Knowledgeable’s Ranking
Professionals
- Helps importing a variety of file codecs, together with Apple iWork and Microsoft 365
- Affords native apps on the preferred platforms, together with desktop and cell
- Packs quite a few, useful templates, a few of that are accessible offline
- Features a plugin library to increase the app’s performance
Cons
- Can’t export new information in Apple’s Pages, Numbers, and Keynote codecs
Our Verdict
It’s a Microsoft 365 clone that helps the preferred doc codecs, packs within the generally used enhancing options and it’s fully free, what’s to not like?
Worth When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Finest Pricing In the present day
Finest Costs In the present day: OnlyOffice for Mac
Microsoft 365 (previously Workplace), Google Docs, and Apple’s free iWork (which incorporates Pages, Keynote and Numbers) are arguably the three hottest productiveness suites for Mac customers. Microsoft’s choice is perceived because the trade customary by many, and academic establishments are inclined to depend on its providers. Google Docs, albeit web-based, has equally been adopted by the lots as a consequence of its free providing and ease of real-time collaboration. iWork, though not as sensible, additionally offers free and dependable instruments for these within the Apple bubble. However what if none of those suites go well with you?
Happily, there are many options, together with free and open-source software program (FOSS) with strong reputations. OnlyOffice is one in all them, replicating the Microsoft 365 expertise—sans the subscription charges. Is it any good, although?
OnlyOffice first impressions
OnlyOffice is accessible free of charge on macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Home windows, Android, and Linux. For this overview, I put in model 8.3.2 of the app—the most recent on the time of writing—on a MacBook Air M2 operating macOS 15 Sequoia 15.4. Whereas some App Retailer evaluations counsel the iPhone and iPad purchasers undergo from irritating bugs, like random crashes, the Mac expertise has typically been very secure on my finish. In reality, I struggled to discover a single situation with this app.
Upon launching OnlyOffice, you’ll be greeted by a clear, ad-free display screen showcasing its primary sections. You’ll be able to create a doc (.docx), spreadsheet (.xlsx), presentation (.pptx), or PDF file from scratch or decide from the prevailing templates. Some templates can be found for offline use whereas the remaining require an lively web connection to obtain when creating a brand new file. These allow you to rapidly compose an bill, calendar, guidelines, proposal, and so on.
Alternatively, you may launch an present file saved regionally in your pc or one of many supported cloud storage providers, comparable to Nextcloud. No matter what you go for, the app runs fluidly, and I’ve but to come across my first severe bug.
Foundry
Paperwork
By way of format and performance, OnlyOffice’s doc editor resembles Microsoft Phrase. You’ll be able to regulate the font, colours, formatting, alignment, and extra in supported information. You equally get to insert shapes, tables, equations, symbols, and so on. A few of the suitable codecs embrace DOCX, DOC, TXT, HTML, and EPUB.
It’s price noting that you simply seemingly can’t export a file in Apple’s .pages format until the unique file was created within the Pages app. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to import, edit, and save these proprietary information in OnlyOffice simply high-quality.
Foundry
Past the basics, you’ll be able to shield doc information, encrypt them, add your signature, view their phrase rely, set the creator, and so forth. And if you happen to’ve related a suitable cloud service, you’ll be able to collaborate remotely with different customers to make edits in actual time.
Certainly one of my favourite options is the built-in plugin library that allows you to depend on much more functionalities in a doc. So, for instance, you may add a third-party AI assistant to research your file and provide help to form its content material.
Spreadsheets
Likewise, OnlyOffice’s spreadsheet editor affords a Microsoft Excel-like expertise. You’ll be able to carry out all the actions you’d count on from such software program, together with fixing formulation, constructing dynamic charts, analyzing knowledge, and illustrating. You’ll be able to import XLXS, XLTX, CSV, OTS, and Numbers information, whereas exporting, as talked about above, excludes the .numbers format for non-Apple information.
Foundry
Shows
You guessed it, the presentation editor in OnlyOffice certainly mimics Microsoft PowerPoint. By default, you’ve bought a number of slide layouts that allow you to simply organize the specified content material, be it textual content or media, on the display screen. The app additionally affords a plethora of animation and transition types, letting you convey your work to life.
Just like the recognized options, it’s also possible to set customized backgrounds, insert hyperlinks, graphs, and images, and preview the ultimate end result. A few of the codecs you’ll be able to import embrace PPTX, PPT, PPSX, ODP, and Keynote.
Foundry
PDFs
Final however not least, OnlyOffice features a fundamental PDF viewer and editor. Not like Apple’s native Preview app, OnlyOffice helps you to truly tweak the content material in a PDF doc, so you’ll be able to tweak the textual content and add shapes, drop-down menus, and fields for viewers to fill in. That’s along with the common annotation instruments, comparable to highlighting and doodling.
It’s definitely not as superior as a devoted, premium PDF editor. Nonetheless, since OnlyOffice primarily acts as a free different to Phrase, Excel, and PowerPoint, it’s definitely a welcome bonus perk that’s dependable for fundamental PDF manipulation.
Have a look to see hoe OnlyOffice compares to different PDF Editors in our spherical up of the Finest PDF editors for Mac. We additionally consider some free PDF editors.
Do you have to swap to OnlyOffice?
As we’ve established, OnlyOffice is actually a free Microsoft 365 clone. In case you depend on Microsoft’s workplace suite and are bored with its recurring charges, then OnlyOffice might act as a wonderful different.
The app sometimes maintains the doc formatting, so the format ought to persist even when others view your information utilizing completely different software program. Provided that OnlyOffice is free to make use of, options no adverts, helps the preferred doc codecs, and packs the generally used enhancing options, there’s no hurt in giving it a shot to examine if it may possibly efficiently exchange your present productiveness suite. Had my private workflow prolonged past Apple units, I’d have definitely ditched iWork in favor of it.
