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Productivity · head to head

LibreOffice vs Stellarium

LibreOffice logo

LibreOffice

Productivity

Free and open-source office suite that runs entirely offline

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stellarium logo

Stellarium

Education

Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LibreOffice real-time collaborative editing is far behind Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and for teams who co-edit this alone usually decides the question; Stellarium it is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • They diverge on capability: LibreOffice covers Full suite, Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LibreOffice and Stellarium actually diverge.

Attributes where LibreOffice and Stellarium differ
AttributeLibreOfficeStellarium
CategoryProductivityEducation

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in LibreOffice

  • Full suite
  • Works offline
  • OpenDocument native
  • Microsoft format support
  • No telemetry or AI
  • Extensions and macros

Only in Stellarium

  • Photorealistic sky rendering
  • Large object catalogue
  • Telescope control
  • Scripting engine
  • Free and open source
  • Plugin ecosystem

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LibreOffice

  • Organisations where documents cannot leave the premises for policy or statutory reasonsnot Stellarium
  • Replacing per-seat office licences at scalenot Stellarium
  • Long-term archives needing a format not defined by a single vendornot Stellarium
  • Reviving older hardware that current commercial suites strainnot Stellarium

Stellarium

  • A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot LibreOffice
  • An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot LibreOffice
  • Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot LibreOffice
  • A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot LibreOffice

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LibreOffice

  • Real-time collaborative editing is far behind Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and for teams who co-edit this alone usually decides the question
  • Mobile support is weak, which is disqualifying for a workforce that reviews documents on phones
  • Complex Microsoft Office documents still lose formatting in transit, so exchange-heavy workflows need testing with real files
  • Central policy management, conditional access and audit tooling are thin against the commercial suites
  • Advanced spreadsheet work is where the gap with Excel is widest, and it affects exactly the users least willing to change

Stellarium

  • It is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • As a volunteer-maintained open source project, support is community-based rather than a guaranteed commercial help desk.
  • The interface, while capable, is less immediately intuitive for a first-time user than a polished commercial phone app.
  • Telescope control and some advanced plugins require additional setup that a non-technical user may find fiddly.
  • Because it shares a name with the unrelated paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app, buyers researching pricing online can easily conflate the two products.

Pricing, plan by plan

LibreOffice

Free
  • LibreOfficeFree
    • Full suite
    • Commercial use permitted
    • No per-seat licence

Stellarium

Free
  • Stellarium DesktopFree
    • Full software, GPL licensed
    • No account, ads or subscription
    • Community-developed plugins

Which should you pick?

Choose LibreOffice if

  • You need full suite.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want works offline.
LibreOffice review

Choose Stellarium if

  • You need photorealistic sky rendering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large object catalogue.
Stellarium review

Questions people ask

Is LibreOffice or Stellarium better?
Neither clearly leads. LibreOffice starts at Free and Stellarium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LibreOffice or Stellarium?
LibreOffice starts at Free and Stellarium at Free.
Does LibreOffice or Stellarium run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use LibreOffice for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is LibreOffice best used for?
LibreOffice is most often used for organisations where documents cannot leave the premises for policy or statutory reasons, replacing per-seat office licences at scale, long-term archives needing a format not defined by a single vendor, reviving older hardware that current commercial suites strain. Of those, organisations where documents cannot leave the premises for policy or statutory reasons and replacing per-seat office licences at scale are not what Stellarium is typically brought in for.
What can LibreOffice do that Stellarium cannot?
LibreOffice covers Full suite, Works offline, OpenDocument native, Microsoft format support. Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LibreOffice: Is LibreOffice really free for business use?

Yes. It is open source with no per-seat licence and no restriction on commercial use. The Document Foundation is funded by donations and sponsors.

Stellarium: Is Stellarium really free?

The desktop software is free and open source under the GPL licence. The separate mobile app, Stellarium Mobile Plus, is a different paid product.

LibreOffice: Does it have AI features?

No. The 26.8 release states it contains no generative AI, that documents are not transmitted to remote services, and that no component requires network access.

Stellarium: Is the mobile app made by the same team?

No. Stellarium Mobile Plus is built by Noctua Software, a different company, and is sold on subscription.

LibreOffice: Can it open Microsoft Office files?

Yes, and save back to them. Round-tripping complex documents is imperfect between any two suites, so test with your own files before committing to an exchange-heavy workflow.

Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.

LibreOffice: Why do governments use it?

Two reasons: no per-seat cost at scale, and OpenDocument is an ISO standard implemented by more than one vendor, which matters for archives that must stay readable after a vendor relationship ends.

LibreOffice: What is the biggest reason not to use it?

Collaborative editing. If several people work on the same document simultaneously, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are substantially better and that gap is not closing.

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