Feature Comparison: LibreOffice - Microsoft Office
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 General office suite: LibreOffice vs. Microsoft Office
- 3 Word processors: LibreOffice Writer vs. Microsoft Word
- 4 Spreadsheet applications: LibreOffice Calc vs. Microsoft Excel
- 5 Presentation software: LibreOffice Impress vs. Microsoft PowerPoint
- 6 Database program: LibreOffice Base vs. Microsoft Access
- 7 Extensions: LibreOffice extensions adding outstanding features to LibreOffice
- 8 See also
Introduction
This page compares the features of LibreOffice 6.0.2 (download) and Microsoft Office 2016 / 365. It separates major and minor feature differences and also includes notes on LibreOffice extensions. The comparison highlights differences and therefore does not display any features which are present in both office suites.
General office suite: LibreOffice vs. Microsoft Office
| Major Feature Differences | LibreOffice 6.0 | MS Office 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-platform availability (desktop) | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD. (based on the same code base). | Windows and macOS. Windows and macOS versions have some document format compatibility problems, somewhat different feature sets and differences in the user interface; macOS version does not include the database application MS Access and also lacks a number of other features (see below).
Feature inconsistencies/differences in Windows versions, between "MS Office 2016" sales version and the "Office 2016 for Office 365" rental version: some features are being subsequently included only in the rental version (newly added features also differ between macOS and MS Windows) leading to inconsistencies in the feature set (see below). |
| Supported versions of MS Windows | Windows 7 SP1, 8, 8.1, 10, Server 2008, Server 2012, Server 2016. ([1]). Versions until LibreOffice 5.4 still also support Windows XP SP3, Vista. | Windows 7 SP1, 8, 8.1, 10, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2016 ([2]). |
| Supported versions of macOS | 10.9+ (Mavericks). (System requirements) | 10.10+ (Yosemite) |
| Portable version that runs on USB flash disks (without installation) | Yes (download) | No |
| Open Source | Yes, licensed under MPLv2 and others. | No, proprietary and closed-source |
| Full integration of all office components | Supported. From within each office component, files of all other components can be opened and be newly created. Central StartCenter with access to office modules, recently used files and templates. | Not supported |
| Availability free of charge | Yes (download, donate) | No, proprietary software plus additional charges for language packs. 30-day trial version available. |
| Extension availability | Complex ecosystem of extensions (over 340 on extensions.libreoffice.org and over 800 on extensions.openoffice.org), including automatic updates. | Partly, no centralized extension system for add-ons and macros. Office Apps store for Office 2016. [3] Office Apps not supported on macOS. |
| Localization | 110 languages (detailed list of languages supported by LibreOffice) | 91 languages in Windows version, 27 languages in macOS version (display language for (some) office applications) [4], [5] |
| Support of Right-to-left |
Comprehensive support, based on HarfBuzz text shaping library | Supported on Windows, mobile and online versions and macOS. |
| Additional writing aids | Extended support (spell-check dictionaries, hyphenation patterns, thesaurus and grammar check, specialized dictionaries as extensions ([6], [7])). Detailed list of LibreOffice writing aids for over 150 languages. | More limited, "proofing tools" for 92 languages in Windows version, 58 in macOS version. [8],[9] |
| Support of complex languages and special smart-font features (ligatures, true small caps, old style numbers, proportional or mono-spaced numbers, capital spacing, and true superscript/subscript) | Limited support: full support of SIL Graphite font technology ([10],[11]) and full support of OpenType optional features ([12],[13],[14]) by syntax, without UI: tdf#58941. See LibreOffice Smart Font HowTo. Interoperability: No support for optional OpenType features in OOXML, and ODF 1.2 don’t provide OpenType optional features support (support scheduled for ODF 1.3) | Limited via OpenType supporting ligatures, stylistic sets, number spacing options, number forms, and contextual alternates. Support for optional OpenType features in OOXML. |
| Support of font variation | Limited support for font rendering on screen, no support for printing and PDF export. tdf#108497 | Limited support for font rendering on screen, no support for printing and PDF export. |
| Easy access to vector clip art | Yes via LO Gallery (clipart extensions ([15] or [16])). Extension for the integration of clipart from OpenClipart.org | Selection more limited. Feature to include a selection of "icons" ("Icons" not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Macro scripting languages | Multiple languages, support for wide variety of languages (LibreOffice Basic, JavaScript, BeanShell, and Python). Import and export of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), see ([17] and the release notes). | Single language, support for Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Indirectly also Visual Basic or Visual C# by using automation. |
| CMIS protocol support to access Document Management Systems | Support for Alfresco, Google GDrive, Nuxeo, MS SharePoint, MS OneDrive, IBM FileNet Lotus Live Files, Lotus Quickr Domino, OpenDataSpace, and OpenText ELS. (tdf#62437) | Inbuilt support only for MS SharePoint and MS OneDrive |
| Support of ISO standards OpenDocument Format (ODF) |
Advanced support, ODF v1.2 extended | Limited support in MS Windows version, and online version, ODF v1.2. Support of ODF in macOS version and mobile versions (Android, iOS, Windows 10 Mobile) are limited and require the use of an online file format conversion service. [18] [19] [20] |
| PDF export extended options | Multiple options (Additional options: Tagged PDF, Time stamp protocol |
High or low quality PDF, page and markup to print in Access, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint [21]; pictures resolution and non-printing informations in Publisher. |
| Document classification | Document classification in Writer, Calc, and Impress according to TSCP-standards (also with multiple policies). See: [22] and [23]. | No inbuilt document classification system, but Information Rights Management (IRM) supported |
| Import of SVG vector graphics (.svg, .svgz) | Supported | .svg files supported in Windows rental version, not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version. |
| Insert PDF as an image into documents | Supported ([24]) | Not supported |
| Creation of Hybrid PDFs (ODF file embedded in PDF for full editing) | Supported | Not supported |
| Import from raster graphics software: Adobe Photoshop (.psd) | Supported | Not supported |
| Import from vector graphics / DTP software: CorelDraw (v1-X7), Corel Presentation Exchange, Adobe/Macromedia Freehand (v3-11), Adobe PageMaker, Zoner/Callisto Draw (.zmf), QuarkXPress 3.1 to 4.1 | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of MS Visio files | Supported (Visio 2000-2013) | Not supported (only via MS Visio which is not part of MS Office) |
| Import of video and audio formats FLAC Audio (.flac), Flash Video (.flv), Matroska Media (.mkv), OGG Audio, Ogg Video, Quicktime Video, WebM Video, Real Audio (.ra), Real Media (.rm), Digital Video (.dv), Audio Codec (.ac3), and Ogg Opus (.opus) | Supported | Not supported |
| Drawing software | LibreOffice Draw | No |
| PIM and Email program | Not part of LibreOffice, referring to alternatives such as Mozilla Thunderbird. See the comparison on this wiki: Mozilla Thunderbird vs. Microsoft Outlook.
Mail Merge Wizard sends out emails directly from LibreOffice without email software. LibreOffice-wide access to address books via Base. |
MS Outlook |
| Integrated Development Environment (IDE) feature set | The BASIC Integrated Development Environment (IDE) does not have: 1. Refactoring facilities (Renaming affects dependencies/Extract Method/Extract interface etc.) (tdf#92251, tdf#94524, tdf#94526, tdf#94527, tdf#94528, tdf#94529, tdf#94530); 2. Intellisense (or any other code completion functionality) such as auto-code-completion and showing the properties and methods of an object (tdf#66185); 3. Error checking (the IDE actually knows its symbols). | Supported with Visual Basic for Applications and/or additional purchase of Office Developer Tools for Visual Studio (Windows-only). macOS version only supports a simplified Visual Basic Editor. |
| Import & Export of Microsoft OOXML files | Good support of real life OOXML files (e.g. .xlsx, .docx, .pptx) and standardized (transitional) OOXML files, as well as import of OOXML-strict files. | Advanced support of transitional (default) and strict OOXML files |
| PDF Import | Partial, into Draw and Writer with the limitation that text is imported line-based (tdf#32249). | Supported, into MS Word |
| Versions of office suite for mobile operating systems (smartphones, tablets) | Ports for Android and iOS in development, viewer for Ubuntu Touch: LibreOffice Viewer for Android is available. The Android viewer also contains basic and experimental editing features, more information: Android port wiki, [25], [26], [27], [28]. LibreOffice Light for iOS is in development [29]; more information on iOS port: [30]. The Document Viewer of Ubuntu Touch is powered by LibreOfficeKit and therefore supports viewing most file types supported by LibreOffice. | Android, iOS and Windows Mobile. Mobile versions for smartphones and tablets with Android and iOS with restricted features set, for 'Windows 10 Mobile' smartphones with heavily restricted feature set. Professional users as well as users on tablets >10.1 inch are required to have an eligible Office 365 subscription at a monthly fee. Private users are allowed to view and print documents without registration private users, basic editing functionality requires registration. More comprehensive features require an eligible Office 365 subscription at a monthly fee. |
| Online/cloud version of office suite | Libreoffice Online 6.0.2 / Collabora Online 3.1 released with full document support and rendering fidelity, advanced but reduced editing functionality, collaborative editing. [31], [32], [33], [34], [35]. See also: LibreOffice Online port development. | Office web apps, with reduced functionality. ([36]) |
| Integration of online office suite into (third-party) collaboration software and groupware / content management systems | Integration of LibreOffice Online in OwnCloud and Nextcloud, Kolab,Pydio, Seafile,IceWarp, AG-I Solutions, Alinto, VNCLagoon, EGroupware, Univention App Center. | MS Office Online Server integration in MS SharePoint |
| Availability of online office suite in (third-party) online services | Variety of available service providers: UrBerri, eqipe, New Access, Arawa, Artistanbul, TransfertPro, Extensys,Rono-IT, SecuredStore, StudioStorti,united hoster, Option Service Télécom, AggreCost, Webo.hosting, FileCloud, Retention Range, Workman.net.au, OffiDocs, CiviHosting, ETES, Sunjun, opendsi, GMS, OpenLogic, SwissStash, iOffice Cloud, cloudplan, EGroupware, ZenTao, SwissVON, CQ Net, Mijncloudoffice, mentorITe | MS OneDrive |
| Synchronous collaborative editing | Partial. Collaborative editing in LibreOffice online version (Writer, Calc and Impress). Not available in the desktop applications (tdf#73831), see development information: Collaborative Editing and Track changes. | Supported in online versions of MS Word, MS Excel and MS Powerpoint. Partial support in desktop applications via OneDrive or MS Sharepoint. Support in desktop applications: "Real-time typing" in MS Word, MS Powerpoint, "Co-authoring" in MS Excel (not supported in MS Powerpoint and MS Excel in MS Office 2016 sales version; MS Powerpoint 2016 sales version only allows for co-authoring (syncing after saving file). Simplified "sharing" of office documents in MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint via OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint. AutoSave feature, which automatically saves every few seconds, is supported in MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Powerpoint, if files are stored on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online (Not available in MS Office 2016 sales version). |
| User Interface approach | Highly customizable UI concept "MUFFIN" ([37]): Classic UI with multiple toolbars mode or single toolbar mode with Sidebar panel. UI concept "NotebookBar" available in experimental mode ([38]) with variants "Contextual groups/single", "Tabbed", Groupedbar full/compact", and "Tabbed Compact". Customization possible: several icon themes available, Firefox themes. | Ribbon UI; Colour themes |
| User interface improved to enable use on touch screen devices on desktop operating systems. | No (tdf#102015) | Slightly adjusted user interface for touch screen devices, but no redesign. |
| Keyboard driven menu system (search function to better find features in office suite). | Not supported. Only via help system. On Ubuntu Unity support for Head-Up-Display (HUD) system. (tdf#91874) | Supported, Tell Me search bar. |
| Integration of instant Messaging (IM), voice, video, or screen sharing. | Not supported. | Skype integration (not supported in macOS version). |
| Inserting and editing 3D models | Not supported (previous support in Impress for glTF (.dae/.kmz) 3D models removed in version 6.0) | Supported in Powerpoint, Word, and Excel. (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Support of color fonts | Not supported | Supported [39] |
| Minor Feature Differences | LibreOffice 6.0 | MS Office 2016 |
| Import of graphics formats DXF, MET, PBM, PCD, PCX, PGM, PPM, PPM, RAS, SGF, SVM, TGA, XBM, XPM | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of Classic Mac OS legacy vector and bitmap graphics formats: BeagleWorks, ClarisWorks, GreatWorks, MacPaint, MacWorks, SuperPaint, MacDraw, MacDraw II, RagTime for Mac 2-3, ClarisDraw, MacDraft | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of additional video and audio formats: CD Audio, Vivo Video. | Supported | Not supported |
| Drawing features: Arrow endings | Substantially wider selection, including Crow’s feet notation | Less supported arrow endings |
| Document converter wizard | Supported | Not supported |
| Euro currency converter wizard | Supported | Not supported |
| Expert config to access a multitude of settings from UI | Supported | Not supported |
| Support for multiple color palette formats: Gimp (.gpl), Adobe Swatch Exchange (.ase), LibreOffice/Apache OpenOffice (.soc) | Supported (note: tdf#92354) | Not supported |
| Import MathML formula from clipboard | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of StarOffice binary file formats .sdc, .sda and .sdw | Basic support | Not supported |
| Digital signatures / Signature Line | Multiple signatures, including OOXML signatures. Round-trip with MS Office problematic (tdf#58442, tdf#58476). Import/export of PDF signatures. Support of XAdES |
Supported (OOXML/XML-DSig and XAdES signatures) |
| Convert SVG image to shapes / polygon | Conversion supported in LO Draw. Additionally opening SVG files directly as shapes is supported in LO Draw. (tdf#115571) | Supported (Supported in Windows rental version, not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Enhanced list of recent files and folders | Partial (tdf#61174, tdf#60743). Option to clear list of recent documents. Selectively delete Recent Documents (in StartCenter) | Supported (option to set recent files as permanent) |
| Custom colours in formula editor | Set of 16 colours (tdf#40436) | Supported |
| Third-party software dependencies | Java runtime environment (JRE) installation required for certain - but not most - features of the software. Java is notably required for Base. (tdf#34809) | Not required |
| Shortcut keys for accented Latin characters | Not supported (tdf#71176), workaround using Unicode conversion, see Unicode character input with Alt+X | Limited support |
| Inserting audio / video from online sources | Not supported (tdf#42246) (Work-around: Download of online video and embed it in presentation (incl. Flash videos)) | Supported in Windows version ([40]). Not supported on macOS. |
| Quick access to email attachments | Not supported | Supported, "Shared with me" feature in PowerPoint, Excel, Word. |
| Streaming of office applications/office on demand | Not supported (possible via third party services) | Supported ([41]) |
| Ink drawings / annotations (e.g. on touch- and pen-enabled devices) | Not supported (tdf#35092), (only support for import of existing ink annotations from MS Word file format) | Supported. Several pens, highlighters, colors and color effects, and pencils for inking to draw/annotate/highlight. Ink replay feature (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Recognition of shapes from ink drawings | Not supported | supported in MS Word and MS Excel (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Automatic background removal of a picture | Not supported (tdf#103424) | Supported in MS Windows version (not supported in macOS version) |
| Live preview while formatting | Not supported (tdf#37048) | Supported |
| Inserting a screenshot from within applications | Not supported | Supported |
| Import of graphics formats: MEZ, EMZ, WMZ, PCZ | Not supported (tdf#103954) | Supported |
| Export to XPS format |
Not supported | Supported |
| Support for Touch Bar on Apple MacBook Pro | Not supported (tdf#105803) | Supported (macOS only) |
Word processors: LibreOffice Writer vs. Microsoft Word
| Major Feature Differences | LO Writer 6.0 | MS Word 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Handling of captions for graphics or image boxes | Stable layout | Layout problems |
| Styles (page styles, frame styles, list styles) | Supported | Not supported |
| Overlining of text | Supported | No, but complicated workaround |
| Master documents for longer texts | Master documents and Master document templates supported | Supported but deprecated because it causes file corruption |
| Register-true feature / register accuracy (DTP-feature) | Supported | Not supported |
| Business card wizard | Supported (release notes) | Not supported |
| Text auto completion of words already used before | Supported [42] | Not supported |
| XForms documents creation | Supported | Not supported |
| Mathematical calculations in tables | Complex calculations | Only basic arithmetic |
| DocBook import & export | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to MediaWiki (Wikipedia) format | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to XHTML | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to EPUB |
Supported | Not supported |
| Export document as image(s) | Supported, image formats: .jpg, .png | Not supported |
| Import of Apple Pages documents | Support for Pages v1-4 | Not supported |
| Working with large documents | Stable layout | Some layout problems [43] |
| Extended label creation features (release notes) | Supported (generic database access, synchronise content) | Partial |
| Frames | DTP-like features like text in multiple columns and text-wrap around graphics | Concept of "horizontal frames" is more limited |
| DirectCursor (allows to enter text anywhere on a page) | Supported | Supported, under the name Click and type (advanced option) |
| Table styles | Supported (release notes 5.3 and release notes 6.0) (tdf#34391). | Supported |
| PDF export of comments | Export of comments according to PDF specification (via "File" > "Export as PDF"). PDF export of comments: inside the margin, at end of page, at end of document (activation complicated, only via: "Tools" > "Options" > "LibreOffice Writer" > "Print" (tdf#77650)) | Export only as comments inside margin |
| Grammar check | Out of the box only 4 languages (English, Russian, Hungarian and Brazilian Portuguese) extensions: e.g. Languagetool for 29 languages plus 14 language variants (level of language support varies), Grammalecte for French, CoGroo for Brazilian Portuguese |
21 languages (plus 1 language variant) were supported in MS Office 2013 with additional costs); no information on supported languages in MS Office 2016. Grammar check on macOS version limited to few languages. |
| Style sets (for paragraph styles) | Different. Templates provide this functionality, but more difficult to handle. Helpful extension: Template Changer (tdf#89286). Experimental design themes: (tdf#45176, tdf#90497) | Supported ("document themes") |
| Use of LaTeX syntax for formulas | Not supported. Extension: TexMaths | Supported. Ability to type math using the LaTeX syntax (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Vertical alignment (top/center/bottom) of content on page | Not supported (tdf#36117), workarounds via frame/table | Supported |
| Picture styles & additional effects | Not supported (tdf#59906), but effects are preserved on import and export. | Supported |
| View changes in the right margin in "track changes" mode | Not supported (tdf#34355) | Supported |
| Diagonal borders in tables | Not supported (tdf#51665) | Supported |
| Extended reading mode of documents | Not supported (tdf#55168) | Supported |
| Collapse and expand parts of a document | Not supported (tdf#47746) | Supported |
| Instant messaging while collaborating on document | Not supported | Supported ([44]) |
| Minor Feature Differences | LO Writer 6.0 | MS Word 2016 |
| Protected cells in tables (allows better creation of forms) | Supported | Not supported |
| Open erroneous .doc files | Better recovery mode ([45],[46]) | More frequently denies opening those files |
| Wizard to create personalized letter templates | Supported | Not supported |
| Import & Export Unified Office Format text | Supported | Not supported |
| Import & Export AportisDoc (Palm), PocketWord documents | Supported (requires Java) [47] | Not supported |
| Import of AbiWord files | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of eBook formats: FictionBook 2.0, BroadBand, Plucker (Palm), eReader (Palm), zTXT (Palm), TealDoc (Palm), PalmDoc (Palm) | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of legacy Mac OS word processing documents: MS Word for Mac (1-5.1), MS Works for Mac (1-4), ClarisWorks/AppleWorks, Write Now, MacWriteII/MacWritePro, DOCMaker 4, FullWrite Professional, HanMac Word-K/J, LightWayText for Mac 4.5, Mariner Write Mac Classic 1.6-3.5, MindWrite Document, Nisus Writer Mac Classic 3.4-6.5, TeachText/SimpleText 1, Tex-Edit 2, WriterPlus, Z-Write 1.3, eDOC 2, Acta Mac Classic, BeagleWorks/WordPerfect Works 1, GreatWorks, MacDoc 1, MoreMac 2-3, RagTime for Mac 2-3 | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of DOS/Windows legacy word processing documents: Microsoft Word for DOS, Microsoft WinWord 5, Microsoft Word 6.0 / 95, Microsoft Write, Hangul WP97 and Text 602 (T602), Lotus WordPro | Supported | Not supported |
| Logo toolbar and interpreter | supported | Not supported |
| Format text of all comments in document | Supported | Not supported |
| Conditional text | Supported ([48], [49](PDF) [50]) | Partially supported ([51], [52]) |
| Automatic replacement of Emojis | supported. Additional toolbar control to insert Emojis (experimental: tdf#100100) | Manual creation of replacement lists |
| Number of columns per table in document | Unlimited columns | Limited to 63 columns |
| Maximum page size | 300cm x 300cm | 55.87cm x 55.87cm |
| Bibliographic features | Basic inbuilt support. Excellent free extensions: e.g. Zotero, Bibus, JabRef as well as proprietary extensions. | Inbuilt support. Excellent free extensions: e.g. Zotero as well as proprietary extensions. |
| Advanced find & replace / Special characters | Partial (tdf#38261). See List of Regular Expressions. Extension: Alternative dialog Find & Replace for Writer | Supported |
| Complex Outline numbering / Multilevel list | Different numerically equivalent format not supported (tdf#35217) | Supported |
| Default keyboard shortcuts | Less default shortcuts ([53]) | More default shortcuts ([54]) |
| Add watermarks to pages | Support for text watermarks. Workaround for picture watermarks via adding image to header/footer. | Supported (text and picture watermarks) |
| Complex/rich text formatting in comments (e.g. bullet points, text color, images, tables) | Not supported. Some formatting features are supported, e.g. font type, font size, bold, italics, underline, text alignment (align, centered, justified). (tdf#81458) | Supported |
| Document/text translation | Not supported (tdf#34058), extension: TradutorLibreText. | Supported ([55]) |
| Decorative page borders | Not supported (tdf#39270) | Supported |
| Horizontal split view of the same document | Not supported (tdf#31481), workaround: Windows > New Window to clone document window. | Supported |
| Outline view | Not supported (tdf#38262), workaround: Navigator > Content View to drag and promote/demote headings | Supported |
| Draft view | Not supported (tdf#67698) | Supported |
| Upload to blog servers | Not supported, extension: Sun Weblog Publisher. | Supported (Sharepoint Blog, Wordpress, Blogger, Windows Live Spaces, Community Server, TypePad, MetaWebLog API) |
| Digital pen usage / gestures | Not supported | Supported [56]. (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
Spreadsheet applications: LibreOffice Calc vs. Microsoft Excel
| Major Feature Differences | LO Calc 6.0 | MS Excel 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet functions (for details see Functions comparison of LibreOffice Calc and Excel) | 504 functions (25 functions unique to Calc) | 467 functions (13 functions unique to Excel)
Functions not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version: MAXIFS, MINIFS. Functions not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version: CONCAT, IFS, TEXTJOIN, SWITCH. |
| Unique Spreadsheet functions | CURRENT, DDE, MONTHS, OPT_BARRIER, OPT_PROB_HIT, OPT_PROB_INMONEY, OPT_TOUCH, STYLE, EASTERSUNDAY, YEARS, DAYSINMONTH, DAYSINYEAR, GOALSEEK, ISLEAPYEAR, MULTIPLE.OPERATIONS, MULTIRANGE, MVALUE, NEG, ROT13, WEEKS, WEEKSINYEAR, FORECAST.ETS.MULT, FORECAST.ETS.PI.MULT, FORECAST.ETS.STAT.MULT, RAWSUBTRACT, ROUNDSIG. Unique on certain platforms: CONCAT, IFS, MAXIFS, MINIFS, SWITCH, TEXTJOIN | CUBEKPIMEMBER, CUBEMEMBER, CUBEMEMBERPROPERTY, CUBERANKEDMEMBER, CUBESET, CUBESETCOUNT, CUBEVALUE, RTD, DBCS, CALL, REGISTER.ID, PHONETIC, YEN. |
| Comparison of two spreadsheet files | Supported | Not supported |
| Page styles (in addition to cell styles) | Supported | Not supported |
| Hyphenation of text in cells | Supported | Not supported |
| AutoSpellcheck / Spelling as you type | Supported | Not supported ([57]) |
| Export to XHTML | Supported | Not supported |
| Exporting of a single chart as image (e.g. jpg, png, svg, pdf) | Supported | Not supported |
| OpenFormula standard | Largely supported | Partial |
| Keep the copy of cells (usability of copy&paste) | Supported. (Copy of cells is kept for pasting, even if the user does other tasks like typing or inserting cells) | Supported in Windows rental version, not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version. |
| Import of Apple iWorks Numbers spreadsheet documents | Basic support (Numbers version 1 (2008) and 2 (2009)), see also this comparison | Not supported |
| Maximum number of columns per sheet | 1,024 (tdf#50916) | 16,384 (256 in compatibility mode) |
| Table styles | View ▸ Toolbars ▸ Tools ▸ Choose Themes as well as Format ▸ AutoFormat provide part of this functionality. (tdf#77569, tdf#44762,tdf#44763) | Supported |
| Record a macro | Limited support [58] | Supported |
| Insert a graphic into a spreadsheet header or footer | Partially supported; inserted image cannot be resized nor cropped, usability issues. (tdf#74146) | Supported |
| Statistical / Analysis toolkit | Built-in Data Statistics Wizard with additional features: Chi2-test, Logarithmic regression, Power regression | Add-on, not activated by default. Additional features: Fourier analysis, Histogram, Random number generation, Rank and percentiles, and some more detailed options. |
| Chart styles | Not supported (tdf#62925, tdf#62540, tdf#39097) | Selection of some pre-set chart styles and layouts |
| Power Pivot |
Not supported | Supported |
| Additional chart types: Waterfall, Histogram, Pareto, Box & Whisker (Box plot), Treemap (Mosaic), Sunburst, Funnel | Not supported (tdf#74665, tdf#81530,tdf#70361,tdf#72992, tdf#97832) | Supported. |
| Relationships between tables, based on matching data in each table | Not supported (work around: using function VLOOKUP) | Supported ([59]) |
| Integration of external data sources | Not supported. Extension: New Jaguar Calc add-in provides SQLREQUEST function. | Queries and data sources via "Power Query" and "Power BI" [60]. (SQL.REQUEST removed in favor of Power Query since MS Excel 2010) |
| Forecasting data to predict future trends | Supported. Extended set of forecast functions (based on exponential smoothing algorithm) | Supported. Forecast functions and forecast charts (based on exponential smoothing algorithm) (not supported in macOS version) |
| Import MS Access databases | Via ODB file connected to database (needs MS Access installed on the system) | Supported |
| Multi-Core Processing / multithreading | Not supported [61] in Calc core, except for OpenCL/GPU threading. [62],[63]. Multithreading is work in progress [64]. tdf#65046 | Starting in Excel 2010, the following features use multi-core processors: saving a file, opening a file, refreshing a PivotTable (for external data sources, except OLAP and SharePoint), sorting a cell table, sorting a PivotTable, and auto-sizing a column.
For operations that involve reading and loading or writing data, such as opening a file, saving a file or refreshing data, splitting the operation into two processes increases performance speed. The first process gets the data, and the second process loads the data into the appropriate structure in memory or writes the data to a file. In this way, as soon as the first process begins reading a portion of data, the second process can immediately start loading or writing that data, while the first process continues to read the next portion of data. Previously, the first process had to finish reading all the data in a certain section before the second process could load that section of the data into memory or write the data to a file. ([65], [66]) |
| Export generic XML | Not supported | Supported |
| Minor Feature Differences | LO Calc 6.0 | MS Excel 2016 |
| Flexible CSV export | Supported ([67], [68]) | Not supported |
| Advanced find & replace / regular expressions / special characters | Supported (List of Regular Expressions) | Not supported |
| View clone of spreadsheet in new window | Independent window | Cannot be moved outside the application window |
| Median in PivotTable | Supported tdf#61700 | Not supported [69] |
| Chart type Stepped lines for XY (Scatter) graphs | Supported | Not supported |
| Use English function names | Possibility to switch between function names in local language and English | Not supported |
| Import & Export Unified Office Format spreadsheet | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of DOS/Windows legacy spreadsheet formats: Lotus 1-2-3, Quattro Pro (v1-5.5 DOS; v1.0-6.0 Windows), Microsoft Works spreadsheet | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of Classic Mac OS legacy spreadsheet formats: BeagleWorks, ClarisWorks, Claris Resolve, GreatWorks, MacWorks, Wingz | Supported | Not supported |
| Import & Export Pocket Excel | Supported (requires Java) [70] | Not supported |
| Ability to rotate entire chart | Supported | Not supported |
| PDF export of comments | Export of comments according to PDF specification | Not supported |
| Property mapping functionality for charts (conditional chart colors/borders) | Supported | Not supported (Only available: Inverting colors for negative values) |
| Import from Gnumeric | Supported (not available on Windows, see tdf#94834) | Not supported |
| Export cell range selection or a selected group of shapes (images) as .png or .jpg image | Supported | Not supported |
| Export sheet/table as .png image | Supported | Not supported |
| Formatting of cells | More detailed: Number formats: more flexible use of "Format Code" for custom adjustments, leading zeroes, language setting, percentages without percentage sign, thousands separator for percentages; Font: overligning of text, relief (embossed, engraved), outline, shadow, underline of individual words, spacing settings, kerning; Borders: shadow, spacing to contents; Protection: hide cells when printing. | Less features |
| Additional cell format types | Number format "Boolean value"; Engineering notation. Easy work around for missing US zip code and US phone number formats. | Partial, engineering notation via custom formats. |
| Support negative year date (BCE) | Supported. | Partially support, using work-arounds. |
| Conditional formatting: icon sets | 2 additional smilies icon sets. No reverse icon order (tdf#61313). | Customization of icon sets, e.g. reverse icon order. |
| Advanced find & replace / Cell Format | Partial (Styles supported, Cell Format not supported) | Supported |
| Formulae with entire columns or entire rows | Partial (tdf#34094, tdf#92452, tdf#92453) | Supported |
| Default keyboard and/or mouse shortcuts [71] | Less default shortcuts ([72], tdf#98259, tdf#92452, tdf#92453) | More default shortcuts ([73], [74], [75]) |
| Sheet protection options (allow users certain actions in protected sheets) | Supported for select protected/unprotected cells and insert/delete rows/columns. | Supported for select protected/unprotected cells, insert/delete rows/columns, format cells/columns/rows, insert hyperlinks, sort, use AutoFilter/Pivot Table reports, edit objects/scenarios. |
| Chart: Automatically vary colours by point | Not supported (only manually) | Supported |
| Chart type: xyz / surface charts | Not supported, basic workaround [76] (tdf#51670) | Supported |
| Chart type: pie of pie (bar of pie) | Not supported (tdf#50934) | Supported |
| Map charts and 3D geospatial visualization tool | Not supported (via extension GeOOo) | Map charts and "3D Maps". (Map charts not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Different chart types for different data series | Not supported (tdf#35629) | Supported |
| Printing of selected chart only | Not supported, workarounds [77], [78] (tdf#45893) | Supported |
| Quick analysis feature | Not supported | Supported |
| Flash fill | Not supported (tdf#109003). Some (partial) workarounds suggested here tdf#109003#c1. | Supported |
| Chart recommendations | Not supported | Supported |
| 'Publishing' spreadsheet for online team meetings | Not supported | Supported |
| Sparklines (to give a quick overview of the trend in a data range) | Not supported, extension: EuroOffice Sparkline | Supported |
| Add points to a line, possibility to bend lines | Not supported (tdf#36943) | Supported |
| Cell background options | Background color (bugs regarding pattern tdf#31205 and gradient tdf#49177). Extension: Hatch Patterns for Cells | Background color, pattern, gradient |
| Copy only visible cells | Not supported (tdf#36466), extension: Copy only visible cells | Supported |
Presentation software: LibreOffice Impress vs. Microsoft PowerPoint
| Major Feature Differences | LO Impress 6.0 | MS PowerPoint 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Hyphenation support | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to XHTML | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to HTML | Supported | Not supported (removed feature since MS Office 2013) |
| Export to Flash format (SWF) | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to vector graphic formats: SVG, EPS | Supported | Not supported |
| Presentation remote control for smartphones/tablets | For Android smartphones/tablets, iOS (iPhone/iPad), and Pebble smartwatches. | For WindowsPhone 8 and Android (smartphones only, no Office 2013 RT), but with additional features for Excel and Word |
| 3D slide transitions | macOS, Linux, Windows | macOS, Windows |
| Edit embedded videos | Via external programs | Directly in the program |
| Comments and reply to comments | Partial | Supported |
| Animated effects | Supported, but problems with: spinning text (tdf#87958), pixelated (tdf#87959), wobble/shake/vibrate (tdf#87960), objects stuck (tdf#88196) | Supported |
| Trim embedded video or audio | Not supported | Supported (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version) |
| Zooming features for presentations (Prezi inspired) | Not supported (tdf#38263) | Supported (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) [79] |
| Slides editable during presentation | Not supported (tdf#34965) | Supported |
| SmartArt diagrams | Not supported (tdf#37932), solution: smArt extension | Supported |
| Save highlights and drawings during presentation | Not supported (tdf#51928) | Supported |
| Compare presentations | Not supported, extension ODFDiff | Supported |
| Broadcast presentation on the Internet | Only via export to PDF or SWF | Supported. Additional support to publish to Microsoft Stream video-sharing site (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Animated diagrams | Not supported | Supported |
| Record a slide show | Not supported (tdf#34959) | Supported |
| Slide design suggestions | Not supported | Supported Powerpoint "Designer" (not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version) |
| Navigate presentation using a Bluetooth pen | Not supported | Supported (not available in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in macOS version) |
| Minor Feature Differences | LO Impress 6.0 | MS PowerPoint 2016 |
| Number of slide layouts | 12 | 9 |
| Text background colour in text boxes | Supported | Not supported |
| PDF export of comments | Export of comments according to PDF specification | Not supported |
| Import & Export Unified Office Format presentation | Supported | Not supported |
| Export to graphics formats: MET, PBM, PICT, PGM, PPM, RAS, XPM | Supported | Not supported |
| Import of Apple Keynote files | Supported | Not supported |
| Embedding of fonts in presentation file | Supported | Supported on Windows. No support for embedding fonts in PowerPoint on macOS, although displayed |
| Maximum page size | 300cm x 300cm (Draw and Impress) | 142.22cm x 142.22cm |
| Editing of master slides | Limited editing, has been a GSOC 2013 project ([80]). | Powerful editing |
| Default keyboard shortcuts | Less default shortcuts ([81]) | More default shortcuts ([82], [83]) |
| Automatically suggesting presentation outline from online sources by entering subject | Not supported | "QuickStarter feature (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version and not supported in Windows version) |
| "Morph" transition type | Not supported | Yes (Not supported in MS Office 2016 sales version) |
| Creation of automatically starting presentations | Not supported, extension: ImpressRunner | Supported |
| Export presentation to video formats | Not supported (tdf#34959) | Supported to .mp4 and .wmv formats. Export up to 4K resolution (on MS Windows only) |
| Slide zoom and pan | Not supported (tdf#38263) | Supported |
| Option to save as picture presentation | Not supported (tdf#93589) | Supported |
Database program: LibreOffice Base vs. Microsoft Access
| Major Feature Differences | LO Base 6.0 | MS Access 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Available on all operating systems supported by the office suite | Yes | MS Access not available on macOS, online and mobile OS versions |
| SQL syntax highlighting | Supported | Not supported |
| Native connectors for: MySQL/MariaSQL, PostgreSQL, Novell GroupWise | Supported | No, via ODBC |
| Integration of Mozilla Thunderbird address book, KDE address book, Evolution LDAP and storage, Windows system address book | Supported | Not supported |
| Native JDBC driver | Supported | Not supported |
| Connect to ODF spreadsheet (Calc) file format | Supported | Not supported |
| Database engine | HSQLDB 1.8.x, FirebirdSQL 3.0 (experimental, tdf#51780) | Jet |
| Integration of MS Outlook address book | Supported only on MS Windows. No support for Outlook (tdf#56903) and Outlook Express (tdf#56905) address book access in the native 64-bit Windows builds of LibreOffice. | Supported |
| Importing data sources (tables) from within the database application | Either via drag & drop from Calc or via drag & drop from another Base window with the data source being open. ([84]) (tdf#51872) | Supported |
| Exporting tables to different file formats from within the database application: | Only via drag&drop to LibreOffice Calc or via drag & drop from another Base window with the writable data source being open. ([85]) (tdf#73798) | Supported |
| Edit MS Access files | Limited olders driver "Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0" works fine for read/write, while "Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0" driver only reads; (tdf#43187). Driver only works on Windows. | Supported |
| Native connector for: Microsoft SQL Server | No, via ODBC | Supported |
| Crosstab queries | Not supported but reproducible with Pivot Table with Calc (FAQ 142) | Supported |
| "Linked tables" capability | Not supported but you can link text tables (FAQ 143) (tdf#56234) | Supported |
| Imported table from spreadsheets - keep fields format | Not supported | Supported |
| Import data from XML, HTML | Not supported | Supported |
| Minor Feature Differences | LO Base 6.0 | MS Access 2016 |
| Native connector for: dBase databases | Supported | Not supported (removed feature since Office 2013) |
| Open LibreOffice Base (.odb) files | Supported | Not supported |
| Open DOS/Windows legacy formats: Microsoft Works database | Supported | Not supported |
| Native connector for: SharePoint lists | Not supported | Supported |
| Link or import data from Salesforce and Dynamics 365 | Not supported | Supported |
| Web service data connection | Not supported | Supported |
| Password protection of database | Not supported (tdf#70638) | Supported |
| Calculations in database tables | Not supported (tdf#72787) | Supported |
Extensions: LibreOffice extensions adding outstanding features to LibreOffice
LibreOffice has a complex eco-system of extensions (over 340 on extensions.libreoffice.org and over 800 on extensions.openoffice.org). Additionally to the extensions already mentioned in above comparison table, here is a selection of some extensions adding valuable features to LibreOffice:
| LibreOffice Extensions | |
|---|---|
| General office suite: LibreOffice |
|
| LibreOffice Writer |
|
| LibreOffice Calc |
|
| LibreOffice Impress |
|
| LibreOffice Draw |
|
| LibreOffice Base |
|
| Accessibility extensions |
|
See also
- Really basic missing features and enhancements in LibreOffice.
- The Programming Languages Beacon: LibreOffice is written in C++, Java, Python; Microsoft Office is written in C++, C, (ASM).
- How LibreOffice Writer Tops MS Word: 12 Features, by Bruce Byfield (2012-04-10).
- LibreOffice vs. MS Office: Spreadsheets and Slide Shows, by Bruce Byfield (2012-06-06)
- How Microsoft Office Tops LibreOffice: 11 Features, by Bruce Byfield (2012-04-26).
- Microsoft Office vs. OpenOffice.org - Idealware does a head-to-head comparison of the two office suites, by Brett Bonfield and Laura S. Quinn (2010-07-02).
- Duell am Arbeitsplatz, by Ralf Nebelo and Dorothee Wiegand (c't 22/2008, German).