The compatibility of OOXML files and the fine management of VBA macros remain the two technical barriers that prevent most migrations away from Microsoft 365. Any serious alternative is first judged by its ability to open an Excel workbook filled with pivot tables or a Word document loaded with merge fields, without breaking the layout.
Here we analyze the options that truly hold this promise, distinguishing suites based on their architecture (local, cloud, hybrid) and their licensing model.
OOXML Fidelity and VBA Macros: The Real Technical Filter
The OOXML format (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) is the de facto standard in professional exchanges. LibreOffice handles simple documents correctly, but complex layouts (conditional section breaks, nested SmartArt, sparkline charts) still suffer from rendering shifts. In this area, ONLYOFFICE reproduces the OOXML engine natively, without intermediate conversion via ODF. The result: significantly superior rendering fidelity on heavy Excel and PowerPoint files.
On the VBA macros side, no open-source alternative offers complete compatibility. ONLYOFFICE supports a limited subset of macros via its JavaScript API. LibreOffice provides a partial VBA interpreter, sufficient for basic macros (loops, conditional formatting) but unable to handle COM calls or advanced UserForm forms. If your business workflows rely on critical macros, a prior audit of the VBA code is essential before any alternative to Office 365.
Perpetual License vs. Subscription per User: Real Budget Impact
The pricing model of Microsoft 365 is based on a monthly subscription per user. This logic penalizes organizations with many inactive accounts (associations, local authorities, seasonal SMEs). Several alternatives now offer perpetual licenses or packages by workspace, which radically changes the calculation over three to five years.
- SoftMaker Office offers a perpetual license for a fixed workstation. No subscription, major updates are paid but optional. The suite includes a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation module with proven Microsoft compatibility.
- Euro-Office, a European open-source alternative, operates on a single license model. The positioning targets public organizations and companies concerned about digital sovereignty.
- ONLYOFFICE DocSpace allows for on-premise server hosting with flat-rate pricing, independent of the number of active users. This approach suits organizations that want to control their costs and data.
Switching from a per-user subscription to a workspace package significantly reduces the bill for teams of more than twenty people, especially when the majority only use the word processor and spreadsheet.
European Sovereign Suites: Nextcloud Hub and Emerging Alternatives
Generalist articles compare Google Workspace to LibreOffice without addressing the rising sovereign offers. Nextcloud Hub integrates Collabora Online (a fork of LibreOffice adapted for the browser) with storage, messaging, video conferencing, and file management on a GDPR-compliant infrastructure hosted in Europe.
For local authorities and administrations, this type of platform meets a growing demand for data localization. IONOS also offers a Managed Nextcloud service with preconfigured Collabora Online, which removes the system administration burden for small IT teams.
Euro-Office follows the same sovereign logic with open and auditable source code. We observe that these offers are gaining ground in public tenders, where compliance and control of hosting weigh as much as pure office functionalities.
Google Workspace and Zoho Workplace: Limits of All-Cloud for Advanced Office Use
Google Workspace excels in real-time collaboration. Google Docs and Sheets allow simultaneous editing with granular version history. However, Google Sheets does not replace Excel for complex financial models: no Power Query, no pivot table with data model, limited management of workbooks exceeding a few tens of thousands of rows.
Zoho Workplace offers a more complete suite (Writer, Sheet, Show, Mail, Cliq) with integrated cloud storage and project management tools. The integration between modules is its strong point. The limitation: the ecosystem remains closed, and exporting to Microsoft formats sometimes generates formatting losses on complex documents.
Both platforms require a permanent internet connection for optimal use. Teams that regularly work offline or in areas with limited connectivity should consider hybrid suites (ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, SoftMaker) offering a full offline mode with delayed synchronization.
Selection Grid According to Organization Profile
| Profile | Recommended Suite | Main Reason |
|---|---|---|
| SME with complex Excel files | ONLYOFFICE DocSpace | Native OOXML fidelity, on-premise hosting possible |
| Full-remote team, collaboration priority | Google Workspace | Simultaneous editing, Meet/Chat integration |
| Local authority or administration | Nextcloud Hub + Collabora | Data sovereignty, GDPR compliance |
| Independent or micro-enterprise | SoftMaker Office | Perpetual license, controlled cost |
| Convinced open-source organization | LibreOffice | Free, active community, large plugin base |
The choice of an alternative office suite relies less on the advertised features than on three concrete parameters: the rendering fidelity of existing Microsoft files, the licensing model suited to the team size, and the localization of data. Testing the migration on a sample of critical documents before any deployment remains the only reliable method to validate actual compatibility.