So what software do you use? For your freelance writing, I mean. Depending on the specific way your work is being used, you likely use some kind of a word processor. If you write directly to a website, you might use a CMS system instead, in which case this may not be that helpful.

As usual, I am digressing. If you do use a word processor, you likely use Microsoft Word. It’s popular, common and most clients also use it so your submitted work needs to be in a usable format for them. Personally, I am not a fan of mega corporations who monopolize a field, so when my computer died and I needed to upgrade my software, I looked for another option. And I found Open Office.

Open Office has the same features as Microsoft’s Office, with a word processor, spreadsheet program, and more. Those are really the only ones I use, but it also has a database manager, presentation package and drawing software. Sound familiar? The biggest difference is, it’s all FREE. Yes, you read that correctly. Open Office (OO) is completely free. Not just as a trial, but completely functioning.

When I thought about switching, I was worried about being able to swap files with clients. You can use their word processor (called Writer) to save your files in .doc format, just like MS Word. I’ve done it many times, and no one has had any problems with the files. Nobody even realizes that I'm not using Word in the first place.

After decades of using Word, it was a bit disorienting to have a new program to work with and there are a few things that are different. To be honest, I’ve adapted so well, I can’t even remember what things bugged me originally. It's close enough to Word that you can install it and start working right away without having to dig through the help files.

So if you’re in the market for some new software, keep all those hundreds of dollars in your pocket and support some open source, community software. Open Office has worked great for me. And no, they didn’t pay me to write this post (honest!), I just happen to really like their products.

(this article is part of a larger collection of Freelance Writing articles)