Stop Paying Microsoft Every Month Just to Open a Word Document

There’s a conversation we have regularly with customers across Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks. Usually it’s a retired teacher, a small business owner, or someone’s nan who just wants to type up a letter. And it goes something like this:

“I got a bill for £80 from Microsoft. I don’t even know what I’m paying for."

It happens more often than you’d think. And honestly? It bothers us every time. If you live locally and you’re paying for Microsoft 365 without really needing it, this article is for you.

Are You Actually Getting Value From Your Microsoft 365 Subscription?

Microsoft 365 is a genuinely good product. If you’re a business running Teams calls all day, sharing spreadsheets with colleagues in real time, or managing company email, it earns its keep.

But if you’re opening Word once a week to write a letter to your GP, or firing up Excel to keep track of your household budget, you are absolutely not getting £80 a year worth of value from it. And yet that direct debit quietly leaves your account every single month, and most people in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and the surrounding area never even question it.

We’ve helped elderly customers and small businesses across the Kent and East Sussex area who’ve been paying for Microsoft 365 for years without realising there’s a completely free alternative that does everything they actually need.

Free Office Software That Actually Works: LibreOffice and OpenOffice

Both LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice are free, fully-featured office suites that you can download and install on your computer today. No subscription, no account, no monthly charge. Ever.

They’ve been around for years and they’re not some dodgy pirate software. They’re open-source projects used by millions of people worldwide, including government departments and universities. They work on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

The core tools cover everything most people need. Writer is the word processor, and it opens and saves the same .docx files as Microsoft Word. Calc handles spreadsheets and works fine with Excel files. There’s also Impress for presentations, and a few other tools that most people never need to touch. For everyday home or office tasks, you genuinely won’t notice the difference.

Will It Open My Existing Word and Excel Files?

Yes, and this is usually the first thing people ask us when they pop into our Tunbridge Wells shop.

If someone sends you a Word document, you can open it. If you write something in LibreOffice Writer, you can save it as a .docx and send it to anyone using Microsoft Word with no issues. The compatibility isn’t perfect for very complex, heavily formatted documents, but for letters, invoices, CVs, and standard spreadsheets, it works without any fuss.

LibreOffice or OpenOffice: Which Is Better?

Our recommendation is LibreOffice. It’s more actively developed, gets regular security updates, and has a slightly cleaner interface. OpenOffice hasn’t had a major update in a while and while it still works fine, LibreOffice has largely overtaken it. You can download it for free at libreoffice.org.

If you’re not confident downloading and setting it up yourself, that’s absolutely fine. Pop into our shop in Tunbridge Wells or give us a call and we can set it up for you, usually while you wait.

Don’t Forget: Microsoft Has a Free Online Version Too

It’s also worth knowing that Microsoft itself offers a free version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through the web at office.com. You just need a free Microsoft account. It runs in your browser rather than on your desktop, but for basic tasks it works well, and it means you’re using the real Microsoft software without paying a penny.

This is a great option for people in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks or Tunbridge Wells who are used to the Microsoft layout and don’t want to learn anything new.

Should You Cancel Your Microsoft 365 Subscription?

If you’re paying for Microsoft 365 and you’re not using Teams, company email, or any of the cloud collaboration features, it’s worth having a think about whether you really need it.

Ask yourself a few simple questions. Do you use Office on more than one or two devices? Do you regularly share and edit documents with other people? Do you rely on Outlook for your business email?

If the answer to all of those is no, you’re likely paying for more than you need. Cancelling and switching to LibreOffice or the free Microsoft web apps could save you £80 or more every year.

Need Help Switching? We’re Local to Tunbridge Wells

We’ve been helping customers across Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and the surrounding Kent and East Sussex area since 2007. Whether you want advice over the phone, help setting up free software, or a general IT health check to make sure you’re not paying for things you don’t need, we’re here.

Over 18 years of local IT support means we’ve seen every type of setup, every kind of question, and we’ll never make you feel silly for asking. No jargon, no pushy upselling, just straight answers from people who live and work in the same area you do.

Call us on 01892 501231 or 01732 689655 Email: info@computershoptwells.co.uk Or pop into our shop in Tunbridge Wells and we’ll be happy to help.

Swiftech | Computer Repair Centre has provided IT support and computer services to homes and businesses across Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and the wider Kent and East Sussex area since 2007.