LibreOffice vs OpenOffice

by Gralio Feb 27, 2025

LibreOffice and OpenOffice are both free and open-source office suites offering a robust alternative to paid software. LibreOffice stands out with its faster development pace and larger community, while OpenOffice offers a more stable, albeit slower-evolving, experience.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 2704 reviews and 54 websites, saving 15 hours, 28 minutes of reading.

Logo of LibreOffice
Logo of OpenOffice

About

LibreOffice is a free suite of office software that lets you create and edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. It's compatible with Microsoft Office files and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Run by a non-profit, LibreOffice is a good choice if you're looking for a cost-effective and reliable alternative to paid office software.
Apache OpenOffice is a free and open-source office software suite suitable for any size business. It offers tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics and databases. As a reliable and completely free alternative to paid office suites, OpenOffice gives you everything you need to create professional documents, manage data, and design compelling presentations without licensing costs.

Summary

Main difference
LibreOffice is a more actively developed fork of OpenOffice, offering more frequent updates and a larger community contributing to its development. OpenOffice, while still maintained, has a slower release cycle and a smaller community.

Relative strengths of LibreOffice (compared to OpenOffice)

  • More frequent updates and new features

  • Larger and more active community support

  • Better compatibility with newer Microsoft Office file formats

Relative weaknesses of LibreOffice (compared to OpenOffice)

  • Slightly higher system requirements compared to OpenOffice

  • Less focus on strict adherence to ODF standards

  • Can be perceived as less stable due to faster update cycles

Who should use LibreOffice VS. OpenOffice

LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite, a robust alternative to Microsoft Office. Ideal for individuals, students, educators, non-profits, and small businesses seeking a cost-effective yet powerful solution. Users praise its stability, cross-platform compatibility, and comprehensive features. Some find adapting file formats challenging.

OpenOffice is a free, open-source office suite perfect for budget-conscious users. It offers tools for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. Users appreciate its cost-effectiveness and multi-platform availability but note occasional compatibility issues with Microsoft Office formats. Ideal for organizations of all sizes seeking a no-cost productivity solution.

  • Best for small businesses (1-100 employees).

  • Particularly well-suited for Education and Non-profit/Government organizations.

  • Ideal for businesses of all sizes seeking a free office suite.

  • Suitable for various industries, including education, healthcare, and non-profits.

LibreOffice and OpenOffice features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Database application
    Supported

    LibreOffice Base allows creating, managing, and querying databases.

    Supported

    OpenOffice supports database applications through its component called Base.

  • Open Source Software
    Supported

    LibreOffice is free to use, distribute, and modify, with publicly available source code.

    Supported

    OpenOffice is free to use, distribute, and modify, with publicly available source code.

  • MS Office Compatibility
    Supported

    LibreOffice supports Microsoft Office formats, but complex formatting may have glitches.

    Supported

    OpenOffice is compatible with Microsoft Office file formats.

  • Microsoft Word compatibility
    Supported

    LibreOffice can open, edit, and save files in Microsoft Word formats.

    Supported

    OpenOffice can open, edit, and save Word-compatible documents, but formatting differences may occur.

  • OpenDocument Format (ODF)
    Supported

    LibreOffice fully supports the OpenDocument Format (ODF) for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

    Supported

    OpenOffice fully supports OpenDocument Format for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

  • Older file format compatibility
    Supported

    LibreOffice can open files from older office suites, including Microsoft Office and others.

    Supported

    OpenOffice supports older file formats, including legacy and Microsoft Office formats.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    No data
  • Ease of Use
    +0.82
    Strongly positive sentiment
    No data
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
    No data
  • Ease of Implementation
    +1
    Strongly positive sentiment
    No data

LibreOffice and OpenOffice Pricing

No data
We couldn't find a pricing page for LibreOffice.
No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive
+1
We couldn't find a pricing page for OpenOffice.

LibreOffice and OpenOffice review insights

311 reviews analysed from

Users love

  • Its a very stable and simple software which can be used in all major OS platforms.
  • Helps in simplifying work flow by making file sharing in cross department easier.
  • Compatible with multi OS environments
  • Easy to use on Linux environments.
  • Complete productivity office suite
  • Completely free and a good alternative to MS Office
  • Available for multiple platforms
  • Easy to use and install
  • Open source

Users dislike

  • Difficult to integrate with some enterprise processes that require more common software.
  • Some features are difficult to use in some LibreOffice applications (like spreadsheets).
  • It is sometimes difficult to adapt file formats. Numerous unnecessary functions and paid software.
  • Layout and difficulty finding some tools.
  • It can be difficult to execute when sharing files.
  • Compatibility issues with MS Office
  • Formatting is not the same when opening MS Office files
  • Limited features compared to paid products

LibreOffice and OpenOffice Ratings

  • G2
    4.3/5
    (262)
  • Capterra
    4.3/5
    (2133)
  • G2
    4.3/5
    (311)

Company health

Employee growth

8% increase in the last year
No data

Web traffic

1% increase in the last quarter
No data

Financing

No data
No data

How do LibreOffice and OpenOffice compare in handling complex Microsoft Office formatting?

Both LibreOffice and OpenOffice have known limitations regarding complex Microsoft Office formatting. While they aim for compatibility, user reviews and feature descriptions indicate potential issues with retaining intricate formatting when opening or saving Microsoft Office files. The extent of these issues can vary depending on the complexity of the original document.

Which product has a more active and responsive community for troubleshooting support?

LibreOffice appears to have a more active and responsive community. While neither product provides specific customer service data, LibreOffice has shown recent growth in its LinkedIn employee count, suggesting more resources dedicated to the project. Additionally, user reviews for both products highlight compatibility issues with Microsoft Office, but LibreOffice users tend to praise its cross-platform compatibility and ease of use on Linux, indicating a potentially broader and more engaged user base providing support.

What are the advantages of LibreOffice?

LibreOffice benefits from being actively developed and maintained by a non-profit foundation, resulting in frequent updates and improvements. Users appreciate its stability and cross-platform compatibility across major operating systems. Being fully open-source allows for greater flexibility and customization compared to OpenOffice.

What are the disadvantages of LibreOffice?

LibreOffice users have reported difficulties integrating with some enterprise processes that rely on more commonly used software. Some features within specific applications, like spreadsheets, are considered difficult to use. File format adaptation can also be challenging, and users have noted issues with layout and finding specific tools. Sharing files can sometimes present execution difficulties as well.

Alternatives to LibreOffice and OpenOffice

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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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