If you need an easy-to-use Office app for Mac with a clean design and simple interface, then Calligra Office is the best MS office alternative for you. Download Calligra Suite. Embrace Markdown – Create and Edit Documents on Mac. The first thing many users making the switch to Mac notice is how simple and easy everything starts to look. But even so even despite the deficiencies in the 2011 version if you want word, excel type apps there is nothing as good as the real thing And with the subscription you will get office 2015 for Mac when it's released next year as part of it.
About a week ago I featured Kingsoft Office Suite Professional 2012 in a bonus deal. Since then I've been test-driving the software on an old laptop. And you know what? I like it!
I mention this because although the Kingsoft Professional giveaway is over, you can still get Kingsoft Office Suite Free 2012 for, well, free. Update: This program is for Windows.
Until last week, I'd never heard of Kingsoft or this product. I had, however, tried all the usual freebie Microsoft Office alternatives: OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Lotus Symphony, Google Docs, and so on.
They're all OK--good enough, certainly, for most users--but I'll admit I've become spoiled by Microsoft's Ribbon interface, which made its debut in Office 2007 and carried over to Office 2010. The famed freebies mostly resemble Office 2003--if not an even earlier version.
Kingsoft Office looks a lot like Office 2010, and consequently I feel right at home in it. (Update: Only the Pro version gives you the option of an Office 2010-style interface. My apologies for the error.) A few commenters last week accused it of being a 'Chinese rip-off,' but last time I checked, software created in China wasn't inherently bad. (By the way, Kingsoft is actually based in Hong Kong.)
What's more, the developers may have borrowed heavily from Microsoft's user interface, but so did the developers of OpenOffice and similar suites; they just borrowed from an older Microsoft UI.
This is considered as a general purpose utility for Mac OS X. It is able to thoroughly clean your Mac without leaving a single unnecessary file. It is easy to use and can be run every time you want to scan your computer. If you want a clutter-free Mac, then this app can effectively clean and organize all files in your system. It is also capable of archiving and removing unnecessary. Best memory cleaning app for mac.
Maybe I'm over-rationalizing, but the fact is that I like the look of Kingsoft Office Suite 2012, and I like the price even more. The free version is extremely capable, offering robust counterparts to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint--and file compatibility with all three. It doesn't support Visual Basic or macros, however, so if you're a power user, you might want to consider the $69.95 Pro version, which adds those features (among others).
Also, you don't have to take my word for it; find out why CNET staffers rated Kingsoft Office 2012 4.5 stars out of 5.
Another reason I'm jazzed about this suite is that I'm increasingly dissatisfied with Microsoft Office--and not just the ridiculous price tag. On my Core i7 system, Office 2010 takes forever to load. And don't get me started on Outlook.
Thus, I'm shopping for replacements, and Kingsoft Office Suite 2012 has emerged as one of my top picks for taking over Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It's compact, fast, attractive, and, from what I've seen so far, totally file-compatible. Also, it's free. What have you got to lose by giving it a try?
Apps Like Excel For Mac
After you do, leave a comment letting me know if you like the suite as much as I do.
Bonus deal: If you're a Kindle or Nook owner, check out eBookFling. It's a kind of matchmaking service that lets you borrow e-books for cheap/free. You get one 'borrow' credit free for signing up; others are earned by lending your own e-books or just buying credits outright. It's not perfect (far too many books are lending-disabled by the publisher), but it's still a great way to score some mainstream books without having to buy them.
The Download Now link above will take you to the Microsoft Office web site, where you may continue the download process. You must have a Microsoft account with an active Office 365 subscription in order to download and install the software.
Excel 2016 for Mac brings lots of welcome improvements to the workhorse spreadsheet but also leaves out useful tools.
Pros
Moving to the cloud: Like the other apps in the latest Mac Office suite, Excel 2016 lets you store, sync, and edit files online, via Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage service. You can also save Excel files to your Dropbox account.
Collaborate: Excel 2016, through OneDrive, lets you share documents with colleagues and collaborate in real time. You can chat online as well, either through a document chat window or through Skype.
Modern design: The redesigned ribbon for the Mac version of Excel borrows the look and feel of its Windows counterpart, presenting tools and formatting options in much the same way as Excel for Windows does. Excel also recommends appropriate charts based on spreadsheet data.
App Like Excel For Mac
Moving across platforms: Excel 2016 supports many of the Windows keyboard shortcuts and most of the Excel 2013 for Windows functions, which should make it easier to use the tool across platforms. The update also includes an Analysis ToolPak add-in, PivotTable slicers for analyzing data, and an improved formula builder.
Cons
Macro limits: Prior to Office 2016, you could build macros in Excel for Mac. The 2016 edition offers what Microsoft calls a 'simplified' Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which allows you to debug existing macros. But if you want to build new macros, you need to do that on the Windows side or use an earlier Mac version. For those who built macros in preceding Mac editions, this is a big loss.
Bottom Line
Excel 2016 is probably worth the upgrade just based on its ability to take advantage of OneDrive. The new analysis tools and formula builder help keep Microsoft's spreadsheet an essential tool. Hobbling its macros tool, however, diminishes a bit of the attraction for serious users.
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