Google Workspace vs LibreOffice: Which one is better for you? – Guide
LibreOffice is a free and open source office productivity software package, a Document Foundation (TDF) project. It was forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010, an earlier open source version of StarOffice. LibreOffice consists of programs for word processing, for creating and editing spreadsheets, slide shows, diagrams and drawings, for working with databases and for creating mathematical formulas.
Google Workspace is a suite of cloud-based productivity tools that was first introduced in 2006 as Google Apps for Your Domain. In 2016, it was renamed G Suite and expanded to include Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Meet and Chat for communication; Chains for employee engagement; Storage unit; and the Google Docs package for content creation. ..
The admin panel provides a variety of tools and options for the administration of users and services. Depending on the edition, Google Workspace may also include the Jamboard digital interactive whiteboard and an option to purchase add-ons such as the voice telephony service. The education edition of Google Workspace now includes a Google Classroom learning platform.
Google Workspace vs LibreOffice: The Big Picture
Before looking at the performance of individual applications, it is important to understand some general differences between word processors and spreadsheets. One big difference is the cost: LibreOffice is free, while Google Workspace starts at $6 a month and grows with the size of your business and your needs. Free is better, of course, but you’ll find that the benefits of Workspace are well worth the price. ..
Google Workspace is fully online while LibreOffice is fully online offline. This difference can be very important if you use one of theseworkspaces for a while and then switch to the other. For example, saving or creating backups is completely unnecessary when using a workspace. Almost all of your work is automatically saved as soon as you do it, and multiple versions of each file are also saved.
If you’re a LibreOffice user, it’s important to be aware of the different ways in which the software saves your work. Some of these features are autosave, which saves your work at specific intervals, and versioning, which lets you set a specific version for a document.
If your computer crashes, or if you lose your hard drive, you may lose all of your work. Make sure you back up your files regularly to avoid this problem. ..
Sharing is easier online
Another great benefit of always being online is that you can easily share files and documents with other people, even if they need a Google email. When sharing, you can write in the same document (“real-time collaboration” to use marketing jargon) and leave comments for each other at the same time.
When you share a LibreOffice document, it can be more complicated than just saving it in a format and emailing it to someone. You need to save the file in the correct format, and then send it to someone else using an email. If you share a LibreOffice document on a computer, they may make changes to the file before sending it to you, so you may have some pain in trying to receive the updated version. Your pain!
The joys of being offline
With all that said, there is still something to be said for being offline. For one, you don’t have to worry about running out of storage space. While Google gives users free 15GB of very large storage (making it one of the best free cloud storage), your hard drive easily overcomes this even if you are using a middleman.
If your Workspace account is suddenly terminated for any reason or if you lose access – as if you lost your password – your documents will also disappear. They can still be restored, but it may take some time. This only happens to files on your hard drive if the hard drive itself completely fails.
The biggest benefit of all, however, is the sense of privacy that comes with maintaining local storage. You don’t have to trust your files to a cloud service provider like Google, even if Google is committed to protecting your privacy. If you don’t want to trust your files to another organization, offline mode is the way to go.
Comparing Workspace and LibreOffice Apps
Word processors and spreadsheets are the most popular apps within each group, according to app research. However, there are other programs that are similar to these two. Slideshows are a common feature of these apps, but they look different.
LibreOffice is a free office suite that lacks a counterpart to Google Forms, which is unfortunate. It’s also worth noting that Workspace doesn’t have a drawing program or anything that specifically focuses on formatting math and scientific equations like LibreOffice Math does.
LibreOffice Writer vs Google Docs
Google Docs is a great word processor that you can use to write and add basic spreadsheet and the like. In fact, the first draft of this article was written on Google Docs because it’s simply a great program that you can use seconds after your first launch.
LibreOffice Writer is a great application for writing papers and creating reports. It has a lot of options, and you can even play around with the page layout.
LibreOffice is a great choice if you don’t want to use Microsoft Office. If you just want to write a lot of documents, Google Docs is the best. However, large documents (anything longer than 50-60 pages) take a long time to load in Google Docs, even with a fast connection. LibreOffice is much better as long as your processor is scratch-ready.
LibreOffice is a free, open source office suite that doesn’t have the most popular fonts. If you’re a big fan of Times New Roman, Arial, or other traditional message types, you’ll need to import them to make them work in LibreOffice. It’s not a big deal, but it’s worth checking out.
LibreOffice Calc vs Google Sheets
Google Docs is a great spreadsheet app that does a great job if you just want to tabulate some basic data. However, if you want to do more than that, Excel is better.
LibreOffice Calc is a better alternative to Google Sheets, according to some users. It has more features and is faster in fixing problems. When you have a lot of cells in Google Sheets, changes can take a long time to apply and the spreadsheet can take a long time to load - not with Calc. It works like a lightning bolt on older devices too. ..
LibreOffice or Google Workspace?
The decision between Google Workspace and LibreOffice depends on personal preferences. LibreOffice offers a better performance than Google Workspace, while not suffering from serious connectivity and privacy issues.
Google Workspace is a great way to keep your data safe and backed up. It works on any device, and there’s no need to do anything else. This is especially helpful when privacy isn’t a priority. either way, they’re solid wings and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Final note
Google Workspace is a great alternative to LibreOffice for people who want a more streamlined experience. It’s easy to use and has all the features you need, without the bloatware. ..
