Companies look past Microsoft 365 when a per-person license buys mail, files and chat they do not want, when a subscription cannot be left mid-term, or when documents must sit on their own server. Most move to Google Workspace or Zoho Workplace for a hosted replacement, and to ONLYOFFICE, LibreOffice or Nextcloud when control of the files matters more than convenience.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Google Workspace
Browser-first editors with Gmail and Meet · United States
The closest hosted replacement: browser-first editors, Gmail and Meet under one login, with 30 GB pooled storage per user on the entry plan and 2 TB on the next. The euro page offers a 14-day trial and a 16 percent saving for an annual commitment. Storage and mail rise with each tier.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if you want a hosted suite built around real-time co-editing in the browser.
Pricing: Starter €6.80, Standard €13.60, Plus €21.10 per user per month excluding tax on the euro page we fetched; Enterprise by quote; 14-day trial. (free trial)
Full review: #4 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Google Workspace →
2. Zoho Workplace
Mail, files and editors under one Zoho login · India
Bundles Writer, Sheet, Show, mail, chat, meetings and a password manager from the Standard plan. A built-in tool moves mail, contacts, calendars and notes from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and a split delivery lets one team move first. The fetched price page did not show its figures.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if you want a full workplace bundle and a migration tool for a staged move.
Pricing: Per user per month, billed annually on Standard and Professional; Enterprise is quoted; a free Mail plan covers up to 5 users; the page we fetched rendered the figures client-side. (free trial)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Zoho Workplace →
3. ONLYOFFICE
Open-source editors with a per-admin cloud plan · Latvia
Charges only the admins who manage a space, $20 each on Business, while users and guests join free. The editors can also run self-hosted, with a 30-day trial of the Enterprise edition, so the same editors are available in either place.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if many people only need to read or edit shared files and you would rather pay for few admins.
Pricing: Free Startup plan with up to 3 admins and 2 GB; Business is $20 per admin per month with unlimited users and guests; self-hosted pricing is a separate tab. (free plan)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit ONLYOFFICE →
4. LibreOffice
Free desktop suite from a Berlin foundation · Germany
A free desktop suite under the Mozilla Public License v2.0, with Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and Math, and no per-seat charge. The Document Foundation says it does not provide professional support itself and points to certified developers and migration consultants. Nothing is hosted for you.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if your staff mostly work on local files and you can fund support separately.
Pricing: No licence fee; the project asks for voluntary donations and sells nothing per seat. (open source)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit LibreOffice →
5. SoftMaker Office
German desktop suite with native Microsoft formats · Germany
A desktop suite whose default formats are DOCX, XLSX and PPTX, so files stay editable in Microsoft's apps without conversion. It runs locally with no forced cloud connection and adds dynamic arrays and XLOOKUP in its spreadsheet. It offers a 30-day trial and a product-key license model.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if you want installed software that saves Microsoft formats by default.
Pricing: NX Universal is €49.90 a year (€39.90 the first year) or €4.99 a month, VAT included, for 5 home computers or 1 company computer; volume licences start at 5 computers for €199. (free trial)
Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit SoftMaker Office →
6. Nextcloud Office
Editors inside a self-hosted file platform · Germany
A self-hosted file and collaboration platform under the AGPL, where the editors come as an add-on. Nextcloud Office runs on Euro-Office, alongside Collabora Online since Hub 26 Spring. The Enterprise page prices from 100 users and lists the office component as optional at extra cost.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if files must stay on servers you or a hosting partner control.
Pricing: Server software is downloadable for self-hosting and hosting providers sell accounts; Nextcloud Enterprise support is quoted and its pricing page was not fetched. (open source)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Nextcloud Office →
7. Collabora Online
LibreOffice-based online editor for integrators · United Kingdom
An open-source online editor meant to be built into another product or file platform rather than bought as a workplace. The supported stable edition is quoted, while the development edition is free but not recommended for production. It lists DOCX, XLSX, PPTX and OpenDocument support.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if you already run a file platform and only need an editing engine in it.
Pricing: The supported edition is quoted through a contact form; the CODE development edition is free for testing, home use or small teams but not for production. (open source)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Collabora Online →
8. Proton Docs
Encrypted documents inside Proton Drive · Switzerland
Documents are end-to-end encrypted, and Proton says not even it can read them. Docs and Sheets sit inside Proton Drive, with a free account of 5 GB. It is a storage-and-editors product, not a replacement for Exchange or Teams, so mail and meetings are bought separately.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if confidentiality of shared documents matters more than a full feature match.
Pricing: Free account with 5 GB and the online editors; Drive Plus lists at $4.99 a month for 200 GB; business plans are on a separate page we did not read. (free plan)
Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Proton Docs →
9. WPS Office
Kingsoft's Office-style suite with a free tier · Singapore
A free tier with Writer, Spreadsheet, Presentation and PDF tools, and a stated aim of compatibility with Microsoft file formats. The Standard tier has 1 GB of cloud storage against 20 GB on the paid plan, and its AI features carry a daily usage limit. The free tier covers one user.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if a few staff need a free editor with PDF tools and light AI help.
Pricing: A free tier exists with 1 GB of cloud storage and limited AI; paid plans add storage and AI, but the pricing page showed no figures in the HTML we fetched. (free plan)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit WPS Office →
10. Polaris Office
Korean multi-device suite with NOVA AI · South Korea
Sells subscription, perpetual and business subscription plans, plus a free web office, with the NOVA assistant offering several third-party AI models. The page we fetched showed no price figures. It runs on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and the web, so one license can cover mixed devices.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if you want a one-time license option and an office that works across phones and tablets.
Pricing: Subscription, perpetual licence and business subscription plans are listed, with a free web office; no price figures appeared in the page we fetched. (free plan)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Polaris Office →
11. Apache OpenOffice
Free desktop suite from the Apache foundation · United States
Free under the Apache 2.0 License, for any commercial use, with no license fee. Version 4.1.17 was announced on 14 October 2026 and the one before it on 10 November 2025. Its pages describe a desktop suite, with no hosted workspace or mail.
Switch from Microsoft 365 if you need only a free, stable desktop suite for basic documents.
Pricing: Free to download; the project is an Apache Software Foundation project and sells nothing. (open source)
Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Apache OpenOffice →
Questions and answers
Can I get a refund if I cancel Microsoft 365 for business early?
Only within seven days of the start or renewal date for most direct purchases on a Microsoft Customer Agreement, according to Microsoft's cancellation page. After that, turn off recurring billing and the subscription runs to the end of its term. Older MOSA accounts follow different rules.
What happens to my files when the Microsoft 365 subscription ends?
The subscription moves from Active to Expired, Disabled and finally Deleted. For most offers that is 30 days Expired and 90 days Disabled, during which only admins can reach the data. Microsoft advises backing up before deletion. Timing differs for enterprise, volume and partner agreements.
Will the Office apps still open my documents after I cancel?
Yes, in a limited way. Microsoft says the apps move to reduced functionality, where users can only read and print documents and see Unlicensed Product notices. You cannot create or edit new work, so move editing to the new suite before the end date.
How do I get my email out of Microsoft 365?
Export it from Outlook to a .pst file, which holds email, contacts and calendar items, according to Microsoft Support. The export is per mailbox, so budget time for large ones. Your new provider may offer an import or migration tool; Zoho lists one.
Do I need to keep Microsoft 365 if clients send me Word and Excel files?
Not necessarily. SoftMaker Office saves DOCX, XLSX and PPTX by default, and Collabora and Nextcloud list the same formats. Fidelity differs with complex layouts, macros and dynamic arrays, so test your own heaviest files before choosing.
How many devices can each Microsoft 365 user install the apps on?
Up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets and five phones per person on plans such as Business Standard, Business Premium, E3 and E5, according to Microsoft's licensing page. If your new suite counts devices instead of people, recount who actually uses what.
