Everyone has heard of the Microsoft Office suite. The majority of people will only ever use their most well-known programs (Word, Excel or PowerPoint), even though this paid suite is far from cheap.
Luckily, a range of high-quality options exist today, allowing you to access spreadsheets, word processors and slideshow presentations, free of charge. Two of the most popular software alternatives to Microsoft Office are OpenOffice and Word. Want to know what the difference is, and which is better?
A brief introduction to Openoffice and Word
OpenOffice was first presented to the world as an alternative to MS Office. However, over time, a group of developers have created a suite based on its source code, leading to the creation of Word.
Therefore, Word is simply a program developed from OpenOffice. It’s a derivative which has gradually acquired its own essence, clearly distinguishing it from it its competitor. In fact, although they share the same code and have many similarities, both have been adapting separately to modern advances. Want to know what the difference is, and which is better for you?
What are their most significant differences?
Below we’ll outline a few of the most relevant aspects and lay out the differences between the two programs. As a result, you’ll be able to easily make your decision, based on your own needs.
- Interface. OpenOffice retains its classic interface, while Word offers a different screen, featuring a side panel. Both share certain similarities, although the Word interface stands out as more modern, with greater attention to detail. What’s more, you can personalise the program’s appearance to make it more similar to the Microsoft Office ribbon interface.
- Programs and features. Both software suites offer the same tools: word processor, spreadsheets, drawing software, database, formulas, and a slideshow presentation program. However, Word features integrated templates to improve functionality, while in OpenOffice you’ll need to download and install these yourself. Furthermore, when it comes to spreadsheets, Word offers a much more advanced
- Compatible formats. Both make use of the Open Document Format, or ODF, to save documents in a format that will be compatible with any program. However, Word overtakes OpenOffice when it comes to compatibility with Microsoft Office. While OpenOffice allows you to open Office documents, but not save them, Word will open documents more successfully, without changing their original appearance, and will allow you to save.
- Consumption and performance. In this regard, OpenOffice takes the lead, and while Word loads the entire suite in memory, OpenOffice only loads the program currently in use. This significantly reduces consumption in comparison with its competitor and allows it to function better – particularly if using an older computer.
In summary, Word continues improving and developing, while OpenOffice has come to something of a standstill. What’s more, Word is almost on par with Microsoft Office – although it’s important to remember that it consumes more RAM than its rival.
If you’ve already made your mind up, you can very easily download either of these programs through a download platform like Softonic. .