Office Suites

Office suites allows teams and individuals to share, edit and create documents. Apart from Microsoft office, there are plenty of options including open source and commercial products which comes with various features to collaborate online. Here is a list of few of them.
1

WPS Office

Formed by a Zhuhai-based Chinese Company KINGSOFT Office, WPS Office is one of the leading office suites used across the globe.

By: Kingsoft Software Inc.
Based on 39 Votes
2

ONLYOFFICE

ONLYOFFICE, also known as OnlyOffice, headquartered in Riga, Latvia, is an Office suite designed by Ascensio System SIA.

By: Ascensio System SIA
Based on 28 Votes
3

Office 365

Microsoft Office or MS Office is a world-renowned office suite with the most advanced and comprehensive features.

By: Microsoft
Based on 795 Votes
4

OpenOffice

Originating in the year 1985, OpenOffice (now Apache OpenOffice) has been the foremost frontier of an open-source office suite.

By: The Apache Software Foundation
Based on 28 Votes
5

LibreOffice

Established and overseen by a non-profit organization, The Document Foundation, LibreOffice is a next-level open-source office suite, designed primarily to aid the documentation requirements of people and companies alike, without any cost.

By: LibreOffice.org
Based on 80 Votes
6

Notion

Notion App is an all-in-one tool for workspace managing and collaborating notes, work-tasks, wikis, and databases.

By: Notion Labs, Inc.
Based on 12 Votes
7

Quip

Quip is a cloud-based collaborative office suite, capable of functions like word editing, making presentations, spreadsheets, and live-chat.

By: Quip LLC
Based on 17 Votes
8

Polaris Office

Polaris Office is a cheaper substitute to Microsoft Office that allows almost all things which MS Office does.

By: POLARIS OFFICE Corp.
Based on 13 Votes
9

Desktop.com

Desktop is a desktop for the web that organizes all your apps and saved links in one place.

By: Desktop.com AS
Based on 2 Votes
10

SoftMaker

With the initial release of its office suite in the year 1994, this German Company named SoftMaker Software GmbH is among one of the most reliable products used in many offices.

By: SoftMaker Software GmbH
11

2020 Cap

2020 Cap is a software that helps users to design offices and workspaces.

By: 20-20 Technologies
Based on 5 Votes
12

Publist

Publist, now known as Rethink Files, is a new age platform that allows users to have an all-comprising view of the cloud services they use for storing and transferring data.

By: Publist
Based on 3 Votes

An office suite is a collection of apps that are bundled together and serve the purpose of regular office work in an organization. However, the latter part of the definition has expanded beyond the office walls, and they are now used by most computer/ smartphone users, including students and families, at home, in school, and practically every other place. The purpose, more or less, remains the same, to simplify routine tasks and boost productivity. It also leads to the alias ‘productivity suite’.

What is an Office Suite?

The collection of apps come from the same vendor to serve the purpose of creating word documents, entering data in sheets, preparing presentations, emailing for work and personal needs, collaborating with colleagues, and such related activities. It is possible to download and install the whole suite (talking of online suites) or use each application individually (both online and offline).    

Word processing, presentation, spreadsheet – the three basics

At its very basic functionalities, a productivity suite is a collection of a word processing application, a spreadsheet building program, and presentation software. A word processor is a modern-day alternative of a typewriter, of course, with loads of added functionalities. You can type, edit, save, and print texts as well as graphical documents with the help of a WP or word processor. The rewrite feature is what sets it apart from the old typewriter in the first place. The spreadsheet gives you a document in tabular form. There are rows and columns where you can enter data, perform mathematical calculations, and create reports such as mark sheets, content calendars, income reports, etc.  You can even produce graphs and charts. With presentation software applications, you can use texts and graphics (even multimedia files) together to create documents that help you better communicate a story. You can use it while presenting your ideas at the office, for seminars, during public speaking, etc.   

Managing emails and projects with collaborations

The email client is yet another offering of office suites. It allows you to manage and send emails directly from the desktop app. You have project management software that can help you organize and keep tabs on all updates for large projects. Collaboration software facilitates communication through discussion boards, personal messages, and often sees integration with project management software for a streamlined workflow. Office suites also come with Databases that are similar to spreadsheets but arguably more powerful, especially when dealing with similar attributes. You can query data and use them conveniently with functions like structuring, labels, cross-referencing records, etc.

Choosing the right Office Suite

Each suite is a medley of its own set of apps, and, while the products may vary from one suite to another, most of them at least have the same basic functionalities and a nearly similar interface to meet the needs of a regular non-technical person. Some are available as paid options, whereas others are designed for free usage on their respective supported systems. There are also online and offline versions to be considered. While the online versions aren’t as convenient and featured as their desktop counterparts, they sure come with cloud support and hence, multiple-point accessibility. Unless you have offline editing enabled, again, you need to rely on the internet for even routine works.  The intuitiveness of interface is yet another factor to consider, especially in an organization where the common employees will be using the office tools, and they might not be that tech-savvy. Office suites are generally safe, but you might want to take extra measures such as password protecting your suite, i.e. if it allows for one.