14 DAY TRIAL // A LibreOffice listing on the Microsoft Store was spotted earlier this week, making people believe that the famous productivity suite, often positioned as the top alternative to Microsoft Office, has finally landed on the Windows 10 app distribution platform.
And while the listing does seem legitimate at first glance, The Documentation Foundation, which is the actual creator of LibreOffice, says the Microsoft Store version isn’t official and whoever published it is in no way affiliated to the organization.
“We have been made aware of an unofficial version of #LibreOffice on the @MicrosoftStore. This is not official or created by us, and the money is not collected by us, so the app's page is misleading. LibreOffice can be downloaded for free (at no cost) from https://www.libreoffice.org,” The Document Foundation said in a post on Twitter.
Shady listing
While it’s surprising to see Microsoft not pulling the fake LibreOffice listing from the Microsoft Store, especially considering the exposure it has received lately, there are several elements that suggest it’s not a legitimate app.
For example, the app is being offered as a trial with a $2.99 buy link, though the developer says that the trial comes with no limitation and the fee is only supposed to be a donation.
“Free trial is unlimited and has all the features. Buying it supports us. LibreOffice is a powerful office suite – its clean interface and feature-rich tools help you unleash your creativity and enhance your productivity,” the listing on the Microsoft Store reads.
Somewhat surprising is that getting this Microsoft Store app actually downloads and installs LibreOffice on Windows 10 devices, so no other harm is done. On the other hand, it’s not yet clear how many people paid for this app thinking they would actually purchase the original LibreOffice productivity suite.
It remains to be seen if and when Microsoft decides to remove this item from the Microsoft Store, but for the time being, you should stick with the desktop version of LibreOffice should you be looking for an alternative to Microsoft Office.