Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based subscription suite with advanced collaboration tools and superior mobile support, while LibreOffice is free, open-source desktop software with no recurring costs but limited cloud integration and collaboration features.
Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise-dominant productivity suite with Word, Excel, Teams, and AI-powered Copilot.
Free, open-source office suite with Writer, Calc, and Impress for local document creation.
Pricing Model. Cloud Storage Included. Real-Time Co-editing. Mobile App Quality. AI Features (Copilot). File Format Support. Learning Curve
Choose Microsoft 365 if you need cloud collaboration, work on teams, require mobile productivity, or want AI-powered features—the $72-150/year investment delivers professional tools with seamless integration. Choose LibreOffice if you need basic document creation, prefer no subscription costs, work primarily offline, or value open-source software with no licensing restrictions.
Microsoft 365: $12.50 | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Copilot (premium only) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Complex enterprise setup | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Full Office suite included | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Comprehensive, moderate | LibreOffice: N/A
Enterprise Security (Intune/Advanced Tools)
Microsoft 365: Industry-leading with Intune E3/E5 | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1,000GB (1TB) | LibreOffice: 0GB
Microsoft 365: Unlimited | LibreOffice: 0
Microsoft 365: Copilot with rewrite, grammar, tone adjustment | LibreOffice: None
Native Mobile App Rating (iOS App Store)
Microsoft 365: 4.7/5 (Office app, 500K+ reviews) | LibreOffice: 3.2/5 (LibreOffice Viewer, 8K reviews)
Microsoft Format Compatibility (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)
Microsoft 365: 99.8% format fidelity | LibreOffice: 82-85% format fidelity
Microsoft 365: ~4,500MB (full install with Teams, Outlook) | LibreOffice: ~200MB (full suite)
Microsoft 365: 20-30 hours (widely taught globally) | LibreOffice: 40-50 hours (less standardized training)
Microsoft 365: 1,000GB (1TB) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 30 days | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Standard in Business plans ($6+/user) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $72-150 | LibreOffice: $0
Microsoft 365: Full support | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Yes, native support | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $6 (Business Basic) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1,000 GB (OneDrive) | LibreOffice: 0 GB
Microsoft 365: Unlimited (per subscription) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: ~100-300ms | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Basic lookup fields in Excel | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Yes (Outlook with 50 GB inbox) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Yes (full Office suite offline) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Copilot (separate $20/month add-on) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $6 (Microsoft 365 Personal) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 100 GB | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Limited to 30 days free trial | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: SOC2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA (4 major) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1 hour (Premium Support) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $69-$120 | LibreOffice: Free
Microsoft 365: Yes (unlimited simultaneous users) | LibreOffice: No (not supported)
Microsoft 365: 99% fidelity | LibreOffice: 85% fidelity (occasional formatting loss)
Microsoft 365: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web | LibreOffice: Windows, Mac, Linux only
Microsoft 365: Copilot, Designer, smart suggestions | LibreOffice: None
Microsoft 365: SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, FedRAMP | LibreOffice: Community-maintained only
Microsoft 365: Web-based (minimal local footprint) | LibreOffice: ~300 MB
Microsoft 365: $22 (Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 20+ (via Excel integrations) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Not available | LibreOffice: N/A
Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Included
Microsoft 365: Yes (all included) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 4-8 (without Power BI) | LibreOffice: N/A
User Learning Curve (1-10 scale, 10=hardest)
Microsoft 365: 2-3 (intuitive Office interface) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1,024 GB (1TB) | LibreOffice: 0 GB
Microsoft 365: 5 devices per subscription | LibreOffice: Unlimited (offline only)
Microsoft Office File Format Compatibility
Microsoft 365: 99.9% native support | LibreOffice: 80-85% (formatting issues)
Microsoft 365: 45+ major formats | LibreOffice: 130+ formats
Microsoft 365: iOS, Android, Windows Phone | LibreOffice: Android only
Microsoft 365: Copilot included (most plans) | LibreOffice: Not available
Monthly Cost Per User (Standard Tier, Annual Billing)
Microsoft 365: 1,000 GB (OneDrive) | LibreOffice: N/A
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Standard Plan)
Message Search History Retention (Free Plan)
Microsoft 365: Unlimited | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $6.99 (Personal) / $12.50 (Family) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1,000+ | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 5 (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 300+ million (Microsoft 365 total) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Unlimited (via Teams/SharePoint) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: iOS, Android (full-featured apps) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $72.00 | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1000GB (OneDrive) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Yes (Outlook with 50GB mailbox) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Template-based tables only | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Full support across all apps | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: $20.00 (Copilot Pro) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1000GB (1TB) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 13 core apps | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: No (Dynamics 365 add-on: $50-100/mo) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Copilot Pro (GPT-4 integrated) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Full desktop apps with sync | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Microsoft 365 web apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint online free) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 5 TB (Microsoft 365 Business/OneDrive) | LibreOffice: N/A
Users Can Create Interactive Dashboards Natively
Microsoft 365: No - only via Power BI integration in Excel | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Full - simultaneous editing in Word, Excel, PowerPoint | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Primarily Excel/SharePoint/OneDrive (limited) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 4-12 hours via Excel pivot tables/charts | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 2/10 - familiar Office interface | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 1TB (Business Standard at $12.50/mo) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 345 million users | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Copilot extra ($30/month per user) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: Full Office suite (advanced features) | LibreOffice: N/A
Microsoft 365: 300 participants (Teams Basic) | LibreOffice: N/A
How to choose between Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice
Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice. Contains 104 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Microsoft 365 vs LibreOffice.
Can I use Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice together?
Yes. Many users keep LibreOffice for basic offline editing and use Microsoft 365 for cloud collaboration. However, frequent switching causes formatting inconsistencies, especially with complex layouts. Microsoft 365 files open in LibreOffice at 82-85% fidelity, meaning some formatting is lost.
Microsoft 365 is significantly better. It offers real-time co-editing with presence indicators, built-in chat in Teams, and version history across all documents. LibreOffice has no native collaboration—you'd need third-party tools like Nextcloud or manual file sharing, which are time-consuming and error-prone.
Yes, completely. LibreOffice is open-source and free to use, modify, and distribute under the Mozilla Public License. It's used by governments and enterprises worldwide. It poses no legal or security risks—in fact, the open-source model allows security audits by independent researchers.
How much does Microsoft 365 actually cost?
Microsoft 365 Personal costs $70/year ($6/month) with 1TB OneDrive and desktop apps. Microsoft 365 Family costs $100/year for up to 6 users ($17/month) with 1TB each. Business plans (Business Basic, Standard, Premium) range from $6-25/user/month. There's no perpetual license—pricing renews annually.
Can I edit Microsoft 365 files offline in LibreOffice?
Yes, but with caveats. LibreOffice can open .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files offline and edit them. However, complex formatting, styles, macros, and formulas may not render correctly. When you save and reopen in Microsoft 365, formatting differences become obvious. Use LibreOffice offline only for simple text edits.
How to Choose Between Microsoft 365 and LibreOffice
Pricing Model: Microsoft 365 has $6-12.50/month per user, while LibreOffice has Free (open-source).
Cloud Storage Included: Microsoft 365 has 1TB OneDrive per user, while LibreOffice has None included.
Real-Time Co-editing: Microsoft 365 has Full support with presence indicators, while LibreOffice has No native support.
Mobile App Quality: Microsoft 365 has Full-featured native apps (iOS/Android), while LibreOffice has Limited mobile functionality.
AI Features (Copilot): Microsoft 365 has Advanced AI writing, data analysis, design assistance, while LibreOffice has No AI features.
File Format Support: Microsoft 365 has Native .docx, .xlsx, .pptx + 100+ formats, while LibreOffice has Native .odt + Microsoft format support (imperfect).
Learning Curve: Microsoft 365 has Intuitive interface, widely taught, while LibreOffice has Steeper for Microsoft format users.