{"slug":"microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","question":"Microsoft Word vs LibreOffice Writer","answer":"Microsoft Word is included in Microsoft 365. Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Word for the web is free when the file is saved in OneDrive. LibreOffice Writer is the word processor in LibreOffice, which the project offers at no cost under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. The current download is LibreOffice 26.8.0. There is no winner.","answer_curated":true,"verdict":"Best fit for OneDrive and Microsoft 365: Word. Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Word for the web is free when the file is in OneDrive.\n\nBest fit for a no-cost desktop word processor: LibreOffice Writer. The download is offered at no cost under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. The current download is LibreOffice 26.8.0.\n\nThere is no single winner.","keyDifferences":[{"label":"Desktop price","entityAValue":"Microsoft 365 Personal from $9.99 a month","entityBValue":"Website download at no cost","winner":"tie"},{"label":"Free web app","entityAValue":"Word for the web, files in OneDrive","entityBValue":"LibreOffice Online needs your own server stack","winner":"tie"},{"label":"Default file","entityAValue":".docx","entityBValue":".odt","winner":"tie"},{"label":"License","entityAValue":"Microsoft 365 subscription or Office Home 2024","entityBValue":"Mozilla Public License 2.0","winner":"tie"},{"label":"Named release","entityAValue":"Microsoft 365 and Office Home 2024","entityBValue":"LibreOffice 26.8.0","winner":"tie"}],"winner":null,"confidence":"high","entities":[{"name":"Microsoft Word","slug":"microsoft-word","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/microsoft-word","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/microsoft-word"},{"name":"LibreOffice Writer","slug":"libreoffice-writer","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/entity/libreoffice-writer","alternativesUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/alternatives/libreoffice-writer"}],"faqs":[{"question":"Is Microsoft Word free?","answer":"Microsoft offers Word for the web at no charge with a Microsoft account. Real-time collaboration requires the file to be saved in and shared from OneDrive. The free offer includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage plus web and mobile apps for the browser, iOS, and Android. Desktop Word is a separate product. Microsoft 365 includes Word in Personal at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, Family at $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year, and Premium at $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year. Office Home 2024 is a $179.99 one-time purchase for PC or Mac and includes Word."},{"question":"What does LibreOffice Writer cost?","answer":"LibreOffice offers the tools at no cost. LibreOffice is free software made available under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, and contributions are asked to be licensed under both that license and the GNU Lesser GPL v3 or later. Website downloads cover Windows, macOS, and Linux. Microsoft Store and Mac App Store copies are still free software, but there is a small charge to cover putting the software in those stores. The store price is not published."},{"question":"Can Word and Writer open each other's files?","answer":"Microsoft says .docx is Word's default XML format, and that Word can open and save OpenDocument Text .odt files. Formatting might be lost when users save and open .odt files. Word also supports .doc, .pdf, and .rtf. Writer creates and saves OpenDocument .odt files by default, and a document can be saved as .docx or .doc. Save the OpenDocument copy first. Other versions of LibreOffice may differ. LibreOffice 26.8 adds Markdown import and export."}],"attribution":{"source":"A Versus B","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","license":"CC BY 4.0","citationFormat":"According to A Versus B (https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice), Microsoft Word is included in Microsoft 365. Personal is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and Word for the web is free when the file is saved in OneDrive. LibreOffice Writer is the word processor in Li","dateModified":"2026-10-03T00:00:00.000Z"},"relatedQuestionsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/faq/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","relatedComparisonsUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/related/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","knowledgeGraphUrl":"https://www.aversusb.net/api/knowledge-graph/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice"}