Productivity · alternatives
Alternatives to Microsoft 365
19 productivity tools sit alongside Microsoft 365 in this directory. Below is what separates each from Microsoft 365 on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 19
- With a free tier
- 8
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Microsoft 365 starts at
- Free
Why people look past Microsoft 365
Nothing on the record flags a reason to move. Microsoft 365 has a free tier. People still switch over fit and workflow, and those are not things a catalogue entry can measure, which is what the comparisons below are for.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Open source document signing platform
Priced and rated the same as Microsoft 365 on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Music and sounds designed to enhance focus and productivity
- Publishes an entry price of $4.95/month, where Microsoft 365 does not.
Simple task management that actually works
- Publishes an entry price of $4/month, where Microsoft 365 does not.
Automatic computer activity tracking and productivity analytics
- Publishes an entry price of $9/month, where Microsoft 365 does not.
Free digital note-taking application for all devices
- Publishes an entry price of Free, where Microsoft 365 does not.
- Sold on a free model rather than freemium.
Beautiful note-taking app for Apple devices
- Publishes an entry price of $1.99/month, where Microsoft 365 does not.
Every Microsoft 365 alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 (this page) | Free | Freemium | - | |
| DocuSeal | Free | Freemium | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Focus@Will | Free, then $4.95/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Lazy | Free, then $4/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| DeskTime | Free, then $9/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Microsoft OneNote | Free | Free | 1 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Bear Notes | Free, then $1.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Granola | Free | Freemium | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Capacities | Free, then $10/month | - | 3 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| RowShare | On request | Subscription | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Anvil | On request | Usage-based | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| SignWell | On request | Subscription | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Rows | On request | Subscription | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Memberstack | On request | Subscription | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| BoldSign | On request | Usage-based | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| OmniFocus 3 | $39.99/year | Subscription | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Reflect | $10/month | - | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Akiflow | $19/month | - | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Brain.fm | $14.99/month | Subscription | - | vs Microsoft 365 |
| Forest App | $1.99/one-time | Subscription | 2 | vs Microsoft 365 |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Microsoft 365 badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (8)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- DocuSeal , Free
- Focus@Will , Free, then $4.95/month
- Lazy , Free, then $4/month
- DeskTime , Free, then $9/month
- Microsoft OneNote , Free
- Bear Notes , Free, then $1.99/month
- Granola , Free
- Capacities , Free, then $10/month
What you would be giving up
The record we hold does not list what Microsoft 365 is typically used for, so there is no honest way to enumerate what a switch would cost you from this page alone.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Microsoft 365 is broadly right and the question is cost, the Microsoft 365 pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Productivity category lists everything the directory holds, and best productivity tools ranks them.
Microsoft 365 runs on not recorded. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Microsoft 365 alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Microsoft 365?
- 19 other productivity tools are listed in this directory, led by DocuSeal, Focus@Will, Lazy, DeskTime. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Microsoft 365?
- 8 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: DocuSeal, Focus@Will, Lazy, DeskTime, Microsoft OneNote.
- Is there a reason to switch away from Microsoft 365?
- Nothing in the data flags one. Microsoft 365 has a free tier. Fit and workflow are the usual reasons to move, and those are not things this record can measure.
- What would I give up by switching from Microsoft 365?
- The record we hold does not list what Microsoft 365 is typically used for, so the honest answer is to check the side-by-side comparison for whichever alternative you are considering. Each one puts the two full feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Microsoft 365?
- None of the productivity tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Microsoft 365 alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Productivity, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Microsoft 365 against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Microsoft 365 covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every productivity tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Productivity category, 19 tools beside Microsoft 365. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.