A recent XDA piece tried Calligra, KDE’s office suite, and gave up. That is a familiar path on Linux. LibreOffice is the default. WPS Office and OnlyOffice are the two suites people install when the default no longer feels current. Calligra is where you land when you want to root for the underdog and then you hit a .docx that will not open. There is a good reason KDE users skip Calligra, and it is not that Calligra is bad; it is that .docx interop is the whole game on Linux, and only a few suites do it well.
We tested eight Linux office suites across Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch. Every one of them opens .docx. Only a few of them open a heavily-formatted .docx from a corporate template and give you back a document your recipient can still edit. The picks below are ordered by that specifically.
What to look for in a Linux office suite
- Microsoft
.docx,.xlsx, and.pptxcompatibility. This is the whole game. - Real-time collaboration. LibreOffice caught up in 2024; some suites still lag.
- Native package vs Snap or Flatpak. Some distros play badly with sandboxed office suites (font paths, printing).
- Cloud storage integration. WebDAV, Nextcloud, ownCloud, and SMB matter more on Linux.
- PDF editing. LibreOffice Draw and OnlyOffice ship real editors; the rest bolt on export-only.
- Cost. Most are free. Two commercial suites earn their money.
Quick comparison
| Suite | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LibreOffice | The default that actually works | Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes, everything | Free | 4.7 |
| OnlyOffice | Best Microsoft-look and real-time collab | Linux, Windows, macOS, self-hosted | Yes | Free desktop; enterprise $8/user/mo | 4.6 |
| WPS Office | The one that looks like Office 365 | Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes with ads | $35.99/yr | 4.5 |
| Calligra Suite | The KDE-native pick | Linux | Yes | Free | 4.2 |
| SoftMaker FreeOffice | Best .docx fidelity in a free suite |
Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Collabora Office | Enterprise LibreOffice with real support | Linux, Windows, macOS, self-hosted | Yes | ~$20/user/yr | 4.5 |
| Apache OpenOffice | Legacy option that still ships | Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes | Free | 3.8 |
| AbiWord + Gnumeric | The minimalist path | Linux | Yes | Free | 4.0 |
The suites
1. LibreOffice – Best default suite
LibreOffice is on Fedora, Ubuntu, and Mint out of the box for a reason. The 24.x branch closed most of the .docx and .xlsx gaps that used to send people to Google Docs. Writer handles pivot tables and comments faithfully; Calc supports every Excel formula that matters, including the new dynamic arrays; Impress opens .pptx without the layout drift that plagued the 6.x line.
Where it falls short: The UI still feels like a 2010 Office. Ribbon-style layout is available but off by default. Collaboration works but is not as smooth as Google Docs.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Platforms: Linux (native, Flatpak, Snap), Windows, macOS.
Download: LibreOffice, Flathub
Bottom line: Install this first. Only move on if it fails a specific test.
2. OnlyOffice Desktop Editors – Best for Microsoft compatibility
OnlyOffice looks and feels like Microsoft Office 365. The three editors (Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations) share the same ribbon, and .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx round-trip cleaner than any other Linux suite. Pair the desktop editors with the free ONLYOFFICE DocSpace or Nextcloud OnlyOffice for real-time collaboration.
Where it falls short: The single-window app model can feel heavy on old hardware. Some LibreOffice keyboard shortcuts do not translate.
Pricing: Free desktop editors. DocSpace free for personal use. Enterprise from $8/user/mo.
Platforms: Linux (deb, rpm, Flatpak, AppImage), Windows, macOS.
Download: OnlyOffice, Flathub
Bottom line: The pick if the day job runs on Office documents and LibreOffice’s fidelity keeps letting you down.
3. WPS Office – Best if you liked Office 2019’s look
WPS Office is a proprietary suite from China that looks and feels like Office 2019, complete with a tabbed interface and a ribbon. The Linux build is stable, opens .docx well, and includes a real PDF editor.
Where it falls short: The free tier shows ads in the sidebar. Not open source. Older builds had font rendering issues on Fedora that current builds fixed.
Pricing: Free with ads. WPS Pro $35.99/yr removes ads and adds cloud storage.
Platforms: Linux (deb, rpm, AppImage), Windows, macOS.
Download: WPS Office
Bottom line: The best pick when you want Microsoft’s UI on Linux without paying Microsoft.
4. Calligra Suite – Best KDE-native pick
Calligra Suite is KDE’s answer to office. Words, Sheets, Stage, and the rest match Plasma’s design language and integrate with KDE Connect and Baloo indexing. On a Plasma desktop the fit is unmatched.
Where it falls short: .docx round-trip drops formatting more than LibreOffice does. .xlsx charts often re-render badly. Development pace is slower than the mainstream suites.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Platforms: Linux. Windows and macOS builds exist but are experimental.
Download: Calligra
Bottom line: The right pick when the day is spent inside KDE and every document you touch was written for LibreOffice or Word. When it is not, pick LibreOffice.
5. SoftMaker FreeOffice – Best .docx fidelity in a free suite
SoftMaker FreeOffice is the free edition of SoftMaker Office. It renders .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx closer to Microsoft’s original than any other free Linux suite. If you regularly open documents where a heading style has to look the same on both sides, this is the suite most people miss.
Where it falls short: Not open source. Free build lacks features present in the paid version (real-time collab, deeper macros).
Pricing: Free. Paid SoftMaker Office starts at $99.95 one-time.
Platforms: Linux (deb, rpm), Windows, macOS.
Download: SoftMaker FreeOffice
Bottom line: Install FreeOffice as a second suite next to LibreOffice for the documents LibreOffice mangles.
6. Collabora Office – Best for enterprise LibreOffice with support
Collabora Office is LibreOffice’s commercial cousin, maintained by the company that employs most upstream contributors. The desktop app is LibreOffice with a supported release cadence and long-term maintenance. Collabora Online is the collaborative web version.
Where it falls short: Priced for teams, not individuals. Personal use can stay on plain LibreOffice.
Pricing: Personal free. Business licenses from about $20/user/yr.
Platforms: Linux (deb, rpm, Flatpak, AppImage), Windows, macOS, self-hosted web.
Download: Collabora Office
Bottom line: The pick when a team needs a support contract behind LibreOffice.
7. Apache OpenOffice – Best legacy fallback
Apache OpenOffice is the parent project LibreOffice forked from. It still ships releases. Users who set up a machine around 2010 sometimes prefer sticking with it.
Where it falls short: Development has slowed to a trickle. LibreOffice is materially better on every axis in 2026.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS.
Download: Apache OpenOffice
Bottom line: Only pick OpenOffice on principle. LibreOffice is the correct answer for everyone else.
8. AbiWord + Gnumeric – Best minimalist pair
AbiWord and Gnumeric are lightweight word processor and spreadsheet apps. They open .doc and .xls cleanly, run on low-end hardware, and boot instantly. Together, they cover 80 percent of a typical office workflow at 10 percent of the resource cost.
Where it falls short: No presentation app. .docx and .xlsx support is workable but not perfect.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Platforms: Linux.
Bottom line: The pick on a chromebook-tier Linux laptop where LibreOffice feels heavy.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the default: LibreOffice.
- If you deal with
.docxand.xlsxfrom Microsoft-shop counterparties: OnlyOffice or SoftMaker FreeOffice. - If the aesthetic matters: WPS Office for Office 2019 look, Calligra for KDE-native.
- If your team needs a support contract: Collabora Office.
- If you are on old hardware: AbiWord + Gnumeric.
- If you cling to habit: Apache OpenOffice. But it is the last honest choice.
FAQ
Which Linux office suite is most compatible with Microsoft Office?
OnlyOffice and SoftMaker FreeOffice round-trip .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx most cleanly. LibreOffice 24.x is close behind on documents but still drops the ball on some spreadsheet chart formatting.
Is LibreOffice really free?
Yes. Free, open source, and it will stay that way. The Document Foundation maintains it.
Can I run Microsoft Office on Linux natively?
Not natively. The web version of Office 365 works in any browser. Native install requires Windows or macOS. Microsoft has no Linux desktop client.
What is the fastest office suite on Linux?
AbiWord and Gnumeric boot fastest. WPS Office and OnlyOffice are the fastest of the full ribbon suites.
Is Calligra worth using?
If you live in KDE Plasma and only work with documents you author yourself, Calligra is fine. For interop with Microsoft-shop documents, LibreOffice or OnlyOffice is a better pick.
