D9  ThinkFree has definitely gotten faster especially in subsequent starts, but the initial load is still extremely long.

When compared to NeoOffice, the two are much the same. Unfortunately, ThinkFree doesn't allow you to customize toolbars; often desired to maximize screen space on laptops. Both suites also are missing many keystroke shortcuts, often critical to workflow (e.g. - row placement in Excel via Shift key).

Finally, the others are right. While I appreciate the ThinkFree effort, why pay $50 when NeoOffice offers as much if not more for free? However, a great alternative is their ThinkFree Online. It's free and offers a well produced web suite with ample storage space.

/  
(Version 3.2.0785.07)

HOLYPOLY  "Think" seems to be the only "free" thing that comes with ThinkFree Office...

Go NeoOffice (www.planamesa.com/neojava) instead.  
(Version 3.2.0785.04)

JEFF H.  Think Free seems to be ok when starting a document from scratch, but like the other reviewer said, conversion is all off. I use Microsloth Office for a few things, but mainly for labels and envelopes, and they've been all wrong almost every time. Instead of the normal 1 sheet for a set of Avery address labels, it goes to 2.

I'd also like to get away from MS, but...  
(Version 3.1.0691)

DP-G4-450GUY  Why wait for koffice when NeoOffice and OpenOfficeOrg are already here for Mac OS X, and free?  
(Version 3.1.0691)

M-RICK  So so slow .....

I am waiting for the native port of Koffice, it is on the good way ... :-)

http://ranger.befunk.com/blog/  
(Version 3.1.0691)

ANONYMOUS  On my iMac G5 1.8 this thing is as slow as a pig! Too slow to work with IMHO. Formating conversion is not accurate; it changed a 61 page document into 88 pages. Also it moved bullets into a right justified alignment. I'm disappointed. I'd love to switch from MS but this isn't it unfortunately.   
(Version 3.0.0628.39)

ANONYMOUS  Could you add some more numbers to your version number. I think there is too few....  
(Version 3.0.0628.39)

D9  Not bad...not bad at all. It's a bit slow but on a Mac Mini everything seems a bit slow. That said, the features match up pretty good and the compatibility to MS Office is dead on. It doesn't contain all the features of Word but those omitted are often neglected as bloatware anyway. 90% of most users will find Word and Excel features within ThinkFree Office. Show does an okay job of PowerPoint 2004, although it does not contain some of the more recent image & transition enhancements; that's to be expected considering that even the Windows PowerPoint does not contain these.

The lack of customization for the Toolbars while expected of a cross-platform Java-based program is still a disappointment. It does not let you combine separate bars onto one line which is necessary for mobile users with wider than higher screen space. As I said, speed is a bit slow but really only in startup; an option allows you to reserve the launch memory for quicker future access if you're willing to part with it. Otherwise, actual usage is steady. Once again, Show is where I saw the slowest responses; especially concerning Slideshow presentations. Transitions tax the CPU heavily.

That said, at $50/seat, it's a great alternative to Office; it even breaks even with the MS Office Student/Teacher version. If Apple does not come out with its version of Excel for iWork soon, I may jump in to ThinkFree Office.  
(Version 3.0.0595)

DPG4450GUY  It would be nice for MacWorld or MacAddict to do a serious, side-by-side review of this, OpenOfficeOrg, and NeoOffice/J - the pros and cons in a table.  
(Version 3.0.0595)

ANONYMOUS  Okay..... I am 'thinkingFREE' but seeing a price tag!

Am I the only person that thinks they should change their name?  
(Version 3.0.0595)

ANONYMOUS  This software always craps out in 10.37 when using the speadsheet. I have crated so many new versions of one spreadsheet document. In addition I created my resume in the word processor and it won't print; have no idea as to why.

I now use Appleworks. Hope you've had better luck with TF.  
(Version 2.3 (0417.64))

ANONYMOUS  Why is it called ThinkFree Office when you have to pay for it?  
(Version 2.3 (0417.64))

ANONYMOUS  I'd be helpful if descriptions specified what the limitations of a "demo" area (won't save or print, expires, no tech support or whatever)

I don't suppose there's any chance of this being updated to run under JAVA in OS 9. There are a few machines aroundwith adequate hardware that are stuck in the past for various odd reasons (like my PCI tv-tuner card not supported in OS X).  
(Version 2.3 (0417.64))

ANONYMOUS  Sorry but Java = Crap, in my experience.  
(Version 2.3 (0417.64))

ANONYMOUS  Glad to see this product is back, it's been over a year since it was updated. The company noted at that time they were working on a major revision, which obviously this isn't. But it's good to see anyway. Competition for MS is always good.  
(Version 2.3 (0417.64))

ILGAZ  I purchased it last year and I must say its VERY stable (thanks to Apple JVM), fast and native.

It does the job flawlessly. Before buying (I suggest you too) I downloaded huge word files with every complex detail and tested it.

It did excellent job.

BTW, as they are commercial corp, they don't suggest updating Java. Before trying, download the latest java suitable to your system at www.apple.com/java and try it that way.

With average ram (for mac), 1600mhz g5 with 768mb ram, it launches faster than MS Office btw.

Also as its an advanced java application, there is EXCELLENT unicode and (naturally) international charset support.  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

MICHAEL ROTH  It's become an invaluable resource for producing professional looking resume and coverletters,both in .doc and .pdf formats for the PC suffering world at large. I have the MS Office Pro package,which I tend to only use Powerpoint and Excel for classes. I don't use the internet with the PC or Office package because of their security flaws.  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

CHRISH  Quite impressive. I found it stable and friendly. I had no unexpected probs with MS compatibility, and threw several large and complex docs and sheets at it. I particularly like their honesty regarrding MS compatibility - unlike another leading Office alternative... This is probably the best MSO alternative I've seen - and excellent value.   
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

NIGHT OWL  Save the $35---- download AbiWord and Apple's X11 beta 3. AbiWord is quick and reliable as an MSW importer/exporter and does it without any special menu commands because it IS a variant of MSW already.

AbiWord is a lot smaller download than OpenOffice, too, although the X11 DL is fairly hefty (~50mb).  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

ANONYMOUS  In trying the TFO 2.1 demo, I was *unable* to open Mac Word 5.1a-created documents, even after adding the ".doc" suffix. I had mixed success in opening more current MS documents (displayed one document as part of a bizarre table) but at least they opened. I also note that TFO would not use the scroll-wheel on my mouse (PowerbookG3/500, 10.2.6) while all other carbon or cocoa apps did. I do hope, however, that they will continue to improve this product.  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

ANDREW SMITH  I dunno, perhaps its running windows for years that has brought my expectations of software to such a low level, but despite a few annoying habits I can't see how thinkfree office deserves vitriolic reviews on this page.

Ok its a little slow and there are a few formatting problems when opening MS office docs but for $35 I can't really knock it.

The MS office import / export is in my experience, much better than that of Open Office (i.e. it works all the time rather than about 50% of the time).

I found the interface pretty easy to find my way around. tables and other formatting options are pretty easy to use. overall the interface is so similar to MS office that it should not be a problem for any Windows office user to switch.  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

ANONYMOUS  Dan: ahaha fonts in Office XP like to switch back to TNRoman as well! Must be some Office (clone) curse.  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

DANGER MOUSE  This app is only for those who hate MS so much that they'll suffer any pain to avoid using its software. If you're going to do that, then download OpenOffice instead---it's a massive DL (over 100mb) and the app takes a loooong time to open, but you'll be supporting Sun's attempts to kick Microsoft's behind. (IMHO, any company willing to slug it out with Bill Gates deserves support!) Of course, you'll need X11 from Apple to run OpenOffice and a little app called Coool as the front end interface, but I've been using this trio when I need something better than the "Save as Word for Windows" option in AppleWorks (which can often garble lines/characters during the translation). Forget ThinkFree---if you've got the bandwidth for a gigantic download, think OpenOffice.org instead!  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

ANONYMOUS  Say what you like about Microsoft as a company, but their Office suit for OS X is superb, unlike this piece of Junk.

If this is the best we can expect from an "Open Source" type approach then we should not support it. Also, why is it called "ThinkFree" when we have to pay for it.

If you cannot afford Office, then just stick with AppleWorks otherwise you will be very unhappy.

This is a POS application suite  
(Version 2.2 (0417.48))

DAN  I have onlybeen testing this for a couple of days, but it is horrible. Fonts seem to switch back to TNRoman randomly, and I have to open the software 5 or 6 times before it will actually display the files I am trying to open.

It's great that they are developing an alternative to MS Office, but I can't justfy the price for software that is so unstable. It actually makes MS Office look like it's worth $1000 AU. This should still be a free beta program until it is worth paying for.  
(Version 2.1 (0393.09))

BBL  v2.2 very sluggish performance even with OS 10.2.4 and JRE 1.4.1 - Opened a 3 page word doc from MS Mac v 98, it now spread among 6 pages, the formatting of the 3 tables changed a lot, borders now visible, columns changed width, page breaks changed, spent more than 1 hour to get it back to shape still printing sucks. Used Arial font but space between charactars is very uneven. Sorry but if you need it for business it's useless, if you need it for private use it's useless because you got Appleworks. Looks like I need to spend extra bucks to get that $$$ MS suit.  
(Version 2.1 (0393.09))

ROBERT JACKSON  The link provided in this article is an error. In order to download ThinkFree Office, you need to navigate to www.thinkfree.com and sign up. After you create a UserID, you can click the "Downloads" link and navigate to the OSX download.  
(Version 2.1)