I'm done with Microsoft 365 accounts, and I'm watching Nextcloud's new office suite

At a glance:

• A tech writer abandoned Microsoft 365 after paying $70-$100/year for features they rarely used, switching to OnlyOffice and now eyeing Nextcloud's Euro-Office initiative
• Euro-Office is built on OnlyOffice's codebase but aims to be fully transparent and open-source, addressing concerns about Russian development ties
• The project currently focuses on self-hosted Document Server deployments but plans RPM/DEB desktop builds for broader adoption

The exodus from Microsoft 365

Microsoft has dominated office productivity discussions for as long as anyone can remember. Throughout school years, it was the default choice, and even then, the rare encounter with OpenOffice prompted dismissive attitudes toward alternatives. However, the landscape has shifted dramatically.

After paying for Microsoft 365 for a year, the author discovered they rarely needed advanced features beyond occasional Excel usage for reports. Web apps and Google Sheets sufficed for most needs. When the subscription price increased from $70 to $100 annually due to Copilot integration, it became even less justifiable given the 1TB storage went largely unused.

Finding refuge in OnlyOffice

When exploring alternatives, LibreOffice didn't meet expectations despite its open-source appeal. The author particularly missed functional table-sorting capabilities and found the interface lacking. OnlyOffice emerged as the superior choice, offering the closest design language and feature set to Microsoft's solutions while requiring no online accounts and featuring a tab-based interface that reduces desktop clutter.

OnlyOffice's self-hosting capability proved appealing for running off a NAS with remote document access. While Nextcloud's existing office suite uses Collabora Office (based on LibreOffice) with similar limitations, OnlyOffice provided the best overall experience until Euro-Office's announcement.

Nextcloud's Euro-Office initiative

Recently, Nextcloud and other European companies launched Euro-Office as a direct alternative to Microsoft's ecosystem. This initiative encompasses cloud storage, team communication, and office applications. Unlike Nextcloud's previous LibreOffice-based tools, Euro-Office leverages OnlyOffice's codebase, generating significant excitement among privacy-conscious users.

The project addresses critical concerns about OnlyOffice's development model. Though maintained by a Latvian company, most developers are Russian, and the development process lacks transparency typical of open-source projects. Commits are infrequently publicized, often in Russian, and external pull requests receive minimal attention, making the open-source nature feel more nominal than genuine. Additionally, OnlyOffice is prohibited for EU government use due to Russian sanctions.

The path forward for Euro-Office

Euro-Office aims to democratize the OnlyOffice codebase, making it genuinely transparent and community-driven. This approach promises the best of both worlds: OnlyOffice's proven feature set combined with true open-source development practices. Community contributions could further enhance the applications beyond their current capabilities.

However, the author's primary concern remains availability. While self-hosting excels for technical users, most consumers prefer desktop applications that function offline without server dependencies. Currently, Euro-Office focuses on self-hosted Document Server deployments compatible with systems like TrueNAS and Nextcloud, but desktop versions would broaden adoption significantly.

The project's GitHub repository indicates RPM and DEB package builds are forthcoming, suggesting desktop applications will become readily installable without containerization requirements. This development could make Euro-Office accessible to mainstream users who value self-hosted solutions but lack extensive technical infrastructure.

Why this matters for the broader market

Open-source alternatives to proprietary office suites address growing concerns about vendor lock-in, subscription fatigue, and data sovereignty. With Microsoft's pricing increases and account requirements, users are increasingly seeking independence from major tech platforms.

Euro-Office represents a strategic response from European companies aiming to reduce dependence on American software giants. By combining OnlyOffice's functionality with genuine open-source principles, the initiative could attract users prioritizing transparency, privacy, and local data control over convenience.

The success of this project will largely depend on execution speed and the quality of desktop application releases. If Euro-Office delivers stable, user-friendly desktop apps alongside its self-hosted components, it could establish itself as a legitimate Microsoft 365 alternative for privacy-focused organizations and individual users alike.