LibreOffice Writer vs ONLYOFFICE

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

ONLYOFFICE

• Organizations that want to host their own office suite
• Teams on Nextcloud, Box, Moodle or Odoo that need document editing there
• Sharing files with clients in separate rooms with their own permissions
• People who want free desktop editors that work offline

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.

ONLYOFFICE

• The free DocSpace Startup plan stops at 3 admins, 12 rooms and 2 GB, and lacks SAML SSO, LDAP, branding, a custom domain and the audit trail.
• DocSpace Business costs $20 per admin a month; the pricing page shows it as reduced from $30 and gives no end date for that price.
• Docs Enterprise is licensed by simultaneous connections, from $1,500 for a 1-year, 50-connection, on-premises license with Basic support.
• A 1-year Docs Enterprise license stops working when it ends; a lifetime license keeps running but loses free updates after its support period.

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.

ONLYOFFICE

Document, sheet and slide editors

Online editors for text documents, spreadsheets and presentations, which the vendor describes as highly compatible with Microsoft Office and OpenDocument formats.

PDF editor and fillable forms

Build fillable PDF forms and have them filled in online, read and edit PDFs, and convert documents to Markdown, HTML or e-books.

Real-time co-editing

Co-edit in character-level or paragraph-level mode, track changes, compare documents, leave comments and mentions, and chat or call from inside the editor.

DocSpace rooms

DocSpace sorts files into rooms with their own access rights: collaboration, public, form-filling and custom rooms, and virtual data rooms.

AI assistants and agents

AI tools generate documents, sheets, slides and forms, rewrite and translate text, and extract text from scanned PDFs. Any AI model can be connected, including a fully local one.

Connectors and self-hosting

More than 40 ready-made connectors add the editors to platforms such as Nextcloud, Box, Moodle, Odoo and WordPress, and the server can run on your own infrastructure.

LibreOffice Writer

• LibreOffice$0

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

ONLYOFFICE

• Community and free appsFree

  Docs Community and DocSpace Community builds for self-hosting, desktop editors for Windows, Linux and macOS, and iOS and Android apps.

• DocSpace Startup$0

  Cloud plan with up to 3 admins, 12 rooms and 2 GB of storage, and unlimited users and guests. The page labels it a limited-time offer.

• DocSpace Business$20

  per admin / month

  Cloud plan with unlimited rooms, 250 GB per admin, SSO, branding, automatic backups and audit trail. Shown reduced from a crossed-out $30.

• Docs EnterpriseFrom $1,500

  1-year license, 50 connections, on-premises, Basic support

  Self-hosted editors to connect to another platform, licensed by simultaneous connections for 1 year or for life, with three support levels.

• DocSpace EnterpriseCustom

  On-premises DocSpace paid per connection, with unlimited admins and rooms, multi-space management and support under an SLA.

LibreOffice Writer

No public discounts listed.

ONLYOFFICE

• Nonprofit

  Free DocSpace cloud for nonprofits and schools

  Nonprofits and schools can request a free DocSpace cloud with 2 GB of storage and up to 20 admins. It requires an ONLYOFFICE banner on their website or a post about the partnership.

• Education

  Discounted rate for educational institutions

  The DocSpace pricing FAQ says educational institutions other than schools can get a discounted rate. No figure is published.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime license for Docs Enterprise

  Docs Enterprise can be bought with a lifetime license instead of a 1-year one. The version bought keeps working, but free updates end with the support period chosen, 1 or 3 years.