Apache OpenOffice vs WPS Writer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Apache OpenOffice and WPS Writer share a 3.2 GPA, both have a free plan, and Apache OpenOffice has no paid plan to buy, against $5.83 a month for WPS Writer.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Apache OpenOffice grades higher on the free plan. WPS Writer grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Apache OpenOffice
Free open-source office suite with the Writer word processor
WPS Writer
Word-compatible word processor in the WPS Office suite
Which one is for you
Pick Apache OpenOffice if
- Fits if you want a desktop word processor for $0 and don't need online co-editing
- Works for old PCs and offline work, where an installer is all you need
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a web or phone version, since the download page lists neither
- Not for you if you want a paid helpdesk, because support is volunteers
- Too light for shared editing, with no cloud storage or live co-editing listed
- Watch out: the Windows installer listed is 32-bit and Macs below 10.7 need a separate download
Pick WPS Writer if
- Fits if you want a free word processor that opens and saves Word files
- Works for a family or small group of 2 or more splitting Pro+ at $41.99 a person a year
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you only want a word processor, as Writer comes with the whole WPS Office suite and isn't sold alone
- Tight if you stay free: 1 GB of cloud space, limited template downloads, basic PDF tools, and going ad-free takes Pro+
- Not for you if you lean on AI all day, because the Pro+ tools pause once the daily limit is reached
- Watch out: prices are given for PC and Android only, none for Mac or iOS, and the 3-day trial is on the Sharing Plan only
- Skip it if you need it to talk to other apps, as the listing shows no integrations and no API
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAApache OpenOfficeVery good | 3.2GPAWPS WriterVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$0 for the whole suite with no licence fee, commercial use included. Against a category with $9.75 in the middle, that's as cheap as it gets. | AThe whole suite, Writer included, is a free download for Windows, Mac, Linux, phones and the web, so the job gets done without paying anything. Pro+ is $69.99 a year, $5.83 a month, for the whole suite, and two or more people can split a Sharing Plan at $41.99 each a year. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree to download and use on as many PCs as you like, with no caps listed. | BWPS Standard is the free suite with Writer in it, basic PDF features, a PDF reader and 1 GB of cloud space. Template downloads are limited, and no advertising is something only Pro+ lists. |
| Features | BWriter with contents tables, references, AutoCorrect, margin comments, and PDF, HTML and MediaWiki export, plus Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. | BOpens and saves .docx, .doc and .rtf with styles, tables and macros kept, the vendor says. Real-time co-editing with comments and version history, WPS AI to draft, rewrite, summarize and translate, and PDF to Word conversion. Full PDF editing is Pro+ only. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but you download, install and start typing with nothing to set up. | BNo store rating on record, so we go on the listing: it's a free download that opens the Word files you already have, with nothing to set up. The AI tools on Pro+ do pause for the day once you reach their daily limit. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux installers only: a program for computers alone. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android and the web. But the listing shows no integrations and no API, which is what an A needs. The pricing page also gives prices for PC and Android only, not Mac or iOS. |
| Best for | a no-cost office suite on a desktop | a free stand-in for Microsoft Word |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Apache OpenOffice and WPS Writer. How we grade
Price against what you get
Apache OpenOffice has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. WPS Writer starts at $5.83 a month and scores 3.0.
WPS Writer scores higher, and starts $5.83 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than Apache OpenOffice for less, and 1 scores higher than WPS Writer for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Apache OpenOffice is open source, according to its own site.
- Apache OpenOffice also covers spreadsheets and presentations.
- WPS Writer also covers grammar & style.
At a glance
| Apache OpenOffice | WPS Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $5.83 per month, billed $69.99 per year (WPS Pro+) |
| Free plan | The whole suite is free to download and use for any purpose, private or commercial, on as many PCs as you like. | WPS Standard: the free WPS Office suite, Writer included, with basic PDF features, a PDF reader, limited template downloads and 1 GB of cloud space. |
| Free trial | None listed | 3-day free trial on the WPS Pro+ Sharing Plan. Purchases carry a 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Apache Software Foundation | Kingsoft Office Software |
| Price read from | openoffice.org | wps.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Apache OpenOffice
- The download page lists only Windows, Linux and macOS installers; no web version or mobile app is listed.
- The Windows installer listed is 32-bit, and macOS versions below 10.7 have a separate download.
- Support comes from a volunteer community rather than a paid helpdesk.
WPS Writer
- WPS Writer is not sold on its own: it comes with the WPS Office suite, and every plan covers the whole suite.
- The free plan is limited to 1 GB of cloud space and restricted template downloads, and no advertising is listed as a Pro+ benefit.
- AI tools on Pro+ have a daily usage limit; once it is reached they pause until the next day.
- The pricing page says its prices apply to PC and Android, and it gives no prices for Mac or iOS.
Key features
Apache OpenOffice
- Writer word processor
- Handles anything from a short memo to a book, with styles, text frames, mail-merge wizards and multi-page display while editing.
- Tables of contents and references
- Generates tables of contents, indexes, bibliographic references and lists of illustrations or tables for long documents.
- AutoCorrect and AutoComplete
- Corrects typing mistakes and checks spelling as you type, supports several languages in one document, and suggests common words and phrases.
- PDF, HTML and MediaWiki export
- Exports to PDF, HTML and MediaWiki format; the PDF export offers a large set of formatting and security settings.
- Comments in the margin
- Notes show beside the text, with different colors for different users and the date and time of each edit.
- Extensions and templates
- A public library of user-made extensions, dictionaries and templates adds functions and starting layouts.
WPS Writer
- Word-compatible editing
- Opens and saves .docx, .doc and .rtf files, and the vendor says styles, headers and footers, tables, images and macros are preserved.
- AI writing and rewriting
- WPS AI drafts reports, proposals and letters from a prompt, and can polish wording, change tone, or expand and shorten selected text.
- AI summary, translation and spell check
- Summarizes long documents and answers questions about them, translates whole documents, and lists spelling and grammar suggestions to review one by one or in batches.
- Real-time co-editing
- Documents can be shared with view, comment or edit permissions and edited together across desktop and web, with comments, mentions and version history.
- Templates and design resources
- Templates, fonts, icons, covers and table styles for reports, resumes and letters. Template downloads are limited on the free plan and unlimited on Pro+.
- PDF conversion
- Converts PDF files into editable Word documents. The free plan has basic PDF features; full PDF editing and conversion tools are part of Pro+.
Plans
Apache OpenOffice
Apache OpenOffice$0
Full suite (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math) with no license fee; the project accepts donations.
WPS Writer
WPS Standard$0
The free WPS Office suite, including Writer, with basic PDF features, limited template downloads and 1 GB of cloud space.
WPS Pro+$69.99
per year ($5.83 / month); or $20.99 per 3 months
Suite-wide plan for one user: full PDF editing and conversion, unlimited template downloads, 20 GB of cloud storage, no advertising and AI tools with daily limits.
WPS Pro+ Sharing Plan$41.99
per user / year, 2 users minimum; or $4.99 per user / month
Suite-wide Pro+ benefits for each member of a family or small group, with a private 20 GB of cloud storage per member. Members can be added or removed.
Ways to pay less
Apache OpenOffice
No public discounts listed.
WPS Writer
- Other savings
Sharing Plan cuts the per-user price by 40%
With at least 2 users, the WPS Pro+ Sharing Plan costs $41.99 per user a year against $69.99 for a single Pro+ subscription. The pricing page labels this as saving 40%.
- Annual discount
Lower monthly cost on the 1-year plan
WPS Pro+ for a year is $69.99, which the page shows as $5.83 a month, against $20.99 for the 3-month plan, shown as $6.99 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Apache OpenOffice or WPS Writer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Apache OpenOffice is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5.83 a month for WPS Writer. Apache OpenOffice is free, and WPS Writer starts at $5.83 per month, billed $69.99 per year (WPS Pro+).
Which has a free plan, Apache OpenOffice or WPS Writer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Apache OpenOffice and WPS Writer have a free plan.
Which platforms do Apache OpenOffice and WPS Writer run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only WPS Writer lists a web app and iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.