Lack of Extensibility: Add-Ins, VBA/PerfectScript/LibreOffice Basic, etc.Ĥ. Poor cross-platform support: Desktop apps only available on macOS, Mobile Apps only available on iOSģ. If iWork was that good, then Apple would not have stipulated that Microsoft keep developing Office for macOS as part of their patent cross-licensing agreement, as they wouldn’t need it…ġ. iWork is more comparable to Microsoft Works than it is to Microsoft Office. LibreOffice is the best “alternative” to Office on the Mac. Also, macOS lacks reputed commercial alternatives like WordPerfect Office. It’s hard to do that with iWork on a Mac, because it’s missing so many features, the Spreadsheet is terrible, and it’s so bad at interoperability with other platforms and software. On Windows, a user who doesn’t have high requirements form Excel can replace Office with WordPerfect Office. In a business or educational environment, iWork is not an alternative – or even an option. We advise MacDailyNews readers do the same.Īpple makes iMovie, GarageBand, and iWork apps for Mac and iOS devices free for all users – April 18, 2017 We dumped Microsoft Office many years ago for Apple’s iWork which just keeps getting better and better for free and we couldn’t be happier. After being called vain, stupid, and wasteful by Microsoft, no one should. MacDailyNews Take: Many users think they need Office on their Macs. “If you’re looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office that looks and works pretty much exactly the same, but doesn’t cost a dime, OpenOffice is for you.”

“OpenOffice by Apache is probably the most similar to Microsoft Office in look and design,” Gil writes. The interface is different, and will take some time to get used to, but if you’re really interested in kicking Office to the curb, the iWork suite is the best alternative on Mac.” It’s the most comparable alternative to Microsoft’s productivity suite, only it comes free with every Mac.

“If you’ve been thinking about switching away from the Office productivity suite, there are alternatives that offer many of the features you love in Microsoft’s programs, plus some features you can’t get anywhere else,” Gil writes. “If you’ve recently ditched the PC, here’s how to ditch Office as well!” “What’s the best alternative to Microsoft Office on the Mac?” Lory Gil writes for iMore.

Microsoft office alternatives for mac