OpenOffice or Lotus Symphony: An In-Depth Comparison of the Free Office Suite Options

If you‘re looking to break free of costly Microsoft Office licenses, free office suites like OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony are appealing options. But how do you decide between these two popular alternatives?

As someone who relies on office productivity software daily, I‘ve explored the ins and outs of both OpenOffice and Symphony. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll compare the two suites in detail so you can determine the better choice for your needs.

A Quick Refresher on OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony

First, let‘s briefly reintroduce both suites:

OpenOffice – The open source suite launched in 2002 under Sun Microsystems, based on open sourced StarOffice code. After Oracle acquired Sun, the OpenOffice.org project was donated to the Apache Foundation, becoming Apache OpenOffice. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Lotus Symphony – Symphony originated as a free proprietary suite from IBM built on OpenOffice.org code. It integrated with IBM‘s Lotus Notes platform. IBM ceased active development in 2012, though it still provides downloads. Symphony is Windows and Linux only.

Both suites aim to deliver free Microsoft Office alternatives, but OpenOffice follows an open source model while Symphony is proprietary software.

Comparing the Features and Tools

When evaluating office suites, the core editing applications for documents, spreadsheets and presentations are table stakes. Both OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony deliver the key productivity apps:

Word Processing

• OpenOffice Writer
• Lotus Symphony Documents

Spreadsheets

• OpenOffice Calc
• Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets

Presentations

• OpenOffice Impress
• Lotus Symphony Presentations

However, OpenOffice includes extra tools absent in Symphony:

• Base – database creator
• Draw – vector graphics and flowcharts
• Math – formula editor

Symphony prioritizes simplicity, while OpenOffice offers a kitchen sink approach with the most extensive feature set.

Hands-On: Comparing the Document Editors

Opening up sample documents in both suites, I found OpenOffice Writer gave me more control over formatting and layout. Symphony Documents has a sparse ribbon with fewer options.

But Symphony did provide handy tools like tabbed documents and a floating formatting panel, which were nice touches.

Comparing Compatibility and File Support

A key consideration for any office suite is how well it handles Microsoft Office files like Word docs and Excel spreadsheets. Both suites can open and edit Microsoft file formats with decent but not 100% perfect fidelity.

However, digging into file format support further, OpenOffice has the edge in opening and saving documents in more file types.

A major reason is OpenOffice‘s open source nature, allowing it to reverse engineer and support niche formats. Symphony relies on IBM‘s proprietary development.

Here‘s a breakdown of format compatibility:

File Type	OpenOffice	Lotus Symphony
OpenDocument Format (ODF)	Full support	Full support
Word docs (.doc/.docx)	Very good	Good
Excel files (.xls/.xlsx)	Very good	Good
PowerPoint (.ppt/.pptx)	Very good	Good
WordPerfect (.wpd)	Yes	No
Apple Pages/Numbers	Yes	No
Old Microsoft formats	Yes	Some
PDF export	Yes	Yes

Evaluating the User Interface

The interface and user experience of an office suite should not be overlooked. First impressions of OpenOffice vs Symphony:

OpenOffice – The suite has a dense UI with loads of menus, toolbars and options visible. There‘s a bit of a learning curve even for basic functions.

Lotus Symphony – Symphony takes a pared back approach, with a simplified ribbon, clean aesthetics and tabbed view for documents. Easier to use out of the box.

Working through tasks like formatting text, creating charts and building presentations, I found Symphony‘s design approach lowered the barriers to getting started. OpenOffice reveals its power but takes more time to master.

Symphony has a more modern and Microsoft Office-like interface, while OpenOffice prioritizes depth over simplicity.

Comparing Platform and System Support

An important consideration is what operating systems are supported by each suite.

OpenOffice runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. In contrast, Lotus Symphony is only fully compatible with Windows and some Linux distros. There is no macOS or mobile version.

In my testing on an Ubuntu Linux laptop, OpenOffice also seemed less buggy and more stable than Symphony.

Another huge advantage for OpenOffice is that it has much lower system requirements than Symphony:

• OpenOffice needs only 200MB storage space and 128MB RAM
• Lotus Symphony requires 750MB storage and 512MB RAM

So if you have an older machine, OpenOffice is the better fit. Symphony demands more computing resources.

Open Source vs Proprietary Software

The underlying software models behind OpenOffice and Symphony impact more than just system requirements…

Key advantages of OpenOffice‘s open source model:

• Community development results in faster bug fixes and new features
• Greater transparency around security issues
• Freedom to customize and modify source code
• Not dependent on any single company‘s whims

Benefits of Symphony‘s proprietary model:

• More consistent vision and design direction
• Potentially faster to implement changes
• Tight integration with Lotus Notes specifically

I prefer OpenOffice‘s open ecosystem, but those tied to IBM‘s software ecosystem may find Symphony a better fit.

Comparing Ongoing Support and Development

Given both suites have been around for 15+ years, how are they holding up today?

The OpenOffice community remains active, with frequent updates bringing bug fixes, new features and security patches. Many volunteers continue contributing to the project.

However, IBM ceased active development on Lotus Symphony back in 2012. The suite is in maintenance mode, with no future updates or improvements planned.

Clearly, OpenOffice has far more viability going forward. I have confidence the open source community will keep enhancing it for years to come. Symphony is a dead end.

Templates, Add-Ons and Customization

Beyond core editing tools, it‘s important to evaluate the additional resources each suite provides:

• Templates – Both offer basic templating for documents and presentations. OpenOffice has significantly more templates and themes available.

• Extensions – OpenOffice offers extensive plugins and add-ons. Symphony has no extension capability.

• Macros – OpenOffice has good macro support and included macro tools. Symphony‘s macro functionality is limited.

• API and SDK – OpenOffice provides developer APIs and an SDK for custom solutions. Symphony does not.

OpenOffice definitely provides more opportunities for power users to customize and extend the suite to their needs.

Which is Right for You?

So in summary, which free office suite comes out on top?

For most personal and professional usage, OpenOffice is the clear winner:

• It‘s actively maintained and enhanced by an open source community.

• Runs on all major desktop platforms unlike Symphony.

• Lower system requirements and less hardware overhead.

• Offers far more features and functionality.

• Greater file format compatibility, especially for niche types.

• More customization options and room for growth.

Lotus Symphony does make sense for some specific use cases:

• You need the simplest, fast-loading office suite possible.

• Your computing resources are very limited.

• You already use Lotus Notes in your organization.

• You only need basic document editing features.

• You strongly prefer the Symphony interface.

But for virtually all situations, OpenOffice provides significantly more upside – more capabilities today and better longevity going forward. Unless Symphony‘s lightweight approach is crucial, OpenOffice is the smarter free office suite choice.

I hope this detailed comparison of OpenOffice vs Lotus Symphony has helped illuminate their differences! Let me know if you have any other questions.