Self-hosted online office suites compared

Which self-hosted online office suite fits each scenario

This table maps six common buying situations to the office suite that fits each one best, with the research fact behind the choice. Read each row as a starting point, then confirm the named conditions in your own environment before you commit.

How licensing and paid editions differ across the three editors

What running each editor takes by deployment model

How the options compare on format fidelity, editions and support

This table compares the three self-hosted office editors on license, latest release, formats, PDF handling, co-editing, file platform fit, paid support, AI features and deployment. Cells phrased as questions are open items to confirm with the vendor, not confirmed gaps. If end-to-end encryption is the priority, look at CryptPad, and confirm its encryption model with the project before you rely on it.

Where format fidelity and conversion decide the shortlist

Each option in brief, with its license and fit

Four options appear on this shortlist, and each one answers a different question: which online editor plugs into the file platform you already run, which one ships with a commercial support path, and which one is built for teams that need end-to-end encryption. Read each card for its license, its paid position and the condition under which it is the better fit.

How to choose and pilot an online office editor

This sequence takes a team from confirming its file platform to a tested pilot and an exit plan, so the editor choice rests on evidence from the client's own documents and infrastructure rather than on a comparison table alone.

1. Confirm the file platform and its exact version

   The platform owner, usually the head of IT or the team that runs the file sync and share service, records the exact version in production and the connector each office editor needs. Some integrations are bundled with specific platform lines, so the team checks which editors that version supports, and which platform versions the editor's own release notes require. Done when the team has a one-page record of platform name, version, database and PHP or runtime requirements, and a written list of candidate editors that support that exact version. Confirm current compatibility with each vendor and with the platform's admin manual, because support matrices change between releases.

2. List document types and macros that matter

   Business owners from finance, legal, HR and operations, with a document owner in each group, list the file types they open every week and any macros, form fields, tracked changes, comments or PDF workflows they depend on. The security team adds any files that must never leave the network. The list should separate native formats from converted ones, since the ONLYOFFICE DocumentServer README names .docx, .xlsx and .pptx as native formats and lists conversion for others such as DOC, ODT and RTF. Done when each group signs off on a file inventory, and every macro or add-in is marked as required, optional or retired. Macro support is a point to confirm directly with each vendor, not assume.

3. Decide on paid support and signed builds

   The CISO or CIO, with procurement and the platform owner, decides whether the production deployment needs a paid support tier, signed builds, or a community build with internal support. Each option has a different cost owner: community editions move support and patching cost onto the client's own staff, while paid tiers add a subscription. For Collabora Online, the pricing page describes a Business plan at 3 euros per user per month for up to 99 users, with long term support, an SLA and signed security updates, and it notes that the free CODE edition is not recommended for production. For ONLYOFFICE, the Enterprise Edition adds an admin panel, white labeling and Basic, Plus or Premium support. For Euro-Office, signed Nextcloud Office builds come with a Nextcloud Enterprise subscription. Done when the decision is written, with the quoted subscription terms requested in writing from each vendor.

4. Run a pilot on a non-production instance

   The platform owner and the security engineer build a pilot that matches the production deployment model: Docker, system packages or Kubernetes for Collabora, Docker for ONLYOFFICE, and Docker or package repositories for Euro-Office, depending on the build. The pilot runs on a separate instance with the same platform version, the same database engine, and the same network path and TLS setup as production. Collabora's Helm chart README notes that horizontal autoscaling is disabled and that load balancers must route by the WOPISrc parameter, so the pilot should test ingress behavior, not only the editor. Done when the platform owner confirms the pilot instance matches the production design on a checklist, and the security team confirms it does not reach production data.

5. Test co-editing and conversion with real files

   A small group of end users, selected from the business owners in the earlier step, opens the real documents from the inventory, not sample files. They test co-editing with several accounts at once, comments, tracked changes, PDF form filling, copy and paste between documents, and saving back to the file platform. The platform owner checks conversion results against the originals for any format that is converted rather than edited natively. The team logs every failure with file name, editor, platform version and steps. Done when the business owners sign off on a results log and the platform owner confirms the test covered concurrent sessions. Include a check of connection limits in the chosen edition, since ONLYOFFICE Docs 9.4 removed the 20 simultaneous connection limit from the Community Edition, and any other limit should be confirmed with the vendor.

6. Check the AI feature setting if relevant

   If the organization is considering an AI assistant, the CISO and the data protection lead review the setting before any pilot user sees it. Collabora Online 26.04 adds an optional AI assistant across Writer, Calc and Impress that is off by default, and administrators choose the AI provider and whether it is hosted externally or on their own infrastructure. The team confirms the setting in the pilot, records the default state, and documents which provider receives document content. If the editor being evaluated does not offer an equivalent feature, the team records that as a gap rather than an assumption. Done when the security lead signs off on the AI state and the data flow in writing, or the feature is recorded as out of scope for the rollout.

7. Write the exit path before the rollout

   The platform owner and the procurement lead write down how documents, links and user settings would move to another editor or platform if the choice changes. The plan lists where editor configuration lives, how the connector is removed from the file platform, which file formats remain in native form, and whether any document conversion would be needed to reopen files elsewhere. It also names the people who approve the exit and the subscription notice terms. Done when the CIO signs off on a written exit plan that was tested once on pilot files, with a note of any format that did not survive a round trip. Repeat the check if the file platform version changes, because the connector may change with it.

What self-hosting an online office suite costs and requires