Collabora Online is the LibreOffice-based office suite for Nextcloud. It’s the right choice if you primarily work with the OpenDocument format (.odt, .ods, .odp) or if the LibreOffice look and feel is what you’re used to.
Setup variants
Like OnlyOffice, Collabora comes in three variants:
- App store variant (CODE Free): built-in, runs directly on the Nextcloud server. Performance limit at ~5–10 concurrent editors.
- Dedicated Collabora CODE server: separate machine, free version, more stable.
- Dedicated Collabora Online (commercial): paid license, full feature set, commercial support, unlimited concurrent editors.
You can see the active variant in Administration settings → Collabora Online — it shows either “Built-in CODE” or the external server URL.
What we set up at xaweho
For a dedicated setup:
- Collabora server at the same location as your Nextcloud
- TLS certificate
- Configure the WOPI interface
- Enter the corresponding Nextcloud settings
- Smoke test with a sample file
With a commercial license: we handle the license activation, you don’t get a separate file.
Opening a file in Collabora
Click an .odt, .ods, .odp, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx in Files → Collabora opens in the browser.
If both OnlyOffice and Collabora are installed: Nextcloud asks which editor to use on opening. The default can be set per file type.
Co-editing
Multiple users on one file in parallel: cursors and avatars of other users are visible, changes are synchronized.
From our experience: stable with 2–4 concurrent editors. At 5+ the app store variant gets sluggish. A dedicated server helps.
What Collabora is particularly good at
- OpenDocument format: native support, no conversion loss
- LibreOffice templates: all existing
.ott/.ots/.otptemplates work - Open source stack: no commercial license needed in the free variant
- Privacy: no telemetry, no third-party cloud services
Where Collabora is weaker
.docxwith complex formatting: occasional layout shifts — tables, columns, image positioning. Fine with simple files, sometimes problematic with complex MS Word templates from public agencies..xlsxwith pivot tables: they work, but the handling is less intuitive than in MS Excel.- UI: classic LibreOffice — if you only know Microsoft Office, you’ll need to adjust.
From our experience: for pure ODF workflows, Collabora is ideal. If you mostly open .docx and .xlsx, OnlyOffice runs smoother.
Comments and track changes
Like OnlyOffice, it supports:
- Comments: select a passage → right sidebar → insert comment
- Track changes: Edit → “Record changes”. Other users can accept / reject
- Version history: File → version history
Works solidly, just a bit slower than OnlyOffice.
Templates
LibreOffice templates work directly:
- Put the
.ott/.ots/.otpfile in a Nextcloud folder - Right-click the folder → Set as template folder
- The templates are available under “New file”
Handy e.g. for club letterheads, board meeting minutes templates, invoice templates.
External guests
Public link with edit rights → an external guest can edit in Collabora without an account.
Works like with OnlyOffice — we recommend password-protected links with an expiry.
What Collabora can’t do
- Macros: no VBA support. LibreOffice Basic macros are partially recognized but not executed.
- Very complex Excel formulas: Power Query, Power Pivot, and some newer Excel functions are missing.
- MS Office animations in PowerPoint: simplified rendering, some effects get lost.
Install both in parallel?
Yes, technically possible. Advantage: users can choose per file.
Downside: double maintenance overhead, possibly double server costs with the dedicated variant.
Our advice: one suite covers 95% of all setups. Both only if you deliberately run mixed ODF/MS workflows.
Frequently asked questions
Which variant do I have active right now? Administration settings → Collabora Online: the server URL is listed there. “Built-in CODE” = app store variant. External URL = dedicated server.
How many concurrent users can we handle?
- App store CODE Free: ~5–10 stable
- Dedicated CODE Free: ~15–20
- Dedicated Collabora Online (commercial): unlimited (hardware-dependent)
Does Collabora work on a smartphone? Browser editing yes, but on smartphone screens it’s tedious. Recommendation: tablet or desktop.
Auto-save? Every 10 seconds on inactivity, or on an explicit save.
Can I open local LibreOffice files? Sure, it’s LibreOffice-based after all. Version incompatibilities are rare — Collabora usually tracks a current LibreOffice release.
Switching from OnlyOffice to Collabora — possible? Yes, any time. Old files stay unchanged (standard formats). We do the switch on request — a ticket is enough.
Commercial license — what does it cost? Depends on the user count. Open a ticket, we’ll make an offer. In the range of €5–10/user/month.
Printing from Collabora? File → Print generates a PDF, printing goes via the browser. Direct printing to a printer isn’t possible.
What’s next
First login as a Nextcloud admin
What to do after your Nextcloud is provisioned — login, profile, the important first settings, what we handle and what you handle.
Admin GUI overview — what you'll find where
Nextcloud's administration settings are big. Here's a tour of the sections that matter and what they do.
Creating users and groups
Create users for family, club or team, organize groups, set quotas, control login behavior.
Sharing — files with others, internally and externally
Sharing files in Nextcloud — within your cloud with other users, with groups, or externally via sharing link.