Microsoft Office vs. OpenOffice vs. Google Drive

Small businesses and individuals who wanted a spreadsheet, presentation, and word-processing package once had one option: Microsoft Office. But now, Apache OpenOffice has become a viable open-source option, and Google Docs is gaining in popularity.

Microsoft Office continues to be a powerful platform among office suites, but with the advent of free alternatives to Microsoft Office, such as Google Docs and Apache’s OpenOffice, the question of whether you should move to the open-source Office suites emerges. Picking between Microsoft Office and Open Source Office has pros and cons of each, making it one of the largest decisions you may have to make.

One of the key, underlying differences between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice is that Microsoft Office is produced by a for-profit company that uses some of its revenue for research and development.

Open Office is open-source software. It was developed collaboratively by mostly volunteers and is free to use. Other factors:

• The code for open source goes beyond a company’s reach
• The code for open-source software can be used for whatever you like
• It costs nothing to use open-source applications
• Open standards are used by open source
• With commercially licensed software, there is a company behind the code for support
• It costs nothing to update open-source applications

Google Docs is classified as freeware. It’s a web-based office suite and part of Google Drive. Users can make and alter documents online, and the interface has collaborative properties, too. Tonic Systems developed a presentation program for Google Docs, incorporating Writely and Spreadsheets.

User interface

Microsoft Office’s popularity makes it the default for many users. But, with a few upgrades, the interface has changed so much that its use required some training. Open Office’s appearance remains basic, while more sophisticated operations have been added to keep it relevant and competitive.

Google has a collection of apps and programs that modify and customize Google Docs.

All work well with any computer purchased in the past 10 years. They’re all MAC-compatible. For older computers, Open Office is the better choice, because Office is supported only on computers with minimum specs of Pentium 700MHz with 513 MB of RAM, and requires at least Windows 7.

Microsoft Office’s support blows Open Office out of the water. It offers dozens of books, Microsoft-licensed support providers, sites offering guides for configuring, using, and modifying Office software, professional call centers, and official support directly from Microsoft.

OpenOffice has discussion forums and documentation projects driven by the community.

Google support is comprehensive and top-notch for its programs, and getting help for Google Docs issues is no exception. The program’s help page contains step-by-step guides, policy guidelines, troubleshooting options, and a contact us link.

Sharing documents

All these software packages offer the ability to share documents you’re working on, an important element, as offices become more collaborative. But it is easier with Google Docs and OpenOffice, because of the open standards of their files.

With Microsoft Office, it might be hard for most users to switch between the .doc and .docx files or .xls and .xlsx.

To solve this, Microsoft introduced SkyDrive, which allows online collaboration using Microsoft’s online server. They’ve also integrated these ideas with Facebook for collaboration through that social media site. Open Office has nothing like this.

One factor that makes the Microsoft Office suite apart is its superb cross-platform collaboration, which enables you to store documents in the cloud that can be accessed and changed from any location. On the other hand, the Open Source office suite has some cloud restrictions and might just let you access files.

Google Docs, Microsoft Office, and Open Office are as secure as the user wants them to be. If you maintain antivirus protection, install patches and updates as soon as they’re available, maintain antispyware, and keep firewalls in place; you’ll be fine.

Conclusions

There’s no cut-and-dry answer to which software package is better for you or your business. The answer will be different depending on your needs. If you’re able to get free or donated Microsoft Office licenses, that is probably your best option for support and security.

But, if you’re using a computer with an older operating system, Open Office is the no-brainer. And your budget should also play into your decision. There are a variety of ways to get discounted Microsoft Office. Contact Microsoft for these options.

Google Docs’ ability to work with other Google programs, and its ease of access, make it a great option, too. Some users are concerned over Google’s practice of saving users’ online searches, though.

Now that Docs is no longer Google’s default storage program, too, Google Docs is developing into an even more intuitive, collaborative, and powerful tool.