Which fits your Office estate: Microsoft Office or LibreOffice
Microsoft Office fits best where your estate depends on things LibreOffice does not replicate closely, and LibreOffice fits best where documents are the core work and a support contract is acceptable. If your renewal, licensing change, data residency rule or lock-in concern is pushing you to look at LibreOffice, decide first which applications your staff use daily. Microsoft Office tends to remain the better choice for heavy VBA macro estates, complex Excel financial models that rely on pivot tables and conditional formatting, and workflows tightly integrated with Microsoft 365 services such as SharePoint co-authoring and Teams. Outlook dependence is the single biggest factor, because LibreOffice does not replace Outlook. It has no mail or calendar client, so any rollout still needs an email and calendar solution alongside it.
LibreOffice fits best where staff mainly write, present and handle standard spreadsheets, where desktops run Linux or a mix of operating systems, and where the organization is willing to pay an ecosystem partner for support. The LibreOffice project itself states that The Document Foundation does not provide technical support, and it recommends enterprise builds from its partners for large organizations, so the support cost is a real line item to budget. Confirm with each candidate partner which long-term support terms, security updates and custom features they include in writing before comparing prices.
The decision turns on three checks. First, inventory your VBA macros and classify them by business impact, because LibreOffice uses Basic rather than VBA. Second, measure file complexity by sampling the documents and workbooks people rely on most, paying attention to revision marks, OLE objects, AutoShapes and pivot tables, since these need manual reformatting after conversion. Third, decide whether a support contract is acceptable to your procurement and risk teams. Where the answers point to a mixed outcome, plan for a split estate that keeps a limited set of Office licenses for specialist users.
Which option fits each scenario
This table matches common Office workloads to the option that fits best and the condition that makes it so. Read each row against your own document mix, and treat the conditions as the test to run before you commit a department. Most organizations end up with a split rather than a single answer.
| Scenario | Better fit | Condition that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| VBA-dependent finance models | Keep Microsoft Office for these users | Macros rely on Excel VBA features that LibreOffice may not run; test each workbook before migrating |
| Standard correspondence and reports | LibreOffice Writer and Calc | Documents use common formatting, tables and formulas, and you accept some manual cleanup of converted files |
| Presentations with heavy graphics | Keep Microsoft PowerPoint or pilot Impress | Decks use AutoShapes, animations or embedded objects that may not convert cleanly |
| Outlook-centric teams | Keep Outlook; add OX App Suite or openDesk for groupware if moving mail | LibreOffice does not replace Outlook, so mail and calendar need a separate decision |
| Linux desktops | LibreOffice | Your fleet already runs Linux and staff work mainly in documents and spreadsheets |
| Regulated data that must stay in-house | LibreOffice on managed desktops, or Collabora Online on an internal server | Files never leave your network and you control installation, updates and document exchange with outside parties |
| Organizations needing a vendor for security fixes | LibreOffice enterprise build from an ecosystem partner | Contract specifies SLAs and security updates; The Document Foundation itself does not provide technical support |
| Mixed-format exchange with external partners | Keep Office for these users or set Microsoft formats as default | Counterparties send complex Office files and expect pixel-level fidelity on return |
How licensing and editions differ
Microsoft Office reaches organizations through two main routes. Office LTSC is a volume licence for a fixed release, installed on managed devices and used for a defined support window. Microsoft 365 Apps is a per-user subscription in which the apps update on a service channel. In both cases, the licence agreement and Microsoft's lifecycle pages decide how long a given version receives security updates, so support is tied to the product release rather than to the licence alone.
- Office LTSC: A volume licence for a specific release, typically bought per device. Confirm the edition, the channel and the included apps in your agreement.
- Microsoft 365 Apps: A per-user subscription with updates delivered on a service channel. Confirm which apps, admin controls and deployment tools your plan includes.
- Lifecycle: Each release has an end-of-support date set by Microsoft. Renewals and device refreshes should be planned against those dates.
- Upgrade effort: Moving to a newer release often means retesting add-ins, macros and templates, even when the licence cost is unchanged.
Check which products your agreement covers, whether Outlook is included, and the support end date for every version installed in your estate.
LibreOffice source code is licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0, so the software can be downloaded and installed without a licence fee. Development is community-driven, with The Document Foundation as the organization behind it. The Foundation publishes feature and maintenance releases. The 26.8 family is the latest stable branch, with 26.8.1 announced on October 2, 2026, and production users can stay on 26.2, which is supported until November 30, 2026.
- Licence terms: The MPL v2.0 allows free use and modification of the source. Have legal review your own distribution and packaging obligations.
- Release branches: Each branch has a published support end date. Production users who stay on 26.2 must plan the move to a newer branch before November 30, 2026.
- Patching: Your team is responsible for rolling out maintenance releases across desktops and for testing them against your templates and macros.
- Community scope: Community releases do not include contracted response times or a named support contact.
Confirm the branch you plan to deploy, its support end date and who will apply each maintenance release to your devices.
The Document Foundation states that it does not provide technical support, and it recommends that schools, institutions and large organizations use enterprise editions from its ecosystem partners. These partner builds carry long-term service level agreements, technical support, custom features and security updates. The Foundation's blog places the security update period at three to five years. DeployOpen is not a LibreOffice partner, so the commercial terms come from the partner you choose.
- Support boundary: A production incident needs a contracted provider, because the community does not answer support tickets on your behalf.
- Service levels: Partner contracts define response times, support hours and escalation paths. Ask for these in writing before you commit.
- Security updates: Enterprise builds receive security fixes for a stated period, which should be matched to your risk and audit requirements.
- Custom features: Partners can build features or adapt builds to your environment. Price these as separate, written scope.
Ask each partner for the named version, the support end date, the SLA terms and whether security patches reach the exact build you deploy.
Where documents live and who controls the desktop
Moving from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice changes where documents are edited, how desktops are updated and who holds the records for audits and legal holds. The cards below cover the decisions that follow from those changes, and what to confirm in your own environment before a rollout.
Local files versus cloud co-authoring
Office LTSC edits files on the device and saves them to whatever storage you choose, while Microsoft 365 Apps add cloud co-authoring through OneDrive and SharePoint. LibreOffice is a desktop application that works on local files and network shares, so simultaneous editing requires a separate server such as Collabora Online inside Nextcloud. Confirm which users co-author in real time today, since that habit is the hardest to replicate on the desktop alone.
Update and policy control
LibreOffice is installed and updated through your own packaging and software distribution tools, so update timing is set by your team rather than by the vendor's service. Confirm how your current Office deployment is governed through group policy or Office Deployment Tool settings, then list which of those settings have a LibreOffice equivalent. Check the release branch you intend to standardize on, because the stable and older production branches are supported for different periods.
Telemetry and account sign-in
Office ties many features to a Microsoft account or Entra ID sign-in, and its connected experiences send diagnostic data according to admin settings. LibreOffice does not require an account to work, but it does include optional update checks and feedback features that you should configure or disable in policy. Test each desktop image for outbound network calls and document the results in your data protection assessment.
Offline use and air-gapped installs
LibreOffice needs no activation server, which makes it suitable for offline desktops and restricted networks. Install packages from an internal repository or software distribution point, and maintain a mirror of each release you approve. Office LTSC also installs offline, but volume activation and update handling differ, so confirm both paths with your licensing team before you decommission any Office installation.
Retention and eDiscovery
Office documents and mail inherit retention labels and eDiscovery holds when they sit in Microsoft Purview, which can search and export mailbox items and SharePoint or OneDrive content. LibreOffice has no equivalent tooling, so retention schedules, legal holds and search must come from your own document management or records system. Confirm where authoritative copies of working files are kept, and who can place a hold on them, before users move their drafts.
Licensing for Purview features
Exporting eDiscovery results in Purview requires a Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 license, and export packages expire 14 days after creation. If you keep Microsoft 365 for mail while moving desktop documents, confirm which licenses cover the compliance features your legal team uses. Document that split in the rollout plan so auditors can trace which system holds each record class.
Where docx and xlsx files break in practice
LibreOffice opens and saves Microsoft formats, including docx, xlsx and pptx, so the real question for a desktop rollout is how faithfully your own files survive the round trip. Administrators can make a Microsoft format the default save format under the Load/Save options, which keeps users from silently saving new documents as ODF and sending colleagues files they cannot open in Office. Set that default deliberately, document it for users, and test it on a pilot group before it reaches every desktop. Converted files need manual reformatting in proportion to their complexity, and LibreOffice Help says so plainly, so plan for rework time rather than assuming a clean open.
The features that LibreOffice Help lists as likely to convert imperfectly are AutoShapes, revision marks, OLE objects, pivot tables, conditional formatting and some formulas. Those are the same elements that appear in finance and reporting workbooks: pivot-based management packs, conditionally formatted variance sheets, embedded charts and objects pasted from other systems, and tracked changes on contract or policy drafts. A simple memo will usually survive; a month-end close workbook may not. Ask the finance and reporting teams which files they open every week and which would cause a control problem if a figure shifted or a format disappeared.
Test with real files from each department, not with vendor claims or a generic sample set. Collect a representative batch from finance, HR, legal, operations and communications, including the largest and most heavily formatted files, and open each one in LibreOffice Calc or Writer. Compare the results against the Office originals cell by cell, page by page and by recalculated totals, and log every difference in a shared register with an owner. Record which fixes are one-time template work and which will recur for every new file. The output of this test is a decision list: which teams can move now, which need template changes first, and which keep Office licenses for specific files.
What drives the cost of each option
What does a Microsoft Office LTSC or Microsoft 365 Apps licence actually cost my organization?
The licence cost is set by your own Microsoft agreement, not by a public list that applies to every buyer, so this page quotes no figures. Office LTSC is bought through volume licensing, where the price depends on your licensing program, the number of devices or users, and any existing Software Assurance or enterprise agreement terms. Microsoft 365 Apps is usually a per-user subscription bundled into a wider Microsoft 365 plan, so the Office component is hard to separate from the rest of the bundle. Both are recurring in practice: Office LTSC needs renewal or a new version purchase at each release cycle, and subscriptions bill continuously. Ask your Microsoft reseller or account team for an itemized quote showing the Office apps alone, the term, the true-up rules and what happens to installed versions if the agreement lapses.
Is LibreOffice free to install on every desktop in our organization?
The LibreOffice community build carries no licence fee because its source code is licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0, so there is nothing to purchase per seat. The costs move elsewhere: staff time to package and deploy the software, ongoing updates to track maintenance releases, and the support model you choose. The Document Foundation does not provide technical support for the community build, and it recommends that large organizations use enterprise editions from its ecosystem partners. Ask your IT team to estimate packaging and patch effort, and confirm with your chosen partner what their enterprise build includes.
What does enterprise support for LibreOffice cost each year?
Enterprise support is a recurring contract with an ecosystem partner, and the fee depends on the partner, the number of desktops, the support hours and the length of the long-term service commitment. The LibreOffice enterprise page says these editions offer long-term SLAs, technical support and custom features, and the TDF blog notes that enterprise editions come with security updates for three to five years. Because it is a subscription, the cost repeats annually for as long as you keep the contract, and it usually rises if you add features, branches or custom templates. Request a quote that states the covered LibreOffice versions, response times, the security update period, what is excluded, and the renewal terms.
How much does migrating documents, spreadsheets and presentations to LibreOffice cost?
Migration cost is mostly one-time and comes from staff effort, not software. It rises with the number of files that need manual reformatting, and LibreOffice Help notes that converted Office files need manual work in proportion to their complexity. Features such as AutoShapes, revision marks, OLE objects, pivot tables, conditional formatting and some formulas may not convert cleanly, so spreadsheet-heavy and template-heavy departments cost more than general correspondence teams. Costs go down when you sort files by complexity, retire obsolete documents and agree on a default save format early. Ask any implementation partner for a fixed scope that lists the file inventory, the sample sizes tested and the reformatting approach.
What does rewriting VBA macros and templates cost when moving off Office?
This is usually the largest one-time item for organizations with heavy Excel or Word automation. LibreOffice uses Basic macros rather than VBA, and Office VBA macros are kept in files edited in LibreOffice and run again in Office, but LibreOffice can only run some Excel VBA scripts when that option is enabled. Effort depends on how many macros exist, how many depend on Office object models, how many business processes rely on them, and how many corporate templates need rebuilding. Start with an inventory that counts macros by owner and dependency, then decide which to rewrite, which to retire and which to keep in Office. Ask for a quote that prices each macro category separately rather than one lump sum.
What training and help desk costs should we plan for a LibreOffice rollout?
Training and help desk costs are one-time for the rollout period and then recurring at a lower level as staff ask follow-up questions. The main drivers are the number of users, how far their daily tools differ from Office (menus, keyboard shortcuts, template behaviour and formula differences), and whether managers and power users receive deeper sessions. A pilot with heavy Excel users usually shows where the support load will sit before the full rollout. Plan internal help desk time for ticket triage, knowledge base articles and hands-on sessions. Ask your partner or internal team to quote training as a separate line from packaging, so you can see which elements repeat.
What packaging, deployment and update effort does LibreOffice add to our desktop estate?
Packaging and deployment are mostly one-time work, followed by a recurring update cycle. Your team builds a standard installer or package, applies configuration such as default save formats and language settings, deploys it through your existing endpoint tooling, and removes or retains Office according to licence decisions. After that, each maintenance release needs testing and deployment, and the TDF announced LibreOffice 26.8.1 on October 2, 2026 as the first maintenance release of the 26.8 family, with production users able to remain on 26.2 until November 30, 2026. Ask for the update cadence the partner will support, the versions covered and how long each branch receives security fixes.
What should we request in a quote for an Office to LibreOffice migration?
A useful quote separates one-time and recurring items and ties each to a written scope. Ask for these components as separate lines:
- Licence and subscription changes, including any Office licences you keep for specific users
- Enterprise LibreOffice support, with covered versions, response times and renewal terms
- File inventory, migration and reformatting, with a stated method and sample size
- Macro and template rework, priced by category
- Packaging, deployment, update process and testing
- Training, pilot support and help desk handover
Also ask what is excluded, who owns the configuration after handover, and how change requests are priced. DeployOpen does not publish a price list, and a quote follows from a written scope that we agree with you before work starts.
How a move from Office to LibreOffice runs
The sequence turns a fleet of Office installs into a LibreOffice desktop standard with a documented file format, tested macros and a clear list of seats that keep Office. Each phase ends with a sign-off that the next phase depends on.
Inventory files, macros, add-ins and templates
The IT team, with input from department leads, catalogs the document types in use, the VBA macros in shared workbooks, Office add-ins, Outlook-linked integrations and the corporate templates that users open daily. The output is a register that marks each item as works as is, needs rework or stays on Office. Done means every high-use template and macro has an owner and a status, and the register has been reviewed by the business units that depend on them.
Choose the default save format
The platform team decides whether LibreOffice saves new documents in ODF or in Microsoft formats such as docx, xlsx and pptx. Administrators can set the default under Load/Save options, and the choice affects what recipients outside the organization receive. Done means the decision is written down, the setting is tested on a sample machine, and the exchange expectations with key external partners are confirmed.
Pilot with heavy Excel users
A small group of finance, analytics and reporting staff runs their real workbooks in LibreOffice Calc for a fixed review period. They check pivot tables, conditional formatting, formulas and any Excel VBA scripts, since LibreOffice Help lists these as features that may not convert cleanly. Done means each pilot workbook has either passed review, been rebuilt, or been assigned to a seat that keeps Office, and the defects are logged against the register.
Package and deploy through policy
Engineers build a standard LibreOffice image or package, set the default format and macro security options centrally, and push it to managed devices through the existing software deployment tooling. The desktop team confirms that updates follow a controlled schedule and that the chosen build is an enterprise edition if the organization wants vendor-backed SLAs and security updates. Done means a test device set installs and updates without manual steps, and the policy settings are recorded in configuration management.
Train users on the differences
Trainers, usually from the service desk or champions in each department, cover the menu and shortcut differences, the Basic macro language, file save behavior and how to open Office-only files. Materials are kept with the help desk knowledge base so the same answers reach every team. Done means each department has a named champion, training attendance is tracked, and the top support questions from the pilot are answered in the documentation.
Decide which seats keep Office
The organization reviews the register and the pilot results to decide where Office stays. Typical candidates are users who depend on Outlook, which LibreOffice does not replace, and staff who must run specific workbooks that remain incompatible. Done means each retained seat has a documented reason, a license owner, and a review date set by the business owner, and the rest of the fleet is confirmed on LibreOffice.
Confirm the rollout and close the register
The platform team moves the remaining devices in waves, watches help desk tickets for format and macro issues, and reconciles the register against what is live. The sibling migration page sets out the detailed rollout plan, and this step confirms the high-level outcome. Done means every device is on the agreed build, open defects have owners, and the register records the final split between LibreOffice seats and retained Office seats.
Questions buyers ask before switching from Office
How much does switching from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice cost?
The software itself is free under the Mozilla Public License v2.0, so the cost sits in the work around it. Expect four components: the enterprise build and support you choose from an ecosystem partner, migration work on templates, macros and document inventories, training for users, and extra help desk time during the first weeks. Enterprise builds and support are recurring subscriptions, while inventory, template rework, packaging and training are mostly one-time. The main drivers are how many VBA macros and custom templates you have, how many users rely on Excel features that convert poorly, and how many Office licenses you keep for the exceptions. When you ask for a quote, request each component separately and ask the partner which support tier includes security updates and the length of the support commitment. Compare that with your current Office LTSC or Microsoft 365 Apps spend over the same period.
How long does a rollout from Office to LibreOffice take?
The duration depends mainly on the inventory and the pilot, so no fixed timeline applies to every organization. The inventory shows how many macros, templates, add-ins and document types need work, and the pilot shows which heavy Excel users and departments need extra conversion effort before a wider rollout. A small environment with few macros can move quickly, while a finance or engineering estate with complex workbooks, pivot tables and conditional formatting takes longer to validate. Ask any provider to base its schedule on the results of a written inventory and a pilot group, and to list the phases, owners and exit criteria for each phase in the written scope.
What does the switch need from our IT and business teams?
The switch needs both teams to act early. IT must own packaging and deployment, the desktop image, default save formats, and update handling, and must decide which devices keep Office. Business teams must name the owners of critical templates and workbooks, test their documents in the pilot, and sign off on any formatting differences before cutover. Also plan for training and for a support route during the first weeks. Ask your provider to show how it will record these responsibilities so each decision has a named owner.
Can our own IT team run the migration without outside help?
An internal team can run a migration if it has time, Basic macro or VBA skills, and experience deploying desktop software. The harder parts are rewriting macros and checking documents that depend on features LibreOffice Help lists as converting imperfectly, such as AutoShapes, revision marks, OLE objects and pivot tables. Many organizations use a mix: internal staff own the inventory and deployment, while an outside team handles the pilot analysis, macro review and training. DeployOpen plans, implements and documents this kind of work in the client's own infrastructure under a written scope, so you can choose how much of it to hand over.
Can LibreOffice replace Outlook?
No. LibreOffice includes Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math, but it does not include an email client or calendar. If your users rely on Outlook for mail, calendars and contacts, you need a separate decision for that workload. Options include keeping Outlook with your current mail server, or moving email and calendar to a self-hosted groupware platform such as OX App Suite. Plan that decision alongside the desktop suite change, because the two affect the same users and the same Microsoft licensing.
Will Word and Excel files still open for people outside our organization?
Yes, in most cases. LibreOffice can open and save docx, xlsx and pptx files, and administrators can set a Microsoft format as the default save format under Load/Save options. Recipients using Office will generally open the files, but layout, fonts, charts and advanced features can shift slightly. Set Microsoft formats as the default for external exchange, test the documents your organization sends most often, and keep a small number of Office licenses for users who must review complex files with partners.
What does enterprise support from an ecosystem partner include?
The Document Foundation states that it does not provide technical support, and it strongly recommends that large organizations use LibreOffice Enterprise versions from its ecosystem partners. Those editions offer long-term service level agreements, technical support and custom features. The Document Foundation also points large deployments to enterprise editions with security updates for three to five years. Before you sign, ask the partner which Long-Term Support branch you receive, how long security fixes are committed, what response times apply, whether custom builds are covered, and how upgrades to a new release are tested and delivered.
How DeployOpen helps you evaluate and move from Office to LibreOffice
DeployOpen plans and implements LibreOffice on your own desktops and infrastructure under a fixed-scope engagement agreed in writing before work starts. In practice that means inventorying the VBA macros, templates, add-ins and document types your departments depend on, deciding which files convert cleanly and which need rework, and documenting the default save format decision (ODF or a Microsoft format) so that every desktop behaves the same way. The written scope names the deliverables, such as the macro inventory, the packaged LibreOffice build, the policy settings and the runbook, and the timeline for each. DeployOpen does not publish a price list. A quote follows from that written scope, so the figures that matter for your decision are the ones you can check against the scope document.
Pilot support is where the evaluation becomes concrete. Choose a group of heavy Excel and Word users, collect the files that fail or need manual reformatting, and agree with the pilot group which features are non-negotiable. DeployOpen can support that pilot, package the build for deployment through your existing software distribution tooling, set the Load/Save options through policy, and write the user guidance and support notes your help desk will need. Ask any implementation partner to show how the pilot results will be recorded and who signs off the go or no-go decision. Confirm whether your Outlook, calendar and email stay where they are, because LibreOffice does not replace Outlook and that work sits outside this engagement.
Optional retainers cover upgrades, security patching and support after the initial rollout, which matters because LibreOffice's community releases have defined support windows. The Document Foundation's own guidance points large deployments to enterprise builds with long-term SLAs and security updates, sold by its ecosystem partners. DeployOpen is not an official LibreOffice partner unless a written agreement says so, so confirm the enterprise build and support channel with the vendor before you sign. Ask any provider for a written scope, a named support path and a statement of which costs recur each year, and check that the retainer terms match the maintenance windows you need.
