Top 5 Open Source Word Processors to Make you Work Easier

The Corona pandemic has forced you to bring your work at home. As the new normal is sinking in, we face some unique problems that we haven’t experienced before. The one that tops the list is a free word processor. You can manage to do your work without slideshows or a spreadsheet, but text documents are necessary. Does that mean you need to spend your money on the subscription of Microsoft Office? Of course not. There is plenty of open source word processor to download and use for free.

There are several browser-based tools to write online. One of the most used online tools is Google Docs. It saves automatically, and you don’t need to worry about losing your work if the connection fails. IT also helps in collaborative work. However, the only issue with Google Docs is the limited template to work on. Another drawback of Google Docs is that it does not allow you to import the files.

Here comes the open source word processor as a savior. You can use them offline, just like MS Word. We have listed the top open source word processors; it will help you to find the best one for your work from home experience.

LibreOffice Writer

One of the most widely used open source word processors, LibreOffice Writer, is very similar to MS Word. The file format is compatible with MS Word and has many standard features for the users. It was released under Mozilla Public License 2.0. It receives frequent updates, so the userbase it quite lively. It has quite a right bank of templates. Preparing an invoice or letter is just a cakewalk. You can make your template as well. LibreOffice can export text documents to PDF, and it does not require any external software. Though it is free, it does not bother you with advertisement pop-ups and paywalls. LibreOffice download links are available on the internet. We lean in its favor as it can easily stand in for MS Word.

Apache OpenOffice

Apache OpenOffice is one of the best open source office productivity software suites. It is quite close to the LibreOffice Writer and is available in 41 languages. The default file format is the OpenDocument Format, also termed as ODF. Apache open office can read as well as write a wide range of different file formats. It has a spreadsheet and a word processor. On top of that, Apache also gives a drawing application, a database management application, and a formula editor. Apache is compatible with Linux, Windows, and macOS. However, Apache can import and not save Microsoft’s Office Open XML formats.

WPS Office Free Writer

WPS Office Free Writer has received a lot of appreciation for its 1GB free cloud storage. The feature is much like MS Office One Drive. But everything is for free. If you are comfortable with the modern version of MS Word, using WPS Office Free Writer will be a cakewalk. The interface is very similar to that of MS Word. It is compatible with all the three leading operating systems, Windows, Linux, and macOS. The most important feature of this open source word processor is that it supports almost all the file formats you can think of, including the ancient versions of MS Office ’97. WPS is quite user-friendly and smooth to handle. It has a free PDF converter, which they launched very recently. If you can accept a few advertisements, WPS is one of the best open source word processors available right now.

Write Monkey

We call it a no-nonsense open source word processor. The interface is distraction-free and allows you to focus entirely on work. The templates are not very impressive. It is not suitable for writing letters or preparing a curriculum vitae (CV), but if you are looking for software to ideate, Write Monkey can help you a lot. It is not compatible with many text file formats and works only with TXT files. To use Write Monkey, you will have to convert most of your files. It is a portable app, and you don’t need to install it for use, but it works only in Windows.

FocusWriter

FocusWriter works fine with all the leading operating systems, Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is suitable for making the first draft of your project but is not ideal for editing. FocusWriter comes with an auto-save function. It sends you an alert when you reach the word count to write freely with a pre-defined word count. It is compatible with most of the text formats.

We have tried to show you how an open source word processor works. Choose one according to your need, and you need not worry about splashing money on subscriptions. Of course, thank us later!