FreeOffice — A free office suite from SoftMaker with a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation app that reads and writes Microsoft Office formats.
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Best for: individuals and small businesses who want a fast, native desktop office suite with strong Microsoft Office file compatibility and no subscription cost
Pricing: Free for personal and commercial use; no paid FreeOffice tier (SoftMaker Office is a separate paid product for users who need mail merge and extras).
- FreeOffice is completely free for personal and commercial use, on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- FreeOffice includes TextMaker (word processor), PlanMaker (spreadsheet), and Presentations (slides).
- FreeOffice is closed source, made by German developer SoftMaker.
- FreeOffice reads and writes .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx natively without a lossy conversion step.
- SoftMaker sells a separate paid suite, SoftMaker Office, for users who need mail merge and extra features.
Limitations: Closed source with no plugin or macro ecosystem comparable to LibreOffice.; No mail merge without upgrading to the paid SoftMaker Office suite.; No built-in real-time collaborative editing.
Top alternatives: LibreOffice, Microsoft Office, WPS Office, OnlyOffice, Google Docs — full list
What is FreeOffice?
FreeOffice is a closed-source but no-cost office suite from SoftMaker, a German software company that has built office applications since the 1980s. It consists of three programs, TextMaker (word processor), PlanMaker (spreadsheet), and Presentations (slide deck editor), designed from the ground up to open and save Microsoft Office's native file formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) without a lossy round-trip conversion step, which was historically a common pain point with other free suites like the original OpenOffice. Unlike LibreOffice or OpenOffice, FreeOffice is not open source: SoftMaker keeps the source code proprietary and funds development by selling a paid sibling product, SoftMaker Office, that adds features such as mail merge, additional file format support, and more built-in templates. FreeOffice itself remains free indefinitely for both personal and commercial use, with native apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux desktops plus iOS and Android mobile apps, making it one of the few free office suites with a genuinely native (not browser-wrapped) mobile experience.
FreeOffice is a proprietary but completely free office suite from German developer SoftMaker, built for individuals and businesses who want a lightweight Microsoft Office alternative without a subscription. It bundles TextMaker (word processing), PlanMaker (spreadsheets), and Presentations (slides), all built around native compatibility with .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files rather than a converted or lossy format. FreeOffice runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android and is free for both personal and commercial use, with no ads, watermarks, or feature paywall on the core apps; SoftMaker sells a separate paid upgrade, SoftMaker Office, for users who need extras like mail merge or additional templates.
Standout feature: Native, non-lossy compatibility with .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx as its default file formats, so documents round-trip with Microsoft Office without the formatting drift common in other free office suites.
Biggest weakness: Closed source with no plugin ecosystem or macro/scripting support comparable to LibreOffice's extension library, and features like mail merge are withheld to upsell the paid SoftMaker Office suite.
Pros
- Genuinely free for both personal and commercial use, with no watermarks, ads, or nag paywalls on the core apps.
- Opens and saves .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx natively, avoiding the formatting drift common when other free suites convert Office files.
- Native desktop apps (not Electron wrappers) on Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus genuinely native iOS and Android apps.
- Fast startup and low resource use compared to LibreOffice or Microsoft Office on older hardware.
Cons
- Closed source, so there is no way to audit the code or build a customized version, unlike LibreOffice or OnlyOffice.
- No mail merge or macro/scripting support; those require upgrading to the paid SoftMaker Office suite.
- Smaller template and extension ecosystem than LibreOffice or Microsoft Office.
- No real-time collaborative editing built in, unlike Google Docs or Microsoft 365.
FreeOffice pricing
Free · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FreeOffice | Free | Free for personal and commercial use on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. No ads or watermarks. SoftMaker sells a separate paid suite, SoftMaker Office, for users who need mail merge and extra features. |
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