By Saeed Wazir
Publication Date: 2026-10-24 13:00:00
Microsoft 365, AKA Office, sets the standard for productivity apps, but it isn’t without flaws that put me off and make me want to try something else. For one, I’m forced into yet another monthly subscription that will burn a hole in my pocket over the long term. Alternatively, I can buy Office 2024 outright for an exorbitant fee and miss out on updates and features. I like simplicity, and I find that Office 365 has become bloated, especially since Microsoft’s messy Copilot AI implementation.
After trying several Microsoft 365 alternatives, I settled on OnlyOffice as my new daily driver for spreadsheets, word processing, and PDFs. OnlyOffice is an open-source productivity app from Asension Systems that requires no registration or personal information, so I could get going with minimal effort. I finally found a better office app than Microsoft, and I won’t look back.
