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If you’re converting from PC to Mac like I have, you may be beginning to look for a new office suite to install. If you’re looking for something familiar, Microsoft Office for Mac is always available, but if you don’t mind spending a little extra time to learn a new interface, there are some very viable alternatives to Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac. Especially when you consider the $349 price tag on Office for Mac, it makes these others look more enticing.
Microsoft Office 2008
Your most familiar option when selecting a new office suite for your new Mac will probably be Microsoft Office 2008. When it comes down to it, Microsoft Office is still the most popular office productivity suite and its document formats are widely used and accepted among almost all companies, organizations and universities.
iWork
If you switched to a Mac for all things Apple, then iWork will probably be the platform for you. It comes with 3 applications Pages (word processor), Keynote (presentations) and Numbers (spreadsheets).
OpenOffice
OpenOffice is a free open source application that is available for all operating system platforms. It offers compatibility for opening and saving all popular Microsoft formats. OpenOffice has a handy autocomplete feature that recognize commonly used words and completes the word for you. With a look and feel very similar to that of Microsoft Office, OpenOffice will be a quick transition for any current Microsoft Office users looking for a quick switch, and best of, OpenOffice is entirely FREE!
NeoOffice
NeoOffice is a port of OpenOffice made specifically for the Mac OSX platform. NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native OSX features, which makes it a great choice for Mac users (new and old). Some of the native OSX features found in NeoOffice are:
- Media Browser
- Native Floating Tool Window
- Magnify and Swipe Trackpad Gestures
- Menus available when no documents are open
- Import images from scanners and cameras
- Cmd + Clicking on the window titlebar
- OSX Leopard grammar checking support
In terms of functionality, you’re not going to find much in Microsoft Office that isn’t offered in NeoOffice.
Summary
If you’re looking for familiarity and don’t mind forking out $349, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is probably going to be the best choice for you. Or if you love everything about Apple, and the simplicity of all things Mac, iWork is probably the platform you’d like to consider – with a price tag of only $79, it is very fairly priced and will get the job done for you. If you’re looking for a fully functioning office suite on a budget (or on no budget), your choices are simple – OpenOffice or NewOffice. I’ve chosen to go with NeoOffice due to the fact that it was ported from OpenOffice, and it builds upon native functions of Mac OSX.
My choice – NeoOffice.
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December 17th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
After just switching from a pc for 8 years to a Mac book pro I debated which office format to go with. After reading your review and checking things out I think my choice has been made to go with NeoOffice.
Thank you
December 17th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Glad to hear that I helped someone out Tom!
I actually had been running NeoOffice, then I switched to OpenOffice when the new version came out (I’m not sure if the new NeoOffice version has been released yet). But then, out of the blue, I had a friend tell me that he could get me a copy of Microsoft Office Mac for $35 (legit) so I had to go with that. Microsoft products are so familiar to me, it’s hard to say no to them.
Let me know how NeoOffice works out for you.