Introduction

Developed by Kingsoft, the WPS Office package is a kit of several software programs that provide the user with all the main office tools that one might need. There is a writer program, one for creating spreadsheets, one for presentations and even a PDF reader that can convert files from PDF to .doc/.docx and vice versa. As we already mentioned, the office suite is free, but there are also two paid version: premium and professional – each suited for the specific needs of the user.

Interface

The interface of WPS Office programs is similar to this of Microsoft Office – the same ribbon-based interface is implemented, where the toolbars are placed in different tabs. Anyone who is familiar with Word, PowerPoint or Excel should have no issue navigating and using the WPS programs.

Compatibility

As you might expect, WPS programs work with all the standard document formats so that compatibility isn’t an issue. As far as Operating Systems are concerned, the WPS Office suite is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android.

Features

While WPS programs may not have as many different features as their Microsoft counterparts might, there’s certainly a good variety of options to choose from as well as a couple of neat additions which some of the users might enjoy.

WPS supports a small cloud storage (1GB) which users can use to save and backup their files and alter access them from other devices. Of course, 1GB is nothing to be overly excited about but then again, considering the fact that most document files hardly ever go above 1 Mb, one gigabyte should prove to be more than enough for casual document backups.

Another thing that you might notice as soon as you open the WPS Writer is that there is a wide variety of templates to choose from (and they are free). While they aren’t automatically available and must first be downloaded, the process takes no more than a couple of seconds so it doesn’t really affect your working process.

There is also a neat backup feature that saves unfinished files in the WPS folder even if you haven’t manually saved them before closing the program. This is extremely useful in instances where your device suddenly shuts down for whatever reason and you did not have the chance to save the file that you were working on. So far, this feature has proven to be invaluable and a nice addition to the WPS programs. Of course, this is not to say that WPS is the only office software kit that has this backup feature, yet we had to mention that it works properly and is highly effective.

Spell Check

Something we noticed while using the WPS writer is that its spell-checker wasn’t all that good. While it worked fine, the word database seemed to lack a lot of words that are technically correct and so the program was marking them as incorrect. Additionally, when a we right-clicked on an incorrect word in order to replace it with a correct one using the automatic suggestions, we found out that the list of suggestions is rather ineffective as most suggested words had totally different meaning from the one word that the original was supposed to be. This makes it somewhat confusing and oftentimes ineffective to use the suggestions which is why most of the time we were forced to manually correct the word instead of using the supposedly faster option of using the predetermined list of word suggestions from the Writer.

Ads

One big negative in our opinion with WPS applications is their frequent and oftentimes rather intrusive pop-up ads. While the program does not mess with your browser and does not fill it with advertising materials (as many other free programs tend to do) it still generates irritating content when you try to use any of the offices tools. Furthermore, in a couple of instances, we noticed that even when none of the WPS programs were opened, a pop-up ad appeared at the bottom-right corner of the computer’s screen. Of course, the ads appear only on the free version and most of the time, the object of the advertisement is the paid versions of the Office suite. Regardless, we find the ads to be highly irritating at times, especially as of late. Currently, once we try to use the WPS Writer, there is a banner-ad that can be skipped only after a period of 5 seconds has passed – it might not seem like much but it can become quite annoying with time.

Conclusion

WPS is a fine choice for an office package that offers its users all the necessary tools for creating and editing document files. Apart from the free version, you can buy either one of the two paid ones to gain access to additional options as well as stop the ads that the free version comes with. As far as functionality is concerned, the office applications are adequate and have a couple of neat additions and features that can improve your working experience. To sum up – if you are looking for an adequate Office package alternative that is free and you don’t mind occasional ads displayed on your screen, then you might might want to give WPS Office a try.

Pros

• Free for use
• Cloud Storage
• Variety of templates
• Good backup feature

Cons

• Ads
• Ineffective spell-checker (WPS Writer)
• Ineffective suggested correct words list (WPS Writer)

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Today, we will introduce you to an alternative set of office tools developed by The Document Foundation group that goes under the name of LibreOffice. It is a kit of programs similar to those provided by Microsoft Office, that are distributed and available for free.

Characteristics

As we already established, the goal of the LibreOffice project is to provide its users with all the necessary office software tools. The following applications are the main programs that this office kit provides: Writer (for writing, similar to Word), Impress (presentations, similar to PowerPoint) , Math (for mathematical formulas), Draw (for creating graphics), Calc (spreadsheets, like Excel), Base (for creating databases).

File Format and OS Compatibility

Probably the most important aspect regarding all of the aforementioned LibreOffice programs is the fact that they work with all the standard file formats meaning that, for example, the Libre Office Writer can open and save well known and widely-used formats such as .doc (Microsoft Word 2003) or .docx (Microsoft Word 2007). This means that if you are sharing a project with a co-worker who uses the Microsoft Office package, there would be no difficulty for either of you when it comes to accessing shared files. Also, if you have been using Microsoft Office but decide to switch to Libre, you’d still be able to open your old documents. Of course, this format compatibility is to be expected by any office program developer who wants to create a desirable product.

As far as OS compatibility is concerned, LibreOffice is available for Windows (XP to 10), Mac OS and Linux. There is also a version for Android.

Interface

There is a visible difference between the interface of LibreOffice programs when compared to the Microsoft counterpart. Instead of using the common ribbon-based interface, Libre has gone for a more old school one where instead of showing the menus in different tabs, the menus are shown in toolbars and icons. This could make it easier to navigate the different tools of the programs using the keyboard. The different interface is neither a good nor a bad thing and it all depends on the user’s preference.

Features

One thing that you might notice about LibreOffice programs is that they seem to lack the variety of templates and options that you could have with Microsoft. However, if the user wishes to expand the capabilities of the office programs, they can download a wide array of free add-ons and plug-ins to boost the functionality of LibreOffice. While some might find it annoying that in order to get something additional, you’d need to manually download it, others could see this as a positive since you can only choose the tools you need, keeping the programs clean of anything that might not be needed or necessary. Again, it’s a matter of personal perspective. One thing that Libre lacks is a Cloud Storage but you always can install a Dropbox desktop tool to make up for that.

Other notes

One thing that many free programs are known for is the tendency for generating intrusive ads as a way to either earn money for their developers or to persuade the user into buying the paid version of the product so that the ads would go away. However, this is not the case with LibreOffice – there is only one version and it is free for use, deprived of any sort of irritating content, vaguely disclosed optional installs in the setup wizard or potential unwanted changes such as a new default browser search engine or starting page. This is rather important as it is a rarity to see a free program that doesn’t have intrusive tendencies and doesn’t try to push a paid version of itself or other products that the user might not want.

Conclusion

While many would still go with the classic and choose Microsoft Office over potential alternatives, one should still bear in mind that LibreOffice is an absolutely competent and functional option that offers a satisfying amount of options and tools without demanding anything in return. Therefore, if you are seeking a free software office kit option that still gives you all the needed functionality for both regular and professional use, you might want to check this one out.

Summary

Pros

• Free
• No ads
• Full set of office tools and options
• Versatile compatibility for file formats and Operating Systems

Cons

• Additional templates require manual installation
• No cloud storage

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