FreeOffice TextMaker vs LibreOffice Writer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FreeOffice TextMaker grades higher than LibreOffice Writer: 3.4 against 3.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
FreeOffice TextMaker grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
FreeOffice TextMaker
Free word processor that opens and saves Microsoft Word files
LibreOffice Writer
Free, open-source word processor for Windows, macOS and Linux
Which one is for you
Pick FreeOffice TextMaker if
- Fits if you want a free word processor that opens Word files
- Works for a household or a small office on one or three computers
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: free products have no email support, only the user forum
- Watch out: the license allows 3 computers in a household or 1 in an organization
- Skip it if you want a browser-based editor, since none is listed
- Watch out: SoftMaker Office, the paid version, has email support and prices we did not check
Pick LibreOffice Writer if
- Fits if you want a full desktop word processor and don't want to pay for one
- Works for a mix of Windows, macOS and Linux computers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to write with other people in a browser, as there's no hosted cloud version
- Not for you if you edit on a phone or tablet: Android gets a viewer with experimental editing, and iOS is pointed to Collabora Office
- Watch out: the Mac App Store copy costs $8.99 and the Microsoft Store one also charges, while the website download is free
- Watch out: no integrations or API are listed
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAFreeOffice TextMakerVery good | 3.2GPALibreOffice WriterVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree for personal and business use. Writing tools charge $5.83 to $12.50 a month. | AThe whole LibreOffice suite, Writer included, is a free download from libreoffice.org, with nothing held back for a paid tier, against $8.33 a month in the middle of this category. One catch: the Mac App Store copy costs $8.99, so use the website. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree with no caps listed, for home or work use. | AFree outright, with no plan to upgrade to and no cap to hit. It's open source, from The Document Foundation. |
| Features | BA word processor with Office file compatibility, ribbon or classic menus and a touch mode. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. | BIt covers the whole job of a word processor: styles for paragraphs and pages, a Navigator for long documents, spellcheck and thesaurus, multi-column layouts, calculations inside tables, Word .doc and .docx in and out, and PDF export. What it doesn't do is anything its rivals don't, which is what an A would need. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but it's a program you install and start typing in. Menus can look like Office's. | BNo store rating on record, so we go on the listing: you download it and start typing, with templates for letters, memos and resumes waiting, and nothing to connect or configure first. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, and it opens Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. No web editor is listed. | CWindows, macOS and Linux, and that's it: a desktop program on three operating systems is still only computers. There's no hosted cloud version and the foundation says it doesn't plan one, Android gets a viewer with experimental editing only, and the listing names no integrations or API. |
| Best for | a free word processor for any system | a full word processor for free |
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: FreeOffice TextMaker and LibreOffice Writer. How we grade
Price against what you get
FreeOffice TextMaker has no paid plan and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. LibreOffice Writer has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
FreeOffice TextMaker scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than FreeOffice TextMaker for less, and none scores higher than LibreOffice 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
- LibreOffice Writer is open source, according to its own site.
- LibreOffice Writer also covers templates.
At a glance
| FreeOffice TextMaker | LibreOffice Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | FreeOffice is free for personal and business use; there is no email support for free products. | The whole LibreOffice suite, Writer included, is a free download from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS and Linux. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SoftMaker Software GmbH | The Document Foundation |
| Price read from | freeoffice.com | libreoffice.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FreeOffice TextMaker
- There is no email support for free products; help comes from the user forum.
- The license allows 3 computers in one household or 1 computer in an organization.
- SoftMaker also sells commercial SoftMaker Office editions with email support; their prices were not checked here.
- There is no web or browser-based editor listed.
LibreOffice Writer
- There is no hosted cloud version; The Document Foundation says it does not plan a service like those from Google and Microsoft.
- On Android the foundation offers a viewer with experimental editing only, and it points to Collabora Office for editing on Android and iOS.
- The Mac App Store version costs $8.99 and the Microsoft Store version also carries a charge; downloads from the website are free.
Key features
FreeOffice TextMaker
- Word processor
- A full word processor, part of a suite with the PlanMaker spreadsheet and the Presentations program.
- Microsoft Office compatibility
- The vendor says the suite is compatible with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
- Ribbon or classic menus
- FreeOffice 2024 can switch between a ribbon interface and classic menus and toolbars.
- Touch mode
- A touch mode with larger icons and more spacing is available with both interface styles.
- Mobile apps
- The vendor offers TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations for iOS and Android free of charge.
- Business use allowed
- The site states the suite is free for business as well as personal use.
LibreOffice Writer
- Writing aids
- A spellchecker, thesaurus, AutoCorrect and hyphenation are built in, along with templates for documents such as letters, memos, resumes and mail merges.
- Styles and Navigator
- Styles for paragraphs, characters, frames and pages can be created, assigned and modified, and the Navigator shows a document's outline for moving around it quickly.
- Microsoft Word compatibility
- Opens and saves Microsoft Word .doc and .docx files in addition to its native OpenDocument format.
- PDF and HTML export
- Documents can be exported to PDF and saved as HTML as well as in OpenDocument and Word formats.
- Desktop publishing layout
- Multi-column layouts, frames, graphics and tables support documents such as brochures and newsletters, and a drawing tool creates graphics inside a document.
- Calculations in tables
- An integrated calculation function runs calculations and logical links inside the tables of a text document.
Plans
FreeOffice TextMaker
FreeOffice$0
TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations; the license covers 3 household computers or 1 organization computer.
LibreOffice Writer
LibreOffice$0
The full office suite, including Writer, downloaded free from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS or Linux.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreeOffice TextMaker or LibreOffice Writer?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both FreeOffice TextMaker and LibreOffice Writer are free to use.
Which has a free plan, FreeOffice TextMaker or LibreOffice Writer?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both FreeOffice TextMaker and LibreOffice Writer have a free plan.
Which platforms do FreeOffice TextMaker and LibreOffice Writer run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only FreeOffice TextMaker lists 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.