Forget Microsoft Office — get the same apps for only $27

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You’ve been there before—staring at the $200+ Microsoft Office price tag after just buying a new laptop, wondering if there’s a cheaper way to get the job done. After all, how is it possible that some apps could cost almost as much as your computer?

The truth is, you don’t have to buy the gold standard just to write essays, make spreadsheets, and create slideshows. Try Ashampoo Office 9 instead, an office suite priced at just $27. You can also download the apps onto five Windows PCs (as opposed to just one with many Microsoft Office purchases).

Ashampoo has three apps in its software suite: Ashampoo Write, Calculate and Present. While this is less than Microsoft Office’s, you likely don’t use apps like OneNote or Access anyway, and they just sit around and take up space on your hard drive.

Write is Ashampoo’s answer to Microsoft Word, a word processor for writing essays, reports, resumes, and more. Some unique features include looking at documents in a book layout if you’re a writer or viewing documents side-by-side if you’re typing a research paper.

Open Calculate if you need an alternative to Microsoft Excel. This tool does just about everything you love about Excel and then some, like being able to import and export SQLite databases within your spreadsheets.

If you need to put a slideshow together, check out Present. Work in fullscreen mode and use dynamic transitions that are fully compatible with PowerPoint, so you don’t have to reformat anything when converting formats. All Ashampoo documents are highly compatible with Microsoft files.

There’s basically no learning curve with Ashampoo since each app’s layout is almost identical to Microsoft Office. You can also choose between traditional or modern ribbon interfaces if you have a preference.

See what the apps look like inside:

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Microsoft Office’s suite of programs, Ashampoo is a great alternative. The software has been around for over 24 years, and it has over 20 million users from around the world.

While it might seem hard to believe that high-quality office software can be so affordable, just chalk it up to the fact that not all brands want to overcharge for their product. Ready to give it a try?

What: Ashampoo Office 9 discount Price: $27 (was $134) Where to buy: Ashampoo Office 9: Lifetime License

Prices subject to change.