Thinkfree is an unusual hybrid. It's an online suite, but it's Java-based.

Log in and you can run the applet in a window or download a copy to your PC for future convenience.

This means that there's an initial wait when you first open a document, but future loads are pretty quick.

The result is a web-based editor that looks much like Office 2003, right down to the blue hue.

Documents are split into four categories: word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and notes – the latter in beta, and still in need of work, the others working reasonably well.

Because it's a downloadable application, Thinkfree has the ability to be much more familiar than the web alternatives that try to bend HTML into a usable form, and its online service means that it still has all the benefits of a cloud-based suite.

The online service kicks in for background functions, such as syncing files between devices, creating projects and emailing people working on a particular document when any changes are made.