Microsoft 365 is the default choice for a reason — it works, and almost everyone already knows how to use it. But "the default" and "the best fit for your business" aren't always the same thing, especially once you start adding up per-seat costs across a growing team, or paying extra for AI features that used to just be part of the software. Here's an honest look at the real alternatives worth considering, and where each one actually makes sense.
Google Workspace
The most common switch for small teams already living in Gmail. Docs, Sheets, and Slides are genuinely good at real-time collaboration, and everything autosaves to Drive. The tradeoff: Google's file formats aren't truly the same as Word/Excel/PowerPoint, so exports to .docx/.xlsx/.pptx can lose formatting on complex files, and Google's own AI features (Gemini) are typically a separate paid add-on rather than included.
LibreOffice
Free, open-source, and installed locally rather than run in a browser. It's a solid choice if you specifically want a desktop app with no subscription at all and don't need cloud sync or AI features. The interface feels more like Office circa 2010 than 2026, and there's no built-in collaboration or mobile app story.
WPS Office
A close visual clone of the classic Microsoft Office ribbon interface, which makes it one of the easier transitions for long-time Office users. It's free for core features with ads, or paid to remove them. Like LibreOffice, it's fundamentally a desktop-app experience rather than a cloud-native one.
OnlyOffice
Popular for self-hosted teams that want document editing bundled into their own infrastructure (often paired with Nextcloud). Strong format fidelity with Office files, but self-hosting means someone on your team owns the server maintenance.
FLYNT
FLYNT Sheets, Docs, and Slides are browser-based, export to real, editable .xlsx/.docx/.pptx files (not a lookalike format), and import your existing Microsoft Office and Google Workspace files directly — so switching doesn't mean losing what you've already built. The difference from the alternatives above: AI is built into the base plan rather than sold as a separate add-on — generate a first draft of a document, get a plain-language answer about what's happening in a spreadsheet, or turn an outline into a full slide deck, without a second subscription for the AI part.
Which one is actually right for you
- Already deep in Gmail/Drive: Google Workspace is the path of least resistance.
- Want zero subscription, don't need cloud or AI: LibreOffice or WPS Office.
- Self-hosting is already part of your stack: OnlyOffice.
- Want AI included instead of bolted on, and real Office-compatible files: FLYNT is worth a free look.
None of these are wrong choices — they optimize for different things. If what you actually want is AI that's part of the price you're already paying rather than another line item, that's the gap FLYNT was built to fill.