LibreOffice 5.0 has been released at about the same time as Microsoft Office 2016. Since one is free and the other isn't, it bears consideration: Could you get away with not buying programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint by using the latest free versions of LibreOffice programs like Write, Calc, and Impress?

First, Know Which Versions of Office and LibreOffice to Compare

Microsoft comes in a bunch of different versions, for various delivery modes and devices.


LibreOffice 5 is really only comparable to one of those: the desktop version or Office 2016. But even that gets tricky. After all, Office 2016 is available for both Windows and Mac, and the feature linup is not the same.

Summary of Updates in Microsoft Office 2016

Microsoft Office 2016 has been available as a preview and will be updated to an official consumer version in September 2015.

Here are quick resources to help you know what to expect from this version, program by program.

 

Your Office Coach: Microsoft Word 2016 in About 5 Minutes

Your Office Coach: Microsoft Excel 2016 in About 5 Minutes

Your Office Coach: Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 in About 5 Minutes

Your Office Coach: Microsoft OneNote 2016 in About 5 Minutes

Your Office Coach: Microsoft Outlook 2016 in About 5 Minutes

Your Office Coach: Microsoft Access 2016 in About 5 minutes

Your Office Coach: Microsoft Visio 2016 in About 5 Minutes

 

Summary of Updates in LibreOffice 5.0

As with any software version, several incremental builds have gone into LibreOffice 4.0, so this can also get a bit complex to compare, but here is what is new in the initial LibreOffice 5.0 release, as summarized on the official product blog:

"LibreOffice 5.0 sports a significantly improved user interface, with a better management of the screen space and a cleaner look. In addition, it offers better interoperability with office suites such as Microsoft Office and Apple iWork, thanks to new and improved filters to handle non standard formats. Other improvements have been added to every module of the suite, and Windows 64bit builds (Vista and later) have been added."

Find a complete list of LibreOffice features here: LibreOffice 5.0 New Features.

Where to Download LibreOffice 5.0 for Free

You can download LibreOffice 5.0 for free by visiting the LibreOffice Download Site. This version is available for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

What About LibreOffice for Businesses?

The Document Foundation suggests enterprise wait until LibreOffice 5.0 has more time to be refined. That way, the initial bugs can be worked out by early adopters, rather than disrupting your business!

But many organizations are switching to open source software, even as Office 365--the cloud counterpart to desktop suites such as Office 2016--continues to be popular. For this reason, businesses in particular should also incorporate Office 365 enterprise or non-profit plans in their analysis of whether to switch to a solution such as LibreOffice.

Check the main LibreOffice for more perspective on this. As ever, remember that you can support an support The Document Foundation with a donation athttp://donate.libreoffice.org.

Bottom Line: How to Decide Which is Right for You? 

Until both these products have been out a bit longer, you may want to wait to make your final decision between these two office software tools. But in the meantime, it makes sense to become versed in what each of them offers.