Saeed Wazir is a South Africa-based journalist with over 15 years of IT experience and a love for reading and writing. He joined Pocket-Lint after writing tech articles for Dot Esports and Screen Rant and now covers the latest in TV, streaming, laptops, tablets, and PCs. When he's not looking for the latest gadgets, he's relaxing on the beach or exploring open-world games.
Microsoft 365, AKA Office, sets the standard for productivity apps, but it isn't without flaws that put me off and make me want to try something else. For one, I'm forced into yet another monthly subscription that will burn a hole in my pocket over the long term. Alternatively, I can buy Office 2024 outright for an exorbitant fee and miss out on updates and features. I like simplicity, and I find that Office 365 has become bloated, especially since Microsoft's messy Copilot AI implementation.
After trying several Microsoft 365 alternatives, I settled on OnlyOffice as my new daily driver for spreadsheets, word processing, and PDFs. OnlyOffice is an open-source productivity app from Asension Systems that requires no registration or personal information, so I could get going with minimal effort. I finally found a better office app than Microsoft, and I won't look back.
A single app for all files
Everything's under one roof
OnlyOffice takes a different approach to other office suites, bundling all its modules under a single interface rather than dividing them into separate apps. I find this system more user-friendly than the traditional method because I can switch between file formats like tabs in a browser, rather than using different apps.
OnlyOffice takes a different approach to other office suites, bundling all its modules under a single interface.
The three main OnlyOffice components, Document, Spreadsheet, and Presentation, are Word, Excel, and PowerPoint equivalents. They offer a familiar layout that's easy to get the hang of and should feel like home to anyone who's used Microsoft products. The fourth component is a simple PDF viewer and editor with handy shortcuts for adding credit card numbers, dropdown menus, and other fields with a single click.
Universal compatibility
Available for mobile and desktop platforms
Some productivity suites are only compatible with specific platforms, which can be inconvenient when I'm working on desktop and mobile devices. I don't have this issue with OnlyOffice because it can run on most systems. It works on the latest Windows 11 PCs, and versions are available for Microsoft's legacy operating systems. These include XP, Vista, and Windows 7 to 10, so it should work on all PCs from the last 20 years.
Apple users aren't left out, and OnlyOffice offers versions for macOS 10.13 and higher, as well as for 10.12 and lower. I like that the app is Linux-compatible, available for Ubuntu, and is pre-installed on Wubuntu, Freespire, and other distros. Mobile users are covered because OnlyOffice runs on Android and iOS.
Cloud integration
Sync across devices
Multi-platform compatibility works better if it includes cloud-based storage to access files across my devices, no matter where I am. OnlyOffice lets me upload my work to platforms like Nextcloud, Liferay, or Seafile. I chose OnlyOffice's DocSpace service because it's free, and I could sign up with my Google account.
DocSpace syncs my files between my laptop and smartphone so I can access them on the go.
DocSpace syncs my files between my laptop and smartphone so I can access them on the go. I can import local files from my computer and Google Docs and Sheets, to keep all my work in one place. The sharing feature lets me collaborate with team members, who can comment and edit files for work projects.
Customizable AI agent
Pick your preferred tool
The OnlyOffice desktop version doesn't have a built-in AI assistant, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on the user. It still includes a tool for linking it to external AI models, so I can link it to the model of my choice and make the most of my existing subscriptions. It provides links to platforms, like Anthropic, OpenRouter, and OpenAI, and links to them via an API key.
I linked OnlyOffice to my OpenRouter account and can now use various AI models in the chat window.
I linked OnlyOffice to my OpenRouter account and can now use various AI models in the chat window. The app lets me choose from popular models, such as GPT-5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Grok 4, for summarizing or translating documents. I followed the same process and linked my OpenRouter to the mobile app to unlock similar functionality on my phone.
Free and open-source
No fees, no problem
OnlyOffice is free to download on all compatible platforms and doesn't require registration unless you want to connect to cloud-based features. Most users will be fine with the free version, though large businesses might be better off with a paid enterprise license, which offers features such as multi-server deployment and cloud hosting.
OnlyOffice is free to download on all compatible platforms and doesn't require registration unless you want to connect to cloud-based features.
There's no need to worry about security or privacy, as OnlyOffice is an open-source app that complies with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect users' data. It's transparent about how data is collected and stored, and users can delete their information whenever they like. OnlyOffice also has a Bug Bounty Program that pays bounties for vulnerabilities found in its app.
