The short answer
GenOffice is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Office from Genspark, with an AI assistant built into every document. Its PDF Converter turns a PDF into an editable Excel, Word or PowerPoint file on your own computer, with no upload, so you can stop retyping tables by hand. The apps are free. For the AI features you either bring your own key for a service such as Claude, OpenAI or Gemini, on that provider’s own terms and charges, or sign in with Genspark, and GenOffice’s GitHub page does not say what that sign-in costs. Download it only from its official GitHub page, because look-alike copies exist.
Why it is worth fixing
A lot of agency admin is copying tables out of PDFs: supplier lists, client reports, forms people send back. Retyping is slow and it is where mistakes creep in. GenOffice converts on your own machine, and you do not need the AI to do it. The project is young and changes quickly, so treat it as a useful tool to try, not something to build a process on yet.
Step by step
Download it from the official page
Go to GenOffice on GitHub, the page run by genspark-ai, and use the download links in its README, which point to that page’s Releases. There are builds for Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux. Install it like any other app.
Spot the look-alikes
Search GitHub for GenOffice and you will find forks and add-ons from other people, some with very similar names. Some of these copies are not marked as forks on GitHub, so do not rely on that label. Check that the address reads genspark-ai/genoffice exactly, and that your download comes from that page’s Releases. Anything else is someone else’s version, whatever it says about itself.
Setting one: turn off usage statistics
Official builds send limited usage statistics by default. The maker says these never include document content, file names, file paths or email addresses, but you can switch them off under Settings, General, Send anonymous usage statistics.
Setting two: choose how the AI is reached
Under Settings, AI, you can paste your own key for Claude, OpenAI, Gemini and many others, and that provider’s own terms and charges apply. Or sign in with Genspark and skip keys: requests then go through Genspark’s service. The GitHub page does not say what that costs; a trade report from the month GenOffice launched says server-side actions such as deep research, data analysis and deck generation use Genspark account credits. Either way, what you ask the AI leaves your computer for that provider, so pick one your business is happy to use.
Setting three: hide contact details from the AI
In Docs you can hide a selection, and in Sheets a range of cells, from the AI: it sees only a named placeholder while the real words stay in your file. Use it for names, phone numbers and email addresses. It covers the app’s own AI panel only. The maker says the command line, the tools it offers coding assistants and background export read the file directly, and still see those words.
Convert your first PDF
Start with a PDF that has a simple table in it, such as a supplier list. Open the PDF Converter and choose the Excel option; the result opens as an editable spreadsheet. On Mac and Windows, scanned pages are read with your computer’s built-in text recognition; the maker does not say the same for Linux.
Check the result against the original
Put the spreadsheet beside the PDF and check totals, dates and any column that wrapped onto two lines. If you then ask the AI to tidy it or add a summary sheet, its edits show as tracked changes you can roll back, and spreadsheets get live formulas rather than pasted numbers.
Checklist
- Downloaded from genspark-ai/genoffice exactly, from its Releases
- Usage statistics switched off, if you prefer
- AI route chosen on purpose: your own key or a Genspark sign-in
- Contact details hidden from the AI where it matters
- Converted spreadsheet checked against the original PDF
- No important process depends on it while the project is this young
When it is worth getting help
For the occasional PDF, GenOffice may be all you need. It is worth getting help when the same kind of document arrives every day, when what it says needs to land in your own system rather than a spreadsheet, or when you need a record of what was read and checked.
Rec Int. builds document checks for UK recruitment agencies: documents are read with AI and checked against the record you already hold, and anything that does not match is held for a person.
Questions people ask
Is GenOffice really free?
The apps are: the maker says there is no trial and no paid tier for them. The AI features need either your own key, on that provider’s own terms and charges, or a Genspark sign-in, and the GitHub page does not say what that sign-in costs.
Does my PDF leave my computer?
Not to be converted: the maker says PDF to Word, Excel or PowerPoint runs on your machine, with no upload. Anything you send to the AI panel goes to the AI provider you chose.
Will the files still open in Microsoft Office?
Yes. GenOffice saves real Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and the maker says the parts you did not touch are kept exactly as they were.
Sources
- GenOffice on GitHub (README and FAQ) Genspark, GitHub
- GenOffice releases Genspark, GitHub
- GenOffice privacy notes Genspark, GitHub
- Genspark open-sources GenOffice, the AI-native desktop alternative to Microsoft Office Open Source For You
If you would like to talk through which documents in your agency are worth reading automatically, book a discovery call.