Trying OnlyOffice after years with Microsoft

Microsoft has increased the price of its Microsoft 365 Family subscription again, which has nudged me to rethink whether I still need it.

I am keen to explore alternatives that feel lighter, more accessible and less tied to the bigger companies like Microsoft, Adobe and Corel.

So I have started testing OnlyOffice – a free, cross-platform suite that immediately surprised me with its clean design, generous scaling options and effortless compatibility with my existing documents.

This is the start of a tentative experiment to see whether it could replace Microsoft 365 for me.

Why I am reconsidering Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 Family has served me well for years, but the recent price rise from £79.99/year to £104.99/year has prompted me to pause and reconsider my options. I need to be wiser with my money.

Besides, my children barely use it now, opting for the default tools on Linux and Chromebook.

I am not cancelling my quite subscription yet – it runs until August 2026 – but I am giving myself space for a proper transition period.

Why not LibreOffice

I have experimented with LibreOffice on both Windows and Linux in the past, but the interface has never worked for me. My post-meningitis eyesight needs clear, well-defined icons and a modern, uncluttered layout. LibreOffice’s icons have always felt too small and too fuzzy, and its overall design feels rooted in an earlier era. I rely heavily on styles and need a workspace that feels calm rather than crowded.

First impressions of OnlyOffice

Which is where OnlyOffice entered the picture. I installed it on a whim and liked it almost instantly. The interface scaling goes up to 200 percent, which is transformative.

The whole design feels clean and friendly – dark greys, rounded corners, warm muted colours. It is modern without being flashy, and the ribbon-style layout has fewer options than Microsoft 365 which makes it feel less overwhelming.

For writing, I could simply open a document and start. No tinkering, no wrestling with defaults, no visual noise. It felt comfortable in a way I had not expected.

Compatibility and everyday use

Compatibility has also been a pleasant surprise.

I opened a handful of docx and xlsx files with slightly unusual formatting and page layouts and OnlyOffice handled them effortlessly. In a few cases the documents even looked better than they do in Word.

Exporting to PDF works as expected and the dark theme helps reduce visual strain. The open and save dialogs are refreshingly straightforward compared with Microsoft’s increasingly cluttered and complicated experience.

What I actually need from an office suite

My needs these days are simple.

• I work primarily with docx, xlsx, pptx and pdf files.
• I do not use Outlook (I use Google Calendar and Gmail).
• I do not need Microsoft’s Tasks within Outlook (I transitioned to Todoist years ago).
• I have never used Microsoft Access (databases).
• I don’t use Microsoft 365 Copilot.

My children do their school work through their school Glow accounts (Scotland’s national digital learning platform, which ironically is built on Microsoft 365), tablets and Linux or Chromebook, so the family plan no longer gives us the value it once did.

Where OnlyOffice fits in

I am not abandoning Microsoft 365 immediately. I have until August 2026 to make a decision.

I will certainly continue using Google Docs for certain tasks, especially those I need to access on my phone. But OnlyOffice has impressed me enough that I am already seriously considering it as my main desktop suite.

It costs nothing, it looks good, it feels good and most importantly it is accessible for me in ways LibreOffice never managed.

I’m also considering moving my laptop to Linux, and using the same office suite on both my Windows desktop and Linux laptop sounds like a wise move.

A tentative experiment worth taking

So this is a tentative experiment driven by cost and curiosity, with a surprising accessibility win thrown in.

I will keep running both suites for now, but if OnlyOffice continues to feel as effortless as it does today, August 2026 may be the natural moment to make the switch for good.