Five Free Office Suites

Lots of students can't really afford the steep tag that Microsoft Office needs. Here's a few free solutions that are Microsoft compatible and the absolute best price.

Google Docs, https://docs.google.com/

Google Docs is a full featured office suite that requires no external downloads, just a Google account and a compatible browser. Google's solution has all the features of Microsoft Office and provides a universally accessible platform for users to continue their work wherever their workstations may be. By avoiding silly things like OS restrictions Google has afforded themselves to be one of the dominant players in this arena.

OpenOffice.Org, http://www.openoffice.org/

Arguably the most famous of the free solutions. OpenOffice is an open source solution compatible with all three of the major operating systems and has all the basic features one can ask of an office suite. OpenOffice has been through many versions and is refined far past the point of its clunky initial launch. Being under GNU also means that OpenOffice has the ability to be greatly flexible with the addition of add-ons developed by other users. This comes highly recommended if you're not switching between computers constantly.

Adobe Buzzword, http://www.adobe.com/acom/buzzword/

Another online solution, Adobe's Buzzword is solely a word processor but allows great flexibility when it comes down to the design stage of your document. Adobe's software is seen as something of an industry standard, and the years of developing software for design purposes shows. Buzzword is a little rough going to get in the full swing of but provides a great platform if you're looking for a word processor a little more full featured than Google Doc's.

IBM Lotus Symphony, http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.nsf/home

A direct competitor to Microsoft Office, IBM's solution offers up a full featured office suite for no cost at all. There's no hidden fees, and it boasts tremendous functionality. While the industry standard still remains with Microsoft, it's great to see such a huge program offered up by such a huge manufacturer. Lotus Symphony has been received well critically and still remains supported some years after its initial release. Users looking for something with a little more professional sheen to their office software would do good to give this a download. Unfortunately, Lotus Symphony is Windows only.

Thinkfree Online, http://www.thinkfree.com

Thinkfree is a full featured web only suite, similar to Google Docs, that allows users to access their data through a variety of platforms including Android devices and iPhone. Users will be delighted to discover that Thinkfree doesn't need an outside platform to view their edited documents, such options as converting to PDF and viewing in browser are available. Thinkfree claims to be the most straightforward when it comes down to compatibility for Microsoft's suite.

Here's hoping these five at least solve your need for an inexpensive alternative to Microsoft's juggernaut.