LibreOffice Writer vs Microsoft Word

LibreOffice Writer

• People who want a full desktop word processor at no cost
• Anyone who needs the same word processor on Windows, macOS and Linux
• Users who prefer open-source software and the OpenDocument format

Microsoft Word

• People who want a full desktop word processor on Windows or Mac
• Households: Microsoft 365 Family covers 1 to 6 people
• Occasional writers who only need the free browser version
• Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase to a subscription

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.

Microsoft Word

• The Windows and Mac apps need a Microsoft 365 subscription or a one-time Office purchase; only the web version is free.
• Copilot requires a paid subscription, has usage limits, and on shared plans works for the subscription owner only.
• On phones and tablets, advanced formatting and track changes need a Microsoft 365 subscription.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7.00 per user / month paid yearly, or $5.40 without Teams) includes only the web and mobile versions of Word.

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.

Microsoft Word

Copilot in Word

Drafts, rewrites and summarizes documents and answers questions about them. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription, and usage limits apply.

Editor

A built-in checker for spelling, grammar and writing style. The free web version includes basic spelling and grammar checks.

Real-time co-authoring

Share a document with anyone, including people without an account, and edit it together, with track changes and version history. Shared files are stored in OneDrive.

Templates

Thousands of customizable templates are available at no charge, and the free web version includes a basic set of templates, fonts and icons.

Dictate

Speech-to-text for writing by voice, plus transcription of audio files into a document. Dictation and voice commands are part of the free web version.

Immersive Reader and Accessibility Checker

Immersive Reader gives a pared-back reading view, and the Accessibility Checker recommends fixes to formatting, color contrast and word choice.

LibreOffice Writer

• LibreOffice$0

  The full office suite, including Writer, downloaded free from libreoffice.org for Windows, macOS or Linux.

Microsoft Word

• Free$0

  Word for the web for 1 person, with real-time collaboration, basic spelling and grammar, basic templates, dictation and 5 GB of storage.

• Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99

  per month, or $99.99 per year

  1 person signed in on up to 5 devices, 1 TB of cloud storage, and the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook desktop apps with Copilot.

• Microsoft 365 Apps for business$10.00

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for up to 300 employees, with 1 TB of cloud storage per user.

• Microsoft 365 Family$12.99

  per month, or $129.99 per year

  Everything in Personal for 1 to 6 people, who share 2 TB of cloud storage between them. AI features are for the subscription owner only.

• Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99

  per month, or $199.99 per year

  Everything in Family, plus extensive Copilot usage and agentic AI features such as advanced research and analytics.

• Office Home 2024$179.99

  one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac

  Classic 2024 desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, with no upgrade path to later releases.

LibreOffice Writer

No public discounts listed.

Microsoft Word

• Annual discount

  Save up to 17% by paying yearly

  Microsoft 365 Personal is $99.99 a year against $9.99 a month, Family $129.99 against $12.99 and Premium $199.99 against $19.99.

• Education

  Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal

  Verified college and university students pay $4.99 a month for Microsoft 365 Personal. Student status has to be re-verified each year to keep the price.

• Education

  Office 365 A1 free for eligible schools

  Educators and students with an eligible school email address get Office 365 A1 at no cost, which includes the web versions of Word and the other core apps.

• Lifetime license

  Office Home 2024 one-time purchase

  $179.99 buys the classic 2024 desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for 1 PC or Mac, with no subscription.