This cross-platform free office software is available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, and comes pre-installed on some Samsung handsets. If you own a Samsung phone, you might already be familiar with the mobile version of Polaris Office. However, there's no one-click set up or access, and instead you have to go through a sign up process that begins by providing details of an existing business domain. If you want to signup for the free version of Zoho Workplace you need to search the pricing page for the "Forever free" plan. Some are on the simplistic side, so they'll likely not replace anything you might already have in place, but if you're starting out as a small business Zoho is probably a good jumping-off point. They're just the tip of the iceberg, however – Zoho Workplace includes a powerful site creation tool, a file management solution and many collaborative tools.
Zoho's new-look word processor (which ditches the classic Word-style interface in favour of a formatting sidebar) is very well-presented and capable of producing professional-looking docs, and it has a sterling spreadsheet and reasonable presentation package alongside it. It's certainly closer to a desktop office package, and it's strong enough to have attracted businesses like the BBC and Nike as regular users. While Google Docs is, thanks to the strength of its brand, probably more widely used, Zoho Workplace is very good in its own right. However, over the years other companies have released rival office suites to help with productivity (opens in new tab), some of which is paid-for and some of which is free - sometimes with the same company offering both.Īll of these alternatives to Microsoft Office (opens in new tab) offer a similar range of software applications, mainly based on creating and editing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations (opens in new tab). Microsoft have now extended their 365 brand to Windows, in the form of Windows 365, a way of accessing your files on a majority of devices from the cloud. Microsoft Word (opens in new tab), Excel (opens in new tab), Publisher (opens in new tab), Access (opens in new tab), Powerpoint (opens in new tab), and Outlook (opens in new tab) still remain key office apps. Hobbling its macros tool, however, diminishes a bit of the attraction for serious users.For most users, Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) remains the original and best office suite, and it takes matters further with an online version that offers cloud backups and mobile use as required.
The new analysis tools and formula builder help keep Microsoft's spreadsheet an essential tool.
Bottom LineĮxcel 2016 is probably worth the upgrade just based on its ability to take advantage of OneDrive.
For those who built macros in preceding Mac editions, this is a big loss. But if you want to build new macros, you need to do that on the Windows side or use an earlier Mac version. The 2016 edition offers what Microsoft calls a "simplified" Visual Basic Editor (VBE), which allows you to debug existing macros. Macro limits: Prior to Office 2016, you could build macros in Excel for Mac.
The update also includes an Analysis ToolPak add-in, PivotTable slicers for analyzing data, and an improved formula builder.
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. Excel also recommends appropriate charts based on spreadsheet data. 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. You can chat online as well, either through a document chat window or through Skype. You can also save Excel files to your Dropbox account.Ĭollaborate: Excel 2016, through OneDrive, lets you share documents with colleagues and collaborate in real time. 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.
Excel 2016 for Mac brings lots of welcome improvements to the workhorse spreadsheet but also leaves out useful tools.