I lastly discovered a greater workplace app than Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365, AKA Workplace, units the usual for productivity apps, but it surely is not with out flaws that put me off and make me need to attempt one thing else. For one, I am pressured into one more month-to-month subscription that may burn a gap in my pocket over the long run. Alternatively, I can purchase Workplace 2024 outright for an exorbitant payment and miss out on updates and options. I like simplicity, and I discover that Workplace 365 has turn into bloated, particularly since Microsoft’s messy Copilot AI implementation.

After trying several Microsoft 365 alternatives, I settled on OnlyOffice as my new each day driver for spreadsheets, phrase processing, and PDFs. OnlyOffice is an open-source productiveness app from Asension Techniques that requires no registration or private info, so I might get going with minimal effort. I lastly discovered a greater workplace app than Microsoft, and I will not look again.

A single app for all recordsdata

All the things’s underneath one roof

OnlyOffice takes a distinct method to different workplace suites, bundling all its modules underneath a single interface moderately than dividing them into separate apps. I discover this method extra user-friendly than the standard methodology as a result of I can change between file codecs like tabs in a browser, moderately than utilizing completely different apps.

The three predominant OnlyOffice elements, Doc, Spreadsheet, and Presentation, are Phrase, Excel, and PowerPoint equivalents. They provide a well-known format that is simple to get the grasp of and may really feel like house to anybody who’s used Microsoft merchandise. The fourth part is an easy PDF viewer and editor with useful shortcuts for including bank card numbers, dropdown menus, and different fields with a single click on.

Common compatibility

Out there for cell and desktop platforms

Some productiveness suites are solely suitable with particular platforms, which may be inconvenient once I’m engaged on desktop and cell gadgets. I haven’t got this subject with OnlyOffice as a result of it may well run on most programs. It really works on the most recent Home windows 11 PCs, and variations can be found for Microsoft’s legacy working programs. These embody XP, Vista, and Home windows 7 to 10, so it ought to work on all PCs from the final 20 years.

Apple customers aren’t unnoticed, and OnlyOffice provides variations for macOS 10.13 and better, in addition to for 10.12 and decrease. I like that the app is Linux-compatible, obtainable for Ubuntu, and is pre-installed on Wubuntu, Freespire, and different distros. Cellular customers are lined as a result of OnlyOffice runs on Android and iOS.

Cloud integration

Sync throughout gadgets

Multi-platform compatibility works higher if it consists of cloud-based storage to entry recordsdata throughout my gadgets, regardless of the place I’m. OnlyOffice lets me add my work to platforms like Nextcloud, Liferay, or Seafile. I selected OnlyOffice’s DocSpace service as a result of it is free, and I might enroll with my Google account.

DocSpace syncs my recordsdata between my laptop computer and smartphone so I can entry them on the go. I can import native recordsdata from my pc and Google Docs and Sheets, to maintain all my work in a single place. The sharing characteristic lets me collaborate with workforce members, who can remark and edit recordsdata for work initiatives.

Customizable AI agent

Decide your most popular instrument

The OnlyOffice desktop model does not have a built-in AI assistant, which could be a good or dangerous factor, relying on the consumer. It nonetheless features a instrument for linking it to exterior AI fashions, so I can hyperlink it to the mannequin of my selection and take advantage of my present subscriptions. It gives hyperlinks to platforms, like Anthropic, OpenRouter, and OpenAI, and hyperlinks to them by way of an API key.

I linked OnlyOffice to my OpenRouter account and may now use numerous AI fashions within the chat window. The app lets me select from well-liked fashions, corresponding to GPT-5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Grok 4, for summarizing or translating paperwork. I adopted the identical course of and linked my OpenRouter to the cell app to unlock comparable performance on my telephone.

Free and open-source

No charges, no downside

OnlyOffice is free to obtain on all suitable platforms and does not require registration until you need to connect with cloud-based options. Most customers will likely be high quality with the free model, although massive companies could be higher off with a paid enterprise license, which provides options corresponding to multi-server deployment and cloud internet hosting.

There is not any want to fret about safety or privateness, as OnlyOffice is an open-source app that complies with the EU’s Normal Information Safety Regulation (GDPR) to guard customers’ information. It is clear about how information is collected and saved, and customers can delete their info at any time when they like. OnlyOffice additionally has a Bug Bounty Program that pays bounties for vulnerabilities present in its app.