DEV Community

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 
BHUVANESH M
BHUVANESH M

Posted on • Edited on

5 1 1

The Best Office Alternative for Linux (and Beyond!) — My Unexpected Discovery

Ever stare at your office suite and think, "There's got to be a better option than this"?

That was me, battling a bloated spreadsheet in LibreOffice Calc. It lagged, formulas froze, and formatting glitched. I'd been loyal to LibreOffice for years, especially on Linux. But that day, it let me down.

So I started looking around.

🧐 I tried WPS Office — too flashy.
🧱 SoftMaker — solid but clunky.
🌐 Google Docs — good, but I wanted full offline control.

And then I found ONLYOFFICE.

Why Office Suites Matter on Linux

Linux users are spoiled for choice — until it comes to productivity suites. While LibreOffice has held the crown for years, it's not without flaws. Performance issues, UI inconsistencies, and compatibility hiccups can slow you down. That’s why having a reliable, modern alternative is more important than ever.

ONLYOFFICE: A Linux Power User's Dream

I almost dismissed it because of the name. But the install was light, and the experience? Shockingly good.

✅ Perfect formatting from my old LibreOffice files
✅ Fast, modern UI (like MS Office without the price tag)
✅ Real-time collaboration tools
✅ Available on Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
✅ Built-in PDF Editor that’s smooth and precise — editing and annotating PDFs is a breeze

Cross-Platform, But Linux-First Friendly

ONLYOFFICE integrates smoothly into popular Linux distributions. Whether you’re on Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, or something more obscure, it just works. Flatpak, Snap, DEB, RPM — you name it, they support it.

Where ONLYOFFICE Beats LibreOffice

✨ Cross-Platform: True plug-and-play experience across devices.
🛠️ Feature-Rich: Docs, sheets, slides, and even PDFs that just work.
📲 Mobile Friendly: I edited a doc on my phone — and it didn’t break!
💬 Collaboration-Ready: Real-time co-editing built-in.
🎯 Compatibility: Office Open XML support means fewer formatting surprises.

Just One Install Away

LibreOffice still has its place, and I’ll always appreciate its role in open-source history. But when it comes to a practical, polished alternative — especially one that works across all platforms — ONLYOFFICE just hits different.

So if you're looking for a no-compromise office suite that works seamlessly across your devices, give ONLYOFFICE a spin.

👉 You might just uninstall LibreOffice the same day.


Tried ONLYOFFICE already? Drop your experience below — especially if you’ve been on the LibreOffice train for years. Let’s swap stories!


🎮 YouTube Tutorial

If the embed does not render correctly, you can also watch it here:

👉 Watch on YouTube


#onlyoffice #libreoffice #linuxapps #alternativetools #productivityhacks

AWS GenAI LIVE image

How is generative AI increasing efficiency?

Join AWS GenAI LIVE! to find out how gen AI is reshaping productivity, streamlining processes, and driving innovation.

Learn more

Top comments (0)

Billboard image

Create up to 10 Postgres Databases on Neon's free plan.

If you're starting a new project, Neon has got your databases covered. No credit cards. No trials. No getting in your way.

Try Neon for Free →