LibreOffice

LibreOffice is a free and open-source office suite developed by The Document Foundation. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is a successor to OpenOffice.org, created after Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems. The project is community-driven and emphasizes open development practices, cross-platform support, and vendor independence for users and organizations. Since its first release in 2011, LibreOffice has grown into a widely used alternative to proprietary suites.

It includes six main applications: Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics), Base (database), and Math (formula editor). The suite uses the UNO component model to allow automation, scripting, and extension development, and it supports multiple operating languages.

LibreOffice favors open standards, notably the OpenDocument Format (ODF) as its default file format. It offers broad compatibility with Microsoft Office file types, enables exporting documents to PDF, and supports extensions, templates, and language packs. Macros can be written in LibreOffice Basic, Python, or Java.

Development and governance are coordinated by The Document Foundation with contributions from volunteers and corporate sponsors, including Collabora, Red Hat, and SUSE. LibreOffice follows a regular release cycle and is packaged by most major Linux distributions, while also providing standalone installers for Windows and macOS. It is used by individuals, schools, governments, and businesses worldwide.