The Best Linux-based Smb Office Suites: Nextcloud Office And Onlyoffice

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Nextcloud Office and OnlyOffice are fantabulous cloud-based, open-source agency suites.
• Nextcloud Office is simply a full-featured agency suite.
• OnlyOffice doesn't person arsenic galore features, but it's much compatible pinch Microsoft Office formats.

These days, businesses thin to tally unreality agency suites, specified arsenic Microsoft 365 aliases Google Workspace, alternatively of standalone agency suites, for illustration Office 2021 aliases LibreOffice. 

Say, however, you don't want to salary aliases don't spot Google aliases Microsoft pinch your data, aliases you're concerned astir digital sovereignty, aliases you for illustration open-source software. In that case, you person 2 different choices to earnestly see for your small-to-medium business (SMB): Nextcloud Office and OnlyOffice. 

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These 2 person emerged arsenic nan starring Linux-based, open-source agency suites for SMBs seeking privacy, flexibility, and precocious collaboration without relying connected proprietary unreality ecosystems. Both solutions connection full-featured archive editing, seamless collaboration, and self-hosted deployment options.

However, though nan SMB versions request to beryllium installed connected Linux servers, they're elemental to usage connected Windows aliases immoderate different operating system. You dainty them for illustration immoderate different Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) exertion and entree them via your favourite web browser. Both open-source agency suites besides person Android and iOS apps for easy access.

What they don't travel pinch is artificial intelligence (AI). If that's what you want, you're successful nan incorrect shop. Of course, galore businesses want to support AI astatine arm's length. They'll usage nan technology, but they don't merge it into their day-to-day activity processes.

Nextcloud

Nextcloud Office: Collaboration meets privacy

Nextcloud Office is simply a pairing of Nextcloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) unreality and Collabora's Collabora Online. Collabora Online is, successful turn, based connected nan champion open-source desktop agency suite, LibreOffice. Together, these devices supply a robust, web-based agency suite arsenic portion of nan larger Nextcloud Hub platform. This operation features real-time collaborative editing of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It tin besides prevention files successful Microsoft Office record formats. 

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The existent differentiator present is Nextcloud and Collabora's committedness to privateness and control: information resides connected nan organization's ain infrastructure. That attack enables SMBs to clasp complete power complete information ownership and compliance, which is simply a must-have for businesses successful regulated industries and for clients handling delicate information.

Nextcloud Office features:

• Collaborative editing pinch high-fidelity WYSIWYG rendering for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• Comprehensive entree controls, unafraid sharing, and elaborate record permissions.
• Integrated chat, comments, and sharing wrong nan platform, enhancing workflow efficiency.
• Seamless relationship pinch calendar, contacts, and video meetings done nan broader Nextcloud ecosystem.

Similar to different people, I for illustration utilizing Nextcloud Office owed to its extensibility, security, and open-source flexibility. 

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That's nan bully news. The bad news is that installing Nextcloud Office connected a server requires a bully woody of method expertise. If that's beyond your abilities, however, location are galore unreality services, value-added resellers, and strategy integrators who tin group up Nextcloud for you either remotely aliases connected your ain in-house hardware. 

OnlyOffice

OnlyOffice: Microsoft compatibility and simplicity

OnlyOffice is designed for organizations that require exceptional Microsoft Office record compatibility and intuitive online editing. The suite natively uses Office Open XML formats, specified arsenic DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX, offering among nan champion archive fidelity for teams utilized to Microsoft.

OnlyOffice doesn't look for illustration Microsoft Office aliases astir different agency suites. Unlike them, OnlyOffice doesn't person abstracted apps for connection processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Instead, it has a azygous interface from which you tin unfastened aliases create immoderate of these archive types and create and edit PDF forms. 

OpenOffice is besides simpler than nan different apical agency suites. It's not bare-boned, but it's surely not arsenic blase arsenic Microsoft 365 aliases Nextcloud Office. If you're ever moving pinch analyzable and blase documents, spreadsheets, and nan like, you tin do better.

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OnlyOffice features:

• Native support for Microsoft record formats, which reduces archive conversion issues.
• Real-time collaborative editing and commenting for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
• A user-friendly interface accessible via browser, desktop, aliases mobile clients.
• Optional task management, mail, CRM, and almanac modules for integrated business workflows.
• Built-in PDF shape creator. 

OnlyOffice excels astatine sharing and collaboration, and deployment. It's nan easiest migration way for businesses evolving towards open-source aliases hybrid structures. OnlyOffice's interface and editing acquisition are easy to use.

Installing OnlyOffice is much straightforward than Nextcloud for individual usage and moderately much progressive for squad aliases server deployments. The desktop editors tin beryllium installed locally connected Linux systems utilizing Snap, Flatpak, AppImage, aliases repository packages, and require minimal method expertise for basal operation. Like Nextcloud, galore cloud providers connection OnlyOffice arsenic a service.

Average estimated costs

Prices for Nextcloud Office, OnlyOffice, and Microsoft 365 alteration depending connected really overmuch support you need, arsenic you tin spot successful nan array below:

In nan adjacent table, there's a comparison of nan features of Nextcloud Office and OnlyOffice:

Office format worries

Both programs, and LibreOffice for that matter, connection bully compatibility erstwhile redeeming files successful Microsoft Office formats, specified arsenic DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. But, and this is important, nan fidelity tin alteration depending connected nan document's complexity and nan features used. 

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For elemental and moderately analyzable documents, astir formatting and contented are reliably preserved. Users typically find that basal matter documents, spreadsheets, and presentations prevention and re-open correctly successful Microsoft Office, pinch only insignificant ocular aliases formatting differences.

However, for much precocious documents, particularly those pinch dense usage of macros, intricate tables, specialized styles, aliases embedded objects, immoderate formatting and features whitethorn not construe perfectly. Also, analyzable collaboration crossed agency suites utilizing Microsoft formats will sometimes present issues. For example, my editors person told maine that edit comments betwixt agency suites often get mislaid aliases mangled. 

For compatibility, your Microsoft Office partners should usage Open Document Format (ODF), which is universally compatible crossed agency suites. If they won't usage ODF, you should usage Office Open XML formats (DOCX/XLSX/PPTX) arsenic nan default, install Microsoft Core Fonts, and support archive creation arsenic straightforward arsenic imaginable erstwhile sharing aliases collaborating pinch Microsoft Office users.

I should adhd that Microsoft has its ain compatibility issues. For example, Microsoft removed interoperability pinch nan net email standards POP and IMAP from Outlook. This alteration intends you tin nary longer cheque email from different services, specified arsenic Gmail, erstwhile utilizing Outlook. 

Best for SMBs: Choosing nan correct fit

Both agency suites empower SMBs to break distant from vendor lock-in and prioritize integer autonomy. Nextcloud Office is champion suited for organizations that require beardown information governance, heavy integration pinch different open-source productivity tools, aliases granular entree control. OnlyOffice is champion for teams that prioritize maximum Microsoft Office compatibility, easiness of use, and soft migration from bequest formats.

For galore SMBs, nan determination whitethorn travel down to integration needs, existing method skills, and nan privilege fixed to privateness aliases archive interoperability. You tin besides deploy some suites together successful a hybrid deployment. For example, you tin usage OnlyOffice arsenic a Nextcloud app to get nan champion features from some platforms.

Both programs exemplify nan maturity and elasticity of nan open-source agency suite landscape, giving SMBs nan state to build a modern, cost-effective agency productivity suite.