The following is a list of (mostly) free office tools and organisation software and apps available online. It is by no means exhaustive! I will add to it as I come across new things (or at least things that are new to me). And I’ll try to delete anything that gets out of date.
I want to see: Downloadable Office Suites, Web-based Office Suites, Other Office Software, Task Management / To Do Lists, Meeting Scheduling, Sending Large Files, PDF Editors, notepads.
Office Suites (Downloadable)
Libre Office
Free (even for commercial use!) open-source office suite. Comprises of six different programmes: Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics), Math (mathematical formulae) and Base (databases). Libre Office is also compatible with .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt and .pptx files – that is, Microsoft file formats. It is updated regularly by an enthusiastic team of volunteers. LibreOffice is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. There is also a LibreOffice Viewer for Android. In short, I love it!
ONLYOFFICE
Brilliant free open-source office suite. ONLYOFFICE Docs has five main features; a Document Editor, Spreadsheet Editor, Presentation Editor, a Form Creator and PDF editor. You can download ONLYOFFICE or work online from any browser. ONLYOFFICE supports all the essential features you would expect from an office suite, such as formatting options, collaboration tools, and compatibility with common file formats like .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. ONLYOFFICE has great collaboration capabilities – multiple users can work on the same document simultaneously, making real-time edits and changes. It is free to download, however if you want enterprise capability, different pricing plans are available.
Apache Open Office
Apache OpenOffice (AOO) is a free, open-source office software suite. Based on Open Office – the first mainstream free software competitor to Microsoft Office. Includes Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics), Base (databases) and also Math (mathematical formulae). Apache OpenOffice can read and write a wide variety of file formats, including older Microsoft Office file formats; however unlike LibreOffice, it cannot save Microsoft’s Office Open XML formats (post-2007), it can only import them. Apache OpenOffice is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
WPS Office
WPS Office is an office suite for Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. It is made up of three elements: WPS Writer, WPS Presentation, and WPS Spreadsheet. WPS is fully compatible with Microsoft document formats. The personal version is free to use, but there are ads to give timed access to certain advanced features and paid business plans are available. WPS also includes 1GB of free cloud storage. WPS is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.
Nitro Office
Free Office suite app for Windows 10, based on Libre Office. Compatible with Microsoft Office, Google files and OpenOffice formats for Windows. Nitro Office includes Word, Slide, Spreadsheet and a basic PDF editor, a vector graphics and flowcharts drawing programme, a database editor etc.
Office Suites (Web-based)
Google Workspace
An integrated suite of online collaboration and productivity apps, software and products by Google. Includes Gmail, Hangouts, Keep, Calendar and Google+ for communication and organisation; Drive for storage; and Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Sites for collaboration. Most of the apps are free for personal use, if you have a Google account. However, there are different paid plans for business use.
Microsoft Office Online
Slimmed-down web-based versions of Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. Some of the advanced features of the desktop software aren’t available however. Despite this, these online apps probably meet most people’s needs, and most people are familiar with their layout. To access the applications, just log in using your Microsoft account. Perfect!
Polaris
Polaris Office is a cloud-based service that is compatible with all Microsoft document formats. The free basic Polaris account option comes with 60MB monthly allowance for data transfer, 1GB cloud storage, and can be used across three devices (one PC or Mac and two mobile devices). You can also connect Polaris Office to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Microsoft OneDrive and Amazon Cloud Drive or save work locally to a device. It is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, and also comes pre-installed on some Samsung phones. The premium version includes more editing tools than the free version, and doesn’t have any ads.
Zoho Workplace
Zoho is a web-based online office suite including Writer (word processing), Sheet (spreadsheets), Show (presentations), databases. I addition, it also includes note-taking, wikis, web conferencing, customer relationship management (CRM), project management, invoicing, and other applications. Free for up to 5 users, 5GB per user.
Office Software
Prezi
Alternative presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships. Prezi works in a non-linear format (as does my brain… 🙂 ) Allows the user to create collaborative, dynamic, and engaging presentations, as Prezi allows the presenter to be more flexible and as a result, the presenter can respond to their audience. The Basic package is free, however paid plans are available.
Adobe Express
Adobe Express is an online and mobile design app. Create social graphics, web pages and short videos for example. The starter plan is free, however paid plans are available.
Task Management / To Do Lists
Trello
Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organise and prioritise your projects in a fun and flexible way. Syncs across all of your devices so you can collaborate easily. Can also connect it to other apps (for example Calendar, Google Drive, Slack etc.)
Todoist
A to-do list. But much, Much more! Allows users to plan and create projects (for example, add tasks, set due dates, assign responsibility), collaborate efficiently (namely by sharing files, having discussion), and get a clear overview of everything your team is working on – such as what’s already been done and what’s coming up next. It has real-time sync across 10+ platforms, so everyone has access to the most up-to-date information. Todoist is free for starters – including up to 80 projects and up to 5 people per project. However, there are pricing plans to suit larger businesses.
Remember the Milk
Remember the milk is a to-do list and time management app. It allows users to manage tasks from a computer or smartphone, their Google apps, both online and offline.
Microsoft to do
Available for free and syncs across Windows, Android iOS and the web. To Do is integrated with Outlook Tasks, making it easier to manage all your tasks. You can share lists, break tasks down into simple steps, add due dates, and set reminders.
ZenKit To Do
Zenkit To Do allows you to organise your tasks, shopping lists, meetings, ideas and whatever else needs to be organised! You can ass due dates and reminders, and share tasks. The personal plan is free, and their are paid plans available for businesses.
Meeting Scheduling
Doodle
How did anyone schedule a meeting before Doodle? Doodle schedules meetings with clients, colleagues, or friends. Users are asked to determine the best time and date to meet. Free for personal use, however paid plans are available.
When 2 Meet?
Really simple and straightforward to use. Love it!
Sending Large Files
WeSendit
Simple, secure, free and fast. You can as a register for a free account and send up to 5GB per transfer to up to 3 recipients over an encrypted connection. You will receive an email when your data has been downloaded by the recipient. WeSendit also allows you to specify how long the data should remain available and if you want to protect it with a password. Paid business accounts are available.
WeTransfer
With WeTransfer you can send up to 2 GB to up to 10 people, with a free account. A link to your data transfers to unlimited people, and expires after 7 days. You can resend, forward and delete transfers. A paid Pro account is available.
PDF Editors
Apowersoft Online PDF Editor
Edit, convert and manage your PDFs online. Or download the app, but note that this will stamp your PDFs with a watermark.
apowersoft.com/pdf-editor-online
Sejda PDF Editor
An online editor – useful for making quick, small changes to PDFs.
PDF Creator
A useful open-source PDF editor that can convert your documents to PDF, JPG, PNG, TIF etc. Merge multiple documents to one file.
PDF Candy
PDF Candy offers 47 tools to process PDFs (and other documents and files) online. Simply choose a task, upload the file, and wait for PDF Candy to finish. Once a task is complete, you can either download the file or save it to Google Drive or Dropbox. The free version limits you to one task per hour, but there are paid plans available.
PDF to Flipbook
Convert a .pdf into a flipbook. (Works particularly well for reading pdfs on tablets or phones, as you can swipe through with your finger). The free version limits books to 40 pages.
Image extraction from a pdf
With PDF24 you can extract the images contained within a pdf file (instead of taking screenshots). Drag your pdf into the yellow box, then click on Extract Images. It then creates a ZIP file containing all the images within the pdf, which you can then download.
Notepads
Obviously Windows has had a notepad since the days of MS-DOS in 1983. It was also included as part of Windows 1 in 1985, and had been part of every version of Windows since. Part of the appeal is its simplicity. However if you are looking for more features, alternatives are available…
Notepad++
Open source notepad. Includes features such as tabs. dark mode
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Note: please read the disclaimer before downloading , installing or using any software.