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ONLYOFFICE vs LibreOffice: What Performance Tests Show
ONLYOFFICE vs LibreOffice: What Performance Tests Show
As of October 10, 2026, LibreOffice’s release page lists version 26.8.1, released October 8, as its latest branch; 26.2.6 is the previous branch. The Document Foundation also reports that LibreOffice 25.8 opened Writer and Calc files up to 30% faster in its benchmark tests. That figure compares LibreOffice releases, not LibreOffice with ONLYOFFICE. I could not verify a matched, independent benchmark of both desktop suites using the same hardware, files, and test procedure, so a universal “faster app” verdict would overstate the evidence.
For a useful ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors vs LibreOffice performance benchmark, test the exact documents and tasks you use on the same computer. Measure launch, file opening, recalculation or editing, saving, and memory separately. The result will be more actionable than a single score because each suite can behave differently with Writer/Document, Calc/Spreadsheet, and Impress/Presentation workloads.
Conceptual comparison image: use the same workbook and chart in both editors; this is not a captured benchmark or a performance result.
What the latest updates tell you—and what they do not
LibreOffice 26.8.1 is a recent release, but the release page identifies it as the first bug-fix update in the 26.8 line. The specific published performance claim comes from the 25.8 development and benchmark work: The Document Foundation says Writer and Calc opened files up to 30% faster, and describes improvements to startup, scrolling through large documents, and memory handling on less powerful systems. “Up to” is a best-case ceiling, not a promise that every file or computer will improve by that amount.
ONLYOFFICE’s current desktop changelog lists version 9.4.0, dated May 19, 2026. Its release notes describe feature additions and fixes, but do not provide a directly comparable end-to-end desktop benchmark against LibreOffice. This does not prove that one suite is slower; it means the public figures available here do not establish a head-to-head winner. Check the installed version in each app before testing, and record it with your results.
Compare the workloads that affect your day
Use a small test set that resembles your actual office work. Make a clean copy of each file before testing, and never use an important original. If Microsoft Office compatibility matters, test DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files that you actually receive. If you mainly use open formats, test ODT, ODS, and ODP. Keep file formats separate: timing a DOCX in one app and an ODT in the other does not isolate application performance.
Workload
What to measure
Why it matters
Long document with images, tables, and tracked changes
Time from Open to editable; scroll and search responsiveness; save time
Separates opening speed from the feel of editing and navigation
Workbook with formulas, formatting, and several sheets
Open time; time for a defined recalculation; filter or sort response; save time
Tests spreadsheet work without reducing performance to launch speed
Presentation with images and charts
Open time; slide-to-slide navigation; save time
Shows whether image-heavy slides change your experience
Choose files that are large enough to represent your real work but small enough to repeat several times. Write down the task you will time, such as opening the workbook and recalculating a fixed formula range. Use identical copies in both programs. Do not compare different data, embedded fonts, image resolutions, or formula counts and then attribute the difference to the editor.
Run a repeatable local benchmark
Record the test environment. Note the operating system and build, CPU, RAM, storage type, display scaling, application version, and file format. Install current releases from official sources. On Windows, ONLYOFFICE’s system requirements page warns that requirements depend on document complexity, so minimum requirements alone do not predict performance on demanding files.
Make conditions consistent. Close other office applications and avoid downloads, updates, or heavy background jobs during a run. Use the same power mode, display, fonts, and test files. Keep plugins and unusual add-ons disabled unless they are part of your normal setup. Test each suite on the same machine, one at a time.
Separate first launch from repeated use. Close the editor fully between cold application launches. Time from launching the app until its start page is responsive. Separately time opening a document after the app is already running. Repeat each task at least five times and report the median, not only the fastest run. The first run can include operating-system and font-cache effects; record it separately rather than silently discarding it.
Time defined actions. Start the clock when you issue the action and stop when the editor is responsive and the task is complete. For a spreadsheet, use a fixed workbook and fixed calculation action. For editing, use the same operation in the same location—for example, find a phrase, change one cell, or navigate to a named slide. Save the copy and record the save duration.
Measure memory while the file is open. Use Task Manager on Windows or Activity Monitor on macOS to note the editor’s memory after opening the same file and after completing the task. Compare the same measurement type and time point. Avoid adding unrelated helper processes unless you deliberately include them for both applications.
Interpret the results by use case
If LibreOffice feels faster after installing 26.8, that experience is consistent with its published performance work, but it is still specific to your system and files. If ONLYOFFICE opens your team’s DOCX or XLSX files more quickly—or feels more responsive during your recurring task—your local measurements are the evidence that matters for that workflow. Repeat tests after updates, because rendering, file import, formulas, and memory behavior can change between releases.
Do not combine launch time, document opening, memory, and formula speed into an unexplained “overall performance” score. Keep the figures separate and weight the tasks you perform most often. For example, someone who spends the day filtering large spreadsheets should give Calc and Spreadsheet recalculation more weight than application startup; someone editing long reports should focus on document load, scrolling, and save response.
LibreOffice also exposes graphics rendering settings on supported systems. Its help explains that Skia and hardware acceleration affect visual rendering, and that disabling both can make display rendering noticeably slower. Test the default configuration first. Change rendering settings only if the current setting causes a visible issue, then rerun the same measurements and note the change; do not treat a graphics setting as a general fix for slow file opening or formulas.
Sources and benchmark limits
The latest version and prior-branch labels can change after publication. The results described here are vendor-published update information, not a new test run and not a direct ONLYOFFICE-versus-LibreOffice measurement. To make a head-to-head claim, run the same test files on the same computer and publish the versions, timing method, repetitions, and raw results.
