ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors
Close matchFreeWorth knowing about if you would rather not renew. Similar ribbon style and the same Microsoft file formats, at no cost.
Your files: Opens and saves the same .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files SoftMaker uses.
Does SoftMaker Office run on Linux?
Verdict: Yes
Yes. SoftMaker builds its office suite for Linux as well as Windows, and one licence covers both, so you can install it on the new machine and carry on.
SoftMaker Office is one of the few paid Windows office suites that treats Linux as a proper platform rather than an afterthought. The product page lists Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android under one licence, and the stated Linux system requirement is simply any 64 bit Linux.
The three programs you use keep their names. TextMaker for documents, PlanMaker for spreadsheets and Presentations for slides. Menus, toolbars and settings look the same as they did on Windows, which makes this one of the gentlest moves on this whole site.
Your files need no conversion. SoftMaker uses .docx, .xlsx and .pptx as its normal working formats, the same ones Microsoft Office uses, so documents move across by copying them and nothing else.
Check your own paperwork before you buy anything new. SoftMaker sells both a subscription and a one off version, and the terms differ on how many machines and which systems a single licence covers.
SoftMaker Office on Linux, and alternatives
LibreOffice
Close matchFreeFree and already installed on Ubuntu and Fedora. Menus are laid out differently to SoftMaker.
Your files: Opens and saves .docx, .xlsx and .pptx. Defaults to its own formats unless you change the setting.
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