels like it has some optimization issues. Larger actions make my computer lag more than it ever happened with MS Office suite. I also noticed some issues with layouts and formatting - it just won't behave as I would expect it to. Switched from [WPS Office](https://www.capterra.com/p/126794/WPS-Office/)[LibreOffice](https://www.capterra.com/p/158981/LibreOffice/) I was trying out new alternatives to Microsoft Office and free options I was using this far. Review Source Gary G. Bench Technician Computer Hardware Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Alternative! (With a catch.)" July 25, 2019 5.0 For customers who need something quick and/or free, I cannot recommend Apache OpenOffice enough! IT takes a little time to get used to, but it's the best alternative I've found out there! Pros I've been able to open just about every single file I could think of using this software that was originally used with Microsoft Office! Very handy for people who need something right away who don't have time to try and download Office all over again, or someone who is only going to use this software very rarely. Cons It opens 90% of all files I have opened previously with a Microsoft Office application, but there are still several file formats from Windows 7 and before that still have issues and will only open up showing random characters and symbols. Can be a little frustrating at times. Review Source JL Josep L. Gerente Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Gratuito y con todo lo necesario" December 19, 2023 5.0 Considero que quien paga por programas similares comete un grave error. Pros Es gratuito, hace lo mismo que otros productos de pago. Cons No tiene desventajas más allá de que al ser un programa gratuito no hay un equipo de soporte. Review Source CC Cristina C. Insegnante Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Una valida alternativa a Office" January 17, 2023 4.0 Ottima Pros È gratuito ed intuitivo. Una valida alternativa a pacchetti costosi Cons Manca qualche funzionalità di Office, ma di riesce facilmente ad ovviare Switched from [Office 365 Timesheet App](https://www.capterra.com/p/174840/Office-365-Timesheet-App/) Costi Review Source Radek T. CEO Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Office suite essentials on the budget" March 5, 2021 5.0 After using the OpenOffice package for over 10 years, I really cannot count how many times I've actually praised its ease of use, wide variety of key features to my friends, making them make the switch from other Office suite packages. If you're an open source enthusiast and you need an office suite for your daily work, look no further - you've found a great one already! Pros The fact that you can own a complete Office software package that's open source and just as good as its expensive alternatives. Magic, right?! Cons Sometimes it might be tricky to correctly parse the original MS Office files (such as xls or docx). Review Source AD Arthur D. Aministrator Judiciary Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Apache OpenOffice 4.1.7 Some Glitches But Affordable (Free)" August 29, 2020 4.0 Overall, my experience has been excellent and I've been using it for several years. While Open Office is my primary for word processing and I occasionally use it for spread sheet work, I still use Microsoft Office365 for that type of work. Pros It's an office suite with modules similar to Microsoft's Office and it's files are compatible with same. Cons While most of the files across the Board there and different labels and subsequently names for action within similar application when compared to Windows Office. Reason for choosing Apache OpenOffice While I've tried several other products, I always return to Open Office. Sometimes I completely uninstall the trial software and sometimes I keep it on my home computer so there's something I can revert to if I have a problem with the application(s) I normally use. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Application Developer Banking Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Apache OpenOffice would have better provided cloud storage" October 3, 2022 5.0 Despite having all the necessary tools to work with Office formats, Open Office is not suitable for collaboration due to its lack of cloud support. Pros It can be integrated with any office suite easily like MS office Cons the only thing Apache OpenOffice lacks is it doesn't cloud storage Review Source brian M. Water Engineer Civil Engineering Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A wonderful open resource" September 12, 2019 5.0 Apache open office is a great open resource that is very complete as a document editing and managing software. Pros One thing I love about open office is that it is an open resource that anyone can get for free online. It has great tools to perform office tasks including slides and spreadsheets like its counterpart Microsoft office. I love that open office can open file formats that are impossible for ms office to open. Cons Open office is not as advanced and powerful as Microsoft Office and it lacks some features. Also, most people are not familiar with the formats that open office files are saved in and I always feel the need to save my documents in ms office before I send them out to people. Review Source Alison W. PowerSchool Administrator Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A great little free word processor that can cross platforms and open many files." November 16, 2017 4.0 Pros I love that this process is free. As a student, I used to be pained by the money needed to drop on something just so that I could format text for papers, when the cost was really more for features I would never use. Open Office is the solution. Great for students or organizations, Open Office is a nice little word processor for general files. It has a feel similar to Word or Pages, without the costs that are/were associated with either application. Additionally, it is able to open rich text, plain text, .doc or .pages files without issue, making it a great resource to access files if you have an application that is unable to open it otherwise or recover the text. Cons What I like the least about Open Office is how watered down the product is, there are a lot of times I am yearning for a bit more functionality. It can be a bit buggy in our Mac environment, but mostly in the more advanced features, not as much for the general user. 4.1 is a bit unstable, with a lot of crashes, and customer support is harder to navigate through user forums. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Have been using since their first edition. For a novice up to daily user Open Office cannot be beat" March 24, 2018 4.0 store a big amount of information Pros Just about any small to medium individual or business can find all features easy to use. Most functions are professional enough to easily begin and finish a task Cons Customer service is a bit lacking but at the worst case Open Office can easily be reloaded. On occasion when sharing with other spreadsheets becomes a bit difficult Review Source Similar Products Featured