Euro-Office Launch Sparks Clash as ONLYOFFICE Suspends Nextcloud Partnership

European companies, including Nextcloud, have launched Euro-Office, a new open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, but the move has already triggered conflict with a longtime partner.

Euro-Office launch sparks immediate backlash

Euro-Office is positioned as a European-built productivity suite aimed at reducing reliance on major U.S. tech platforms like Microsoft Office. The initiative aligns with broader efforts across Europe to strengthen digital sovereignty and keep data and infrastructure within the region.

However, the launch quickly created friction with ONLYOFFICE, a major contributor to the Nextcloud ecosystem for nearly a decade.

ONLYOFFICE announced it is suspending its 8-year partnership with Nextcloud. The integration previously allowed users to edit and collaborate on documents directly within the Nextcloud platform using ONLYOFFICE’s tools.

Licensing dispute and partnership breakdown

ONLYOFFICE claims that Euro-Office violates the terms of the AGPL v3 license. According to the company, the new project allegedly uses its code without proper attribution and fails to preserve required branding, logos, and licensing notices.

The company also stated that the project was launched without any prior discussion, despite the long-standing collaboration between the two sides.

Beyond licensing concerns, ONLYOFFICE pointed to earlier tensions, including allegations of employee poaching and attempts to influence shared customers. These issues appear to have contributed to the sudden breakdown in relations.

Despite the dispute, ONLYOFFICE confirmed that existing customers and partners will not be affected by the decision.

Nextcloud cites trust and transparency concerns

Nextcloud defended the creation of Euro-Office by raising concerns about ONLYOFFICE’s origins and development process. The company cited issues related to transparency, claiming that contributions were sometimes ignored and that development lacked openness.

It also referenced geopolitical concerns tied to ONLYOFFICE’s Russian roots as a factor in the decision to fork and build an independent alternative.

Euro-Office aims to provide a fully European-controlled solution, reducing reliance on external vendors while maintaining compatibility with widely used office formats.

Broader implications for the open-source ecosystem

ONLYOFFICE remains known for its strong compatibility with formats such as DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX, and it is often preferred over alternatives like LibreOffice in browser-based editing environments.

The dispute highlights a recurring challenge in open-source development: balancing licensing compliance with collaboration and innovation.

It also reflects a growing shift in Europe toward technological independence, especially in critical software infrastructure.

Conflicts like this are not new in the industry. LibreOffice previously criticized Microsoft’s Ribbon interface, showing how disagreements over direction and standards continue to shape the productivity software space.

Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to evolve its own ecosystem, with faster file search coming to web apps and new Copilot Notebook features that will allow users to generate Word documents and PowerPoint presentations.

Via Neowin