Replace / Microsoft Word
Best free Microsoft Word alternatives (open source, self-hosted) 2026
The best open-source alternative to Microsoft Word is ONLYOFFICE Docs (or Collabora Online) with CryptPad, self-hosted on Railway. An office suite you host. ONLYOFFICE Docs is AGPL-3.0; Collabora Online is MPL — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Slides without the Microsoft 365 or Workspace seat.
Estimated save $1,200 a year.
Open the stackStart on Railway
How Microsoft Word compares
| Microsoft Word | ONLYOFFICE / Collabora | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Hosted subscription | Open-source or fair-code license; you pay the host |
| Hosting | Vendor cloud | Self-hosted on Railway or any VPS |
| Rough monthly cost | Public list price not verified this run | Hosting only — no SaaS seat meter in this repo |
- ONLYOFFICE Docs
AGPL-3.0 document server for .docx/.xlsx/.pptx
- Collabora Online
MPL LibreOffice-based editor Nextcloud Office can wrap
- CryptPad
AGPL-3.0 end-to-end-encrypted pads if OOXML is not the job
FAQ
- What is the best free open-source Microsoft Word alternative?
- The best open-source alternative to Microsoft Word is ONLYOFFICE Docs (or Collabora Online) with CryptPad, self-hosted on Railway. An office suite you host. ONLYOFFICE Docs is AGPL-3.0; Collabora Online is MPL — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Slides without the Microsoft 365 or Workspace seat.
- Is it free?
- The ONLYOFFICE / Collabora licenses are open source or fair-code. You still pay hosting (Railway or any VPS) and any APIs the stack calls. There is no Microsoft Word seat or task bill on this path.
- Can I migrate from Microsoft Word?
- Yes. Start with the workflows or data you actually use, then cut over. The ONLYOFFICE / Collabora stack page has the agent prompt and the cost table; most teams rebuild the slice that matters and leave old Microsoft Word links until they expire.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open the ONLYOFFICE / Collabora stack, copy the agent prompt, and deploy on Railway (one service, PORT, and a volume when the app needs disk). Placeholder: ONLYOFFICE Document Server or Collabora Online plus a volume. Pair Nextcloud if you also want Drive-shaped files. No one-click template in this repo yet — Start on Railway. Live sheets stay on /stacks/grist-sheets.
- What does this replace?
- Google Slides / PowerPoint / Microsoft Excel / Microsoft Word. The published small-team estimate on this stack is $1,200 a year.
Related pages
Stack of the Week
Get one stack a week that replaces a SaaS bill.