In case you haven't heard or tested SoftMaker Office, please take the time and give this fabulous piece of european software a try. I am using SoftMaker Office for years on all operating systems (MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android) in parallel. It is the closest thing I have seen to come to the MS Office file formats but lightning fast and offers a ton of great features.

Here's the link to the beta: https://www.softmaker.com/en/softmaker-office

Here's what's new in the NX/2024 beta:

  • You can now compress inserted pictures. This reduces the file size, makes for smaller PDF files and speeds up printing. [SOFTMAKER OFFICE PROFESSIONAL AND NX UNIVERSAL]
  • During PDF export, pictures can now be exported in a lower resolution, resulting in more compact PDF files.
  • Automatic correction of common typos in many languages
  • SoftMaker Office for Mac now uses Metal graphics acceleration instead of OpenGL.
  • In the dialog box New document, there is now an additional list view that simply shows a list of files instead of thumbnails.
  • When pasting from the clipboard, you can choose between keeping the source formatting, applying the target formatting, pasting unformatted and merging the formatting.
  • You can now insert pictures in WEBP format in all programs.
  • Better handling of spell checking: SoftMaker and Hunspell dictionaries are now automatically downloaded when they are used for the first time.
  • Grouped objects can now be edited more easily.
  • The full document path can now be optionally displayed in the program's title bar (switchable in the Options dialog box).
  • The applications now fetch the font list via official functions of the operating system. As a result, fonts are also found in other folders, and font filtering by programs such as Font Book and Font Menu Cleaner also affects SoftMaker Office.
  • Clean font list: The new setting "Load only fonts relevant for installed keyboard layouts" hides the fonts in the font list that you normally don't need. Example: You don't have a Chinese keyboard layout installed, so you probably don't need Chinese fonts.
  • You can now also directly enter the hex value of a Unicode character in Insert | Symbol.
  • When inserting a hyperlink, a text is automatically suggested, but you can still edit it.
  • Improved dark mode with dark sidebars
  • Dark mode can now turn on and off automatically when your operating system changes to "dark" or "light".
  • In addition to sending documents via e-mail, there is now also a "Share" command that can share the document with Windows apps.
  • When replacing text, Undo now undoes each step individually.
  • When printing, the Apple print dialog is shown immediately, skipping the CUPS options.
  • Documents are now saved in such a way that file attributes such as "Compressed", "Icon position on desktop", "Owner" etc. are preserved.
  • In Windows 11, the appearance of the programs is harmoniously adapted to the operating system.