Cheap Software Solutions For The Office
I hate software.
Seriously. I’m a tech enthusiast, I live off the drug-like feeling I get when I unwrap (or better yet, unbox) a new gadget, but I still hate software. Why?
Because it’s so darned expensive.
If you’ve ever needed to make an Access database, for example, you know this story all too well: a new full copy of Access 2007 (the most recent version) will set you back $200 from Amazon.com, as you likely don’t already own it (it’s not a part of the bestselling “Home and Student” version of Microsoft Office 2007). If you’d rather get it as part of a package, don’t worry, it’s also a great deal: $415. That’s right – I didn’t leave out a decimal point or anything. Four hundred and fifteen smackers. That’s roughly equivalent to more than a month’s worth of food for one person. Access isn’t the only culprit: Autodesk (creator of Maya and AutoCAD), Apple, and a billion other software providers charge massive amounts for their software, which is a big investment for anyone – but particularly freelancers. If we’re not lucky enough to have access to an educational or other discount, we’re looking at full price retail for these programs that we need to do our job, which can be a big problem, especially if we’re just starting out. What choice do we have?
Thankfully, we do have a few choices. There’s plenty of free or low-cost software out there that can help lessen the financial burden that software imposes on our freelance businesses. Today I’m going to look at one broad category of software – office applications. If you don’t want to shell out the Franklins for Microsoft Office on your Mac or PC, have no fear: legitimate, feature-rich alternatives exist. $500 or so may not seem like a crippling amount in the scheme of things, but considering that there are many software programs we use and that they are updated fairly frequently, our software budget alone can be $1000 per year or more (this number jumps a gazillion-fold if we’re talking about software-intensive freelancing, like graphic design, 3D animation, and video production).
Free or Low-Cost Office Applications
OpenOffice (Windows, Mac, Linux)
OpenOffice is a full-featured office suite, including clones for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, and even a drawing program of sorts (it also includes a tool called Math to help you put symbols and formulae into your documents). It’s completely free, and gives you access to the office functionality you need. You can save in Microsoft formats and, at least in NeoOffice (see below), even open Word 2007 documents (the .docx format), though some formatting might be wonky.
I’ve made text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, and the one gripe I have with OpenOffice is that the presentation software isn’t that great. There are few included templates (unless you opt for the OxygenOffice version, which is leaps and bounds better), and even with the OxygenOffice presentation templates, making presentations is harder than it should be. It’s still very possible to make presentations in Impress, but I much prefer Keynote (discussed later) or PowerPoint.
Strengths: free, cross-platform, compatibility with Microsoft Office
Weaknesses: the PowerPoint clone (Impress) is severely lacking, big program (so somewhat slow opening, like Microsoft Office)
Similar projects: OxygenOffice adds some predesigned templates to the OpenOffice program, making it much more usable. NeoOffice tries to make the Mac version of OpenOffice a little more…well, Mac-like. I currently use NeoOffice on my MacBook as my generic office suite.
AbiWord (Windows, Mac, Linux)
AbiWord isn’t a whole suite of applications like OpenOffice, but instead is a lean word processor that focuses on quick loading times. It’s especially useful for those of us that find that we need a word processor much more than any other aspect of an office suite (freelance writers, bloggers, etc.). AbiWord is nice and sleek, though I’ve had some weird experiences with it formatting on my Mac that I don’t remember occurring on Windows (text condenses oddly, for some reason).
Strengths: free, extremely fast-loading
Weaknesses: isn’t a suite or all-in-one solution
Google Docs and Spreadsheets (Web-based)
Google Docs and Spreadsheets allows you to make free online documents and spreadsheets that you have access to anywhere with an Internet connection. I use it for many of my documents, as they’re safer there (I have a bad history of massive data loss). A common practice is to use Google Docs and Spreadsheets for most of your document needs (you can have up to 5000 documents and 200 spreadsheets on a single account) and to use OpenOffice or AbiWord for the times when you need to create or open files, as opposed to working online. I should note that you can export to a variety of formats, including Word and PDF, from Google itself. Google also opens Word files. Yet another useful feature is that you can share documents and spreadsheets collaboratively, even with people who don’t have a Google account. This is a great office app.
The one negative thing I’ve heard about Google Docs and Spreadsheets that I can sympathize with is that it’s not ideal for someone who relies on a great deal of files, and thus can’t utilize a web-only system. A journalist tried to switch completely over to Google Docs and Spreadsheets and found it impossible, since he had to submit Word documents and such so often. This is why it’s best to operate in tandem with a desktop app, like OpenOffice or AbiWord, to ensure that you can be prepared for clients that want to collaborate but not over Google’s system. Basically, it’s somewhat of a hassle to re-import a document into Google Docs whenever you need to edit it, rather than simply opening up the newest copy using OpenOffice or AbiWord. Printing also isn’t phenomenal, in my experience, but page layout and design programs are better made for the documents that I want to look impressive when printed.
Note for the future: Google will, at some point soon, release a presentation app to go along with the current capability to create documents and spreadsheets. I haven’t seen any screenshots or anything, so I can’t comment on it at all, but it is coming soon.
Strengths: free, convenient, can export to a variety of formats
Weaknesses: not perfect for printing, tough to incorporate workflow with Microsoft Word users, not a complete suite
iWork ($40-$80 – Mac-only)
Like AbiWord, iWork isn’t a true office suite–the current version, iWork ‘06, only includes two programs, Keynote and Pages. Pages is a page layout software which I haven’t used all that much, but has really great included templates for creating newsletters and other print designs. I use Keynote to make my presentations (you might be acquainted with Keynote if you’ve ever seen a Steve Jobs presentation of late), and love using it. The interface is similar to other Apple programs like iPhoto and iWeb, and Keynote has a great deal of elegant slide transitions and templates to make your presentation professional and smart-looking. I wouldn’t go without it, as a freelance trainer.
The next version of iWork, reportedly coming out later this year (presumably to coincide with the release of Leopard in October) will also contain a spreadsheet application, but the current version does not have a spreadsheet solution. The fact that a new version is coming out later this year does mean that if you can wait four months or so, it might be better to save your money. That said, if you do presentations often, the small investment you make in iWork might really be worth it.
The $40 figure is educational pricing, so if you have access to the discount or an educational reseller, you can get it for that price – $80 is the price otherwise.
Strengths: simple interface, great-looking graphics and included templates
Weaknesses: not free (rather expensive if bought full price retail), only satisfies presentation and page layout needs in this version, Mac-only
These are just a few of the most popular options out there, and I’m sure there are many more out there. There’s not one best solution, but so you know my setup, I use NeoOffice and Google Docs and Spreadsheets for my document needs, and use Keynote (part of the iWork suite) for my many presentations. As a trainer and speaker, good presentations are vitally important, so I’m willing to pay for iWork, even though I haven’t used Pages yet. How about you, readers? Do you pay the big bucks for commercial software, go free, or navigate somewhere in-between? Please feel free to suggest other tech topics you’d like to see on Freelance Switch as well.
John Brougher is a freelance technology speaker/trainer and consultant based in Providence, RI. His consulting business lives at johnbrougher.com, and he runs a technology blog at techsumer.net. He loves hearing from readers, so please feel free to give him a shout at john@johnbrougher.com.
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Hi John
Yes, a good collection.
There are more other very good web tools like zoho.
I have suggested some of the products in my personal blog at:
http://www.rajeshshakya.com/web-solutions-for-collaborative-work-for-small-businesses.htm
Please check that.
Rajesh Shakya
http://www.rajeshshakya.com
Helping technopreneurs to excel and lead their life!
For information and because, even if I would personally like to, Microsoft Office remains much necessary in our toolbox, you can get access to most if not all Microsoft softwares (all of them) for a very limited price if you get a MSDN subscription.
For approx. 380 $ (or € don’t remember) yearly, all standard tools will be available to you while for 1.000 $ or so yearly you’ll get the enterprise server tools as well.
The url to subscribe is somehow tricky to find and I don’t have it with me right now but I’ll get it.
What this?
I thought it was gonna cover all kind of software.
The title should be changed onto “Already known cheap Docs software”.
I kinda disappointed with this post.
Here’s a great (seemingly) “poor mans Photoshop” -
(Mac only) http://www.pixelmator.com
I love iWork – I use Pages for my invoices.
“Apple, and a billion other software providers charge massive amounts for their software, which is a big investment for anyone”
Apple makes a lot of different software, for a lot of different markets. iLife (iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie), QuickTime, iTunes… Can’t think of an example of something really expensive. Perhaps you’re thinking of applications typically found on a mac, such as products from Adobe. Apple should not be in that list with being used as an example that you’d suggest an alternative for, especially as you listed iWork as an affordable alternative.
How is iwork “rather expensive if bought full retail”? It is one of the best deals in software. Especially considering the fact that it blows Word, Powerpoint and Publisher out of the water while it is only a fraction of the price. Sure you don’t get Excel with it, but when was the last time a designer was required to design something in excel?
I use OpenOffice too but have never had any luck with the Access component. Could just be my machine but it also runs a lot slower than Microsoft Office too.
@Kuswanto–I apologize if the title was at all misleading, but this particular post deals with office apps specifically. My hope is that, while these apps are well-known amongst nerds like me, that the FS community as a whole could definitely benefit. Hope you like future posts!
@Shawn–I haven’t used Pixelmator at all, but (as I might go into later in a future post), try GIMP/GIMPshop out. There’s also a slew of Mac-only image editing/creation programs out there.
@Mark–You’re right that their consumer apps tend to be affordable, but their pro/prosumer apps (Final Cut Studio, Aperture, etc.) are up there with MS and Adobe. Definitely a debatable point, but as much of an Apple fan as I am, I have to call ‘em as I see ‘em.
A great Word replacement: Bean
http://www.bean-osx.com/
There are a few more ones worthy of mention for the Mac:
Bean is a simple and free word processor:
http://www.bean-osx.com/Bean.html
Mellel is a popular replacement for Word, but not free:
http://www.redlers.com/mellel.html
Thanks for this article. I noticed that among my friends who freelance, there’s an unvoiced feeling of “dang, all the latest and greatest software is so expensive, but I feel pressured to buy it.” It makes me mad to think that friends are considering upgrading thousands of dollars worth of software (which I know they don’t need) rather than putting it towards their kids’ college education, etc.
I’m a little more tech-oriented so my last hardware purchase was a new Dell Linux laptop. If cost-savings is part of your goal, it’s worth looking into. Not to boast, but all software upgrades to this system will be free, forever, and I’m quite impressed with what it’s got already (full webdev studio, can edit PSDs, burn DVDs, create SVGs, and so on…).
Anyway, worth looking into if you like to explore, or if you give a hoot about cost savings and participatory culture.
You’re absolute right re: the cost of Final Cut, Aperture, etc. I questioned including them when no alternatives were offered in that realm. The post seemed to be more about ‘everyday’ apps, replacements for Office, essentially, which I happily work around using email, online text editors, and iWork.
But in a topic named “Cheap Software Solutions for Freelancers,” I’d still have to exclude those pro tools. Final Cut and Aperture are geared toward a *pro* video/photography crowd. Professional isn’t cheap, and neither is the equipment they’re hooking up to that software. I’d call them viable options.
What might be interesting for the average freelancer is comparison of Photoshop for design vs. GIMP.
I just started using Zoho Sheet for a spreadsheet I want available to me no matter where I am in the world, and I’m impressed with the functionality so far. No, it isn’t Excel, but I bet 80% of spreadsheet users will find it does everything they need it to do.
I haven’t tried the other Zoho apps yet, simply because I haven’t needed to.
>Professional isn’t cheap, and neither is the equipment they’re hooking up to that software. I’d call them viable options.
You make a good point, but I’d use the word “niche” rather than “professional.” Every time I walk into some studio I think must be really professional, I find that they are using some surprisingly cheap/hobbled-together workflows. But, find a place that’s niche, and you’ll see some really expensive tools at work. So “niche” seems to correlate with cost of tools better than “professionalism.”
>What might be interesting for the average freelancer is comparison of Photoshop for design vs. GIMP.
I use both about every day. The key question is, “do I need to interoperate with people who use Photoshop?” If yes, you’ll probably need to drop some cash for a PS license. If no, GIMP (combined with other open source tools) should pass muster just fine.
try ubuntu for PCs or MACs. Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need – a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. http://www.ubuntu.com
I’ll add Aptana and jEdit to this list if you’re a web developer. They’re two excellent, open-source text editors. Aptana is geared toward front-end developers (JavaScript, CSS, (x)HTML). jEdit is multilingual.
There’s also Thunderbird (e-mail), Sunbird (Calendaring) and Lightning (Thunderbird + Sunbird).
If you want to throw web-based stuff in there, there’s SugarCRM. There’s also dotProject for project management.
If you are making your living from doing design work, then I don’t think that Adobe PhotoShop is that expensive. Similarly, Access isn’t that expensive if you make a living using it. If you are a self-employed plumber then you have to fund your own van. It’s all about the requirements for running your business.
Regards,
Rob…
Speaking of software, which apps are you guys using for customer management? I have a lot of trouble tracking small customers who must pay a monthly or even worse, yearly bill. Web based, Pc, mac?
Yeah, I have to agree, most of the list was things I already knew about. So I basically created a post with 21 different free apps for freelancers, ranging from Word replacements to InDesign replacements. Since my trackbacks don’t want to work today, consider this a manual trackback:
http://www.jtdabbagian.com/2007/07/05/software-for-less-21-applications-on-the-cheap-for-the-broke-college-student-andor-freelancer/
I often use Google docs or notepad++ for writing
It’s great enough for me.
nXqd
I have to agree with Rob here. It’s not that expensive if you’re using it to make a living. Or even for supplementing your income with some side work. If it is, you’re either undercharging or not taking on enough work to make it worth your while.
Also, I take issue with the statement, “If we’re not lucky enough to have access to an educational or other discount, we’re looking at full price retail for these programs that we need to do our job, which can be a big problem, especially if we’re just starting out.”
Educational licenses are not legal to use for commercial gain, and for good reason. It’s supposed to help students learn the software, and educators to teach it. Not help undercut other professionals by lowering your overhead, which is about the only thing I’ve seen come of it. Using an “educational” version for paid work is almost as bad as just downloading it.
I do not, however, take issue at all with open source software. If that’s your bag, more power to you. Thanks for putting a list out there for those who may be interested.
@Emil
I use http://www.k-billing.com (PC). Very nice with recurring billing…
@Jim, Rob–You both bring up some great points, but I respectfully disagree–I’m all for paying what something is worth on some level, but that principle alone doesn’t get us anywhere, in my humble opinion. Especially for any beginning freelancers, adding the sunk costs of software can be a major problem. This is even more true for people looking to change focus in freelancing, who maybe don’t yet know a program but are looking to learn.
And @Jim, regarding educational discounts, although some companies do restrict usage under the educational license, not all do. The Adobe CS3 suite, for example, can be used unrestricted by an educational user. And while I’m generally against breaking license agreements, they’re often meant to restrict and dis-empower the user for no good reason (see any Microsoft EULA). Add to that the fact that the ed discount is becoming devalued–I’ve been told that at least one (kind) clerk at the Apple Store was interrogating people about relatives and friends and such in the hope that an ed discount could be applied.
@JT–Thanks for providing a longer list, but just for everyone’s information, my goal in providing this list was to throw out some commonly used apps, but also to give a more in-depth review than just a normal list (What has my experience been with these apps, etc.).
@Max, Marc–I really like Linux, but I agree with you both that it’s not for the faint of heart. For those of you really interested in cost savings, it’s definitely the way to go, but even Ubuntu was a little much for me. I’ve really enjoyed the ease of use (but also power under the hood) of the Mac OS, and the vibrant developer community means that there are a TON of third party apps.
If any of you agree/disagree, please feel free to leave comments or drop me an email–I don’t mind at all discussing my articles, and constructive criticism just helps me get better!
Some great suggestions on programs, everyone, thanks! And thank you to everybody for some really great comments!
Totally agree with Google Docs, it’s awsome! It basically makes having one computer obsolete, it doesn’t matter where you are, if you’re in front of a computer you can pull up your documents. It’s got tons of features, one of which is that is saves EVER change you make, and lets you got back to anyone you want.
I’ve also been using Google reader for uses that you might not expect. Check it out: http://www.graphicelk.com/wordpress/?p=35
And no, I don’t work for google. ( I wish I did though)
OpenOffice gets a thumbs up from me. Free is always a good price tag and it’s functionality is aces.
EDARE> It may have changed, but last time I looked MSDN came with a “development, test or demonstration” license.
You should check, because using MSDN-licensed software in production environments has been verboten in the past – if you were audited, you’d find yourself in trouble.
They may have changed that – it’s been a couple of years since I used MSDN. But check it, because you may be confusing those development licenses with the non-development licenses that you’d otherwise buy.
(Yes, it’s the same software either way. But nobody ever said licensing was sensible or sane…)
I know I’m a little late to the show here… but hopefully I can add a bit.
@Emil – try activeCollab for client management – http://www.activecollab.com – It’s currently still in beta but *man* it is full-featured and right up my price alley: free.
@Max – I run an Ubuntu server and a laptop, along with a Vista laptop and XP desktop. If I wasn’t tied to Adobe (PS, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver) I’d ditch Microsoft forever. [Although Quanta Plus is a pretty damn good (X)HTML & CSS editor and GIMPshop ain’t bad either – i just don’t have the time to school myself up on them to get to the point I already am with Adobe)
Cheers,
~Russell
I use openoffice, It likes MS office. In my country, Indonesia, Ms ofice especially ms word and excell is very popular software. But since it raid by police, the Openoffice appear as a office alternative software.
Just thought I would mention this website I found a few months back, I have downloaded software from them that has saved me 75% if I were to buy at Office Depot.. http://www.sacredreviews.com
Thanks for all the useful tools listed here.