{"slug":"microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","title":"Microsoft Word vs LibreOffice Writer","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","faqCount":6,"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."},{"question":"Can several people edit one document at the same time?","answer":"Word for the web is for writing and collaborating online in real time. The files must be saved in and shared from OneDrive. LibreOffice Online is a server service for display and collaborative editing in a browser. It does not include a file system, and it has to be integrated with file access and authentication. The Document Foundation says it is not planning to run a hosted cloud like Microsoft's, and that a build used past 10 concurrent documents or 20 connections shows a not-supported notice while it keeps working."},{"question":"Which computers can run them?","answer":"Microsoft 365 apps are compatible with PC, Mac, Android, and iOS, and Personal lets one person sign in to five devices at once. Features and app availability may vary by region. A subscription's apps go into reduced functionality if the computer is not online at least every 31 days: you can view or print, but not edit or create, until you reconnect. Once installed, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint do not need a constant connection. LibreOffice runs on Windows 10 or 11 and Windows Server 2012 through 2022, macOS 11 or newer on Intel or Apple silicon, and Linux with kernel 4.18 or higher. LibreOffice 26.8.0 offers Windows x86-64 and ARM64, macOS Apple silicon and Intel, and Linux rpm and deb packages."},{"question":"Which one should you install?","answer":"Install Microsoft 365, or use Word for the web, if the documents already live in OneDrive and you want Word's real-time editing there. Download LibreOffice if you want Writer on your own computer under the Mozilla Public License, with OpenDocument as the default save format. The two can exchange .docx and .odt files. Microsoft says formatting might be lost on .odt. There is no winner."}],"faqPageSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#faq","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"Microsoft Word vs LibreOffice Writer — FAQ","description":"Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Word vs LibreOffice Writer","dateModified":"2026-10-03T00:00:00.000Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"isPartOf":{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#article"},"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#faq-speakable","cssSelector":[".faq-answer"]},"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#q1","name":"Is Microsoft Word free?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#a1","text":"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.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#q2","name":"What does LibreOffice Writer cost?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#a2","text":"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.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#q3","name":"Can Word and Writer open each other's files?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#a3","text":"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.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#q4","name":"Can several people edit one document at the same time?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#a4","text":"Word for the web is for writing and collaborating online in real time. The files must be saved in and shared from OneDrive. LibreOffice Online is a server service for display and collaborative editing in a browser. It does not include a file system, and it has to be integrated with file access and authentication. The Document Foundation says it is not planning to run a hosted cloud like Microsoft's, and that a build used past 10 concurrent documents or 20 connections shows a not-supported notice while it keeps working.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#q5","name":"Which computers can run them?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#a5","text":"Microsoft 365 apps are compatible with PC, Mac, Android, and iOS, and Personal lets one person sign in to five devices at once. Features and app availability may vary by region. A subscription's apps go into reduced functionality if the computer is not online at least every 31 days: you can view or print, but not edit or create, until you reconnect. Once installed, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint do not need a constant connection. LibreOffice runs on Windows 10 or 11 and Windows Server 2012 through 2022, macOS 11 or newer on Intel or Apple silicon, and Linux with kernel 4.18 or higher. LibreOffice 26.8.0 offers Windows x86-64 and ARM64, macOS Apple silicon and Intel, and Linux rpm and deb packages.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#q6","name":"Which one should you install?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice#a6","text":"Install Microsoft 365, or use Word for the web, if the documents already live in OneDrive and you want Word's real-time editing there. Download LibreOffice if you want Writer on your own computer under the Mozilla Public License, with OpenDocument as the default save format. The two can exchange .docx and .odt files. Microsoft says formatting might be lost on .odt. There is no winner.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/microsoft-word-vs-libreoffice","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}}]}}