Thought Leadership
Europe’s office software alternative Euro-Office is now coming to the desktop, but its Russian code origins continue to draw criticism.
Launched in June 2026, European office suite Euro-Office was previously available only as a browser-based editor integrated into products from participating European companies such as IONOS, Nextcloud, and Eurostack. As part of the summer update “Nextcloud Hub 26,” the software is now being released as a standalone desktop application, which is expected to be available for download in the coming weeks. Nextcloud said the desktop version closes one of the remaining gaps with Microsoft Office without requiring users to surrender control of their data to a non-European provider.
The new version is also designed to run noticeably faster. Improved filters and document thumbnails should make it easier for users to find files.
Nextcloud Founder Sees Alternative to Microsoft
Nextcloud founder and CEO Frank Karlitschek said:
“With the Euro-Office desktop app, we are giving people and organizations a truly sovereign alternative to Microsoft Office, not just in the browser, but exactly where many of them still work every day: on their own computers.”
Frank Karlitschek, founder and CEO of Nextcloud
The desktop release comes at a time when an increasing number of European government agencies and governments are replacing Microsoft software with local, open-source alternatives. The shift is part of a broader European push for digital sovereignty, driven by data privacy concerns and fears of losing access to critical technology amid strained relations with the U.S. government under Donald Trump.
Origins in Russian-Linked OnlyOffice Code
Despite its claim of European independence, Euro-Office has faced criticism for some time. The software is based on code from OnlyOffice, an open-source office suite developed by Ascensio System SIA, a company registered in Latvia whose roots in Russia were documented by Cybernews. OnlyOffice, in turn, has accused Euro-Office of violating licensing terms and international law. Euro-Office developers have said that OnlyOffice’s ties to Russia were one of the reasons an open collaboration was not possible.
A Cybernews analysis published in June 2026 found that while Euro-Office openly identifies the original OnlyOffice code as its foundation, it continued to incorporate changes from OnlyOffice developers even after the official split in March 2026.
According to the analysis, approximately 98.6 percent of the so-called document engine and 99.2 percent of the live collaboration component originally came from developers whose code-change timestamps placed their work in Russian time zones. European contributions accounted for only around 0.5 percent. Cybernews researchers noted that time-zone data does not establish a developer’s nationality or physical location, but can provide a technical indication of where the work was likely carried out.
Unclear Android Component from External Cloud
According to the latest Cybernews report, the research team considers it particularly concerning that the code still incorporates an Android software package from an unidentified cloud source. This raises questions about the component’s contents, ownership, and whether it could potentially be modified at a later stage.
Nextcloud co-founder Jos Poortvliet told Cybernews that the original OnlyOffice codebase had in fact been developed almost entirely behind closed doors in Russia. He said the company had since tried to conceal this and distance itself from Russia.
Poortvliet said this was a key reason for the fork. Since then, the team has continuously reviewed and cleaned up the code, including efforts to identify security issues.
OnlyOffice Chief Sales Officer Galina Goduhina rejected the allegations in comments to Cybernews. She said the product is developed and distributed by Ascensio System, a Latvia-registered company that operates in compliance with EU law. The team is internationally composed, she added, and assessing software based on the nationality of individual developers rather than on quality, security, and compliance is problematic.
Part of a Broader Trend
According to Cybernews, growing interest in alternatives to Microsoft software is not limited to government agencies. The latest version of LibreOffice, the free office suite developed by The Document Foundation, was downloaded more than one million times during its first week after release.
(Editorial Team)
