OpenOffice.org

What OpenOffice.org does

Apache OpenOffice is a free, open-source office productivity suite stewarded by The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), a US-based 501(c)(3) non-profit. Originally open-sourced by Sun Microsystems in July 2000 as OpenOffice.org, the project was acquired by Oracle in 2010 and donated to the Apache Incubator in June 2011, where it graduated to a Top Level Project in October 2012. The suite comprises six integrated desktop applications - Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics), Base (database), and Math (equations) - built in C++ and using OASIS OpenDocument Format (ISO/IEC 26300) as its native file format, with bidirectional compatibility for Microsoft Office .docx/.xlsx/.pptx files.

The suite is available on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris, and extends via community-contributed add-ons, templates, and language packs covering 50+ languages. Apache OpenOffice was the first software package to use the OASIS OpenDocument Format and has accumulated 333,333,333+ downloads across 240+ countries as of August 2022, with user bases spanning governments, educational institutions, SMBs, non-profits, and individuals.

The business model is non-commercial: the software is distributed at zero cost under the Apache 2.0 License with no paid tiers, supported entirely by volunteers. Go-to-market is community-led through direct downloads from openoffice.org, SourceForge.net mirrors, Apache archive servers, Linux distribution repositories, and third-party ports (Android, iOS, Windows portable). Operational funding derives from voluntary donations to the ASF and historical employer sponsorship of contributor time (Sun, Oracle, Novell, Red Hat, IBM). Commercial technical support is offered indirectly via IBM and a network of regional training/consulting partners, but generates no revenue attributable to the project itself.

Name

OpenOffice.org

Legal name

Apache OpenOffice (The Apache Software Foundation project)

Website

https://openoffice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Apache OpenOffice is a free, open-source office productivity suite (Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Base, Math) stewarded by the Apache Software Foundation, serving governments, education, SMBs, and individuals across 240+ countries under the Apache 2.0 License with no commercial revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Office Productivity Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

OER Authoring, Remixing & Publishing Tools/Platforms (EDAGAJAM)

Keywords

• Open source office suite
• Office productivity software
• Word processing software
• Spreadsheet applications
• Presentation software

Headquarters

HQ city

Distributed/Global

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Free Download and Distribution: Apache OpenOffice is completely free to download, use, and distribute under the Apache 2.0 License. There is no revenue generation from the software itself. The project accepts donations to the Apache Software Foundation to cover infrastructure costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Apache OpenOffice (originally OpenOffice.org) is a free, open-source office productivity suite that bundles six desktop applications — Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector graphics), Base (database management), and Math (mathematical equations) — into a single integrated package. The suite uses OASIS OpenDocument Format (ODF, ISO/IEC 26300) as its native file format and is also compatible with Microsoft Office file formats. It is distributed at no cost under the Apache 2.0 License across Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris, with an SDK, language packs, and an extensions/templates ecosystem available separately.

Product overview

Apache OpenOffice is a free, open-source office productivity suite comprising six core desktop applications — Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), Impress (presentation), Draw (vector graphics), Base (database), and Math (mathematical equations) — designed as an integrated package with consistent look and feel. The suite stores all data in OASIS OpenDocument Format (ISO/IEC 26300) and also reads and writes Microsoft Office file formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx). It is available on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris, and is extendable through community-contributed extensions and templates. The product is released under the Apache 2.0 License and is developed entirely by volunteers under The Apache Software Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apache OpenOffice Free, open-source integrated office productivity suite providing word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, database management, and mathematical equations in a single package. Uses OASIS OpenDocument Format (ISO/IEC 26300) as its native file format and reads/writes Microsoft Office file formats. Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris under the Apache 2.0 License.
• Writer Full-featured word processor for documents ranging from quick memos to complete books, with wizards, styles and formatting, AutoCorrect, AutoComplete, text frames, table of contents, multi-page display, and mail merge via LDAP and address book integration. Exports to HTML, PDF, and MediaWiki formats and supports .odt, .docx, and .doc files.
• Calc Spreadsheet application with DataPilot for raw-data cross-tabulation, natural-language formulas, intelligent sum button, scenario manager, and solver component for optimization problems. Supports multi-user collaborative editing and imports/exports Microsoft Excel .xlsx and .xls formats.
• Impress Multimedia presentation tool with 2D and 3D clip art, animation, Fontworks, drawing tools, master pages, multiple views (Slides, Outline, Notes, Handouts), and multi-monitor output via Presenter Screen. Exports to Flash .swf and reads/writes Microsoft PowerPoint .ppt and .pptx files.
• Draw Vector drawing tool for sketches through complex plans, with a maximum page size of 300cm x 300cm, a 3D controller, smart connectors for flowcharts, dimension lines, and rendering with texture and lighting. Imports BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and WMF formats and exports to Flash .swf.
• Base Desktop database management system with wizards for creating tables, queries, forms, and reports. Includes a built-in HSQLDB engine for single-user databases and native drivers for MySQL, Adabas D, MS Access, and PostgreSQL, plus JDBC and ODBC connectivity. Integrates with Writer for mail merge and with Calc for data ranges.
• Math Mathematical equation editor for creating equations via markup, context-menu symbols, or the Elements toolbox. Commonly embedded in Writer documents and usable standalone or inserted into Calc and Impress.
• Apache OpenOffice Software Development Kit (SDK) Standalone developer toolkit providing the OpenOffice API and UNO component technology for building extensions, add-ins, and applications that extend Apache OpenOffice functionality.
• Apache OpenOffice Language Packs Separately downloadable language packs that localize the Apache OpenOffice user interface (menus, dialogs, messages, and help topics) in languages beyond the base English installation. Each language pack must match the same version number and platform as the base suite.

Quantifiable outcome

• City of Udine saved 360,000 Euro by migrating 900 municipal desktops to OpenOffice
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IBMminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIBM offers technical support for Apache OpenOffice through IBM Support for Apache OpenOffice, providing expert technical support for demanding desktop office document requirements. Available globally with dedicated support line.
• Sun Microsystems (historical)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSun Microsystems originally developed OpenOffice.org, open-sourcing the StarOffice code in 2000. Sun sponsored employees to work on the project and was instrumental in the project's founding.
• Oracle CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOracle acquired Sun Microsystems including OpenOffice.org. In June 2011, Oracle donated OpenOffice.org code to Apache Software Foundation. Previously offered commercial version (Oracle Open Office).
• Novell (historical)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovell sponsored employees to volunteer with the OpenOffice project as part of their open source engagement.
• Red Hat (historical)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Hat sponsored employees to volunteer with the OpenOffice project as part of their open source engagement.
• IBM (historical)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM sponsored employees to volunteer with the OpenOffice project and contributed IBM code (Lotus Symphony) to OpenOffice 4.0 sidebar feature.
• SourceForge.netminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSourceForge.net hosts Apache OpenOffice downloads as a trusted mirror website, providing reliable download infrastructure for the open source project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OnlyOffice: Open-source office and productivity suite with both desktop and cloud/collaboration offerings. Directly comparable as a free/open office suite targeting SMBs and enterprises seeking Microsoft Office alternatives.
• Collabora: Commercial enterprise distribution of LibreOffice providing paid support, deployment, and collaboration tooling. Serves the same enterprise and government customers targeted by OpenOffice's IBM support partnership and competes for the same open-office workloads.
• LibreOffice (The Document Foundation): Direct fork and most comparable peer to Apache OpenOffice, sharing the same StarOffice code lineage. Competes head-to-head in the free office productivity category for governments, education, and individuals, with more active development and broader community.

Emerging players

• Zoho Workplace: Cloud office and productivity bundle from Zoho (Writer, Sheet, Show). Targets SMBs and cost-sensitive organizations seeking an integrated alternative to Microsoft 365, competing in adjacent segments to OpenOffice.
• WPS Office (Kingsoft): Cross-platform office suite with strong feature parity to Microsoft Office and a freemium model. Targets the same cost-conscious users that gravitate to OpenOffice, particularly in Asia and emerging markets, with a more modern feature set.
• SoftMaker FreeOffice: Free office suite for Windows, macOS, and Linux with strong Microsoft Office compatibility. Competes for the same private/free office productivity use case as OpenOffice, especially in European markets.

Broad incumbents

• Google Workspace: Cloud-native office productivity suite from Google (Docs, Sheets, Slides). Competes with OpenOffice for the same productivity workloads and has increasingly captured the SMB and education segments with free/cheap tiers.
• Microsoft 365 (Office): Dominant commercial office productivity suite from Microsoft. The primary incumbent OpenOffice positions against, with overlapping word, spreadsheet, and presentation capabilities and broad file-format compatibility.
• Apple iWork: Apple's free office suite (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) bundled with macOS/iOS. Comparable category but restricted to Apple platforms, limiting direct overlap with OpenOffice's cross-platform footprint.

Regional players

• Hancom Office: Korean office productivity suite with strong government and education adoption in Korea and parts of Asia. Competes in the same government-driven open-document space but is primarily a regional, Korea-centric player.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ApacheOO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/openoffice
• Facebookfacebook.com/ApacheOO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apache-software-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OpenOffice.org