Quill vs LibreOffice Writer.
LibreOffice Writer is a free word processor from The Document Foundation; Quill is a Mac word processor that costs $19 once. This page compares price and features.
| Feature | Quill | LibreOffice Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19 once | Free |
| Pay once | Yes | –Free |
| Opens and saves .docx directly | Yes | Yes |
| No account needed | Yes | Yes |
| Word-style ribbon tabs | Yes | PartlyOptional Tabbed view |
| Every command open to a local AI agent | Yes | PartlyMacros, UNO |
| Real-time collaboration | No | No |
| Tracked changes | No | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac, Windows, Linux |
| Requires | macOS 14 or later | macOS 11 or later |
| Built-in AI writing help | None; agents connect | None |
Yes Yes Partly Partly No No
Price
LibreOffice Writer is free to download from libreoffice.org. On the Mac App Store it costs $8.99 once, which The Document Foundation says covers the cost of maintaining that version, and the software is identical. Quill costs $19 once, tax included. The trial is free for 7 days with no card, one licence covers up to 3 of your Macs, every future update is included, and refunds are available within 30 days.
Working with agents
LibreOffice supports macros written in LibreOffice Basic, JavaScript, BeanShell and Python, and outside programs can control it through its API, including headless file conversion from the command line. Quill takes a different path: while it runs, it serves its 83 actions over plain HTTP and MCP on your Mac. The ribbon, the menus and the keyboard shortcuts all run actions from one registry, so nothing in the interface exists that an agent cannot call.
Where LibreOffice Writer is ahead
- LibreOffice Writer is free and open source.
- LibreOffice tracks changes, recording and displaying who made each change, which you can accept or reject.
- LibreOffice runs on Windows and Linux as well as macOS.
- LibreOffice reads and writes .doc and OpenDocument files as well as .docx.
- LibreOffice comes with a spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and database app.
Try Quill free for 7 days.
Then $19 once, for up to 3 of your Macs. No subscription and no account.
Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
More comparisons
Sources
Checked against LibreOffice Writer’s own website and documentation on 13 November 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll correct it.
- LibreOffice Writer
- Download LibreOffice
- LibreOffice system requirements
- LibreOffice on the Mac App Store (US)
- LibreOffice 26.8 announcement (TDF Community Blog)
- Using Microsoft Office and LibreOffice (LibreOffice Help)
- Recording and displaying changes (LibreOffice Help)
- Scripting LibreOffice (LibreOffice Help)
- Starting LibreOffice with parameters (LibreOffice Help)
- Notebook bar (LibreOffice Help)
- Feature Comparison: LibreOffice - Microsoft Office (TDF wiki; read via search result)
- LibreOffice Online
LibreOffice is a trademark of The Document Foundation. Quill is not affiliated with it.