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Productivity Alternatives

Alternatives to Google Docs, Microsoft 365, Notion, Evernote, and OneNote.

Office suites

LibreOffice Free tierFree
Replaces: Microsoft 365, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides Privacy: Free; open source; local; handles most Office formats Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Honest tradeoff: The 10% of complex Office documents (advanced macros, pivot tables) may not convert perfectly

CryptPad Free tierFree / from €5/month
Replaces: Google Docs, Microsoft 365 Privacy: End-to-end encrypted; open source; nonprofit; collaborative Platforms: Web

Honest tradeoff: Smaller feature set than Google Docs; occasional performance issues on large documents

OnlyOffice Free tierFree desktop / paid server
Replaces: Microsoft 365, Google Docs Privacy: Open source; high Office format compatibility Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Web

Honest tradeoff: Closer to Microsoft's UI than LibreOffice; better format fidelity on complex documents

Notes

Obsidian Free tierFree / $8/month sync
Replaces: Notion, Evernote, OneNote, Google Keep Privacy: Local-first; Markdown; no cloud unless you choose sync Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android

Honest tradeoff: No web app; notes are plain text Markdown files; less structured than Notion

Standard Notes Free tierFree / from $3.33/month
Replaces: Evernote, Google Keep, Apple Notes Privacy: End-to-end encrypted; open source; notes are yours forever Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, desktop

Honest tradeoff: Simpler than Obsidian; fewer features but cleaner interface

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