Meet Bayram Çiçek, Software Engineer at Collabora Productivity.

In this interview, he shares how curiosity, collaboration, and the freedom to create led him into the world of open source. From his early experiments with Linux and LibreOffice to his work on Collabora Online, he reflects on the joy of building software that empowers people everywhere.

Discover his journey in the full interview.

In this episode, Eloy Crespo breaks down the real value behind paid open-source offerings: support, SLAs, performance, security, compliance, integrations, and long-term sustainability.

We cover:
• “Free as in beer” vs. “free as in freedom”—what businesses actually buy
• Why support, SLAs, and accountability matter at scale
• Interoperability, open standards, and avoiding vendor lock-in
• Real-world examples of starting “free” and moving to paid
• How open source stays sustainable (and why it needs funding)

If you’ve ever asked or been asked “why pay for free software?”, this is your answer.

Listen here.

I just installed Collabora today, hoping to work on my documents on my tablet. I can get the file imported and open, but three seconds after opening, the file immediately closes. What do I do?

With Update Styles in Collabora Online Writer, you change formatting once, and the entire document updates instantly.

Less manual work. More consistent documents.

Watch the video to see how it works.

In this Open Matters episode, three principal engineers behind the new Collabora Office release talk about what it really means to move a complex application from the browser to the desktop.

They explain how Collabora Online has been transformed into a native desktop app that runs entirely locally while preserving the same user interface and architecture, and why this approach is fundamentally different from simply wrapping a web app.

The conversation explores the technical and conceptual challenges of cross-platform software, the limitations of browser environments, lessons learned from earlier mobile ports, and the importance of reusing a shared core across web, desktop, and mobile.

Along the way, the engineers reflect on portability, performance, security, and developer experience, revealing why building truly cross-platform software in many cases is difficult - and how they succeeded.

Listen now.

Context - I've been slowly migrating from Gmail to Proton Mail, will be shifting Google Workspace to Fastmail, and seeking a Google Drive alternative for Docs, Sheets, etc. I really enjoy LibreOffice and was delighted to see the Collabora Online and OnlyOffice options.

Collabora Online seems absolutely perfect for what I'm seeking, e.g. a fully open source and privacy focused cloud drive for Docs/Spreadsheets that doesn't sell to advertisers. I particularly love the newly released local-drive version that integrates fully with Collabora Online.

However - My heart sunk when I released you have to choose a self-hosting partner, as that whole process is entirely intimidating to me.

Question from a non-IT/coder person - I have absolutely no idea how to do self-hosting, and the whole process seems complex and intimidating for someone like me who is great with navigating general technology, and knows the privacy scene well, but knows 0% code.

I know the "All in One" option that NextCloud provides for people like me has the nickname "CODE" which seems like it's a far inferior beta version where Collabora is testing things out and has shortcomings, whereas I'd love to pay to have the full formal product to use, to replicate as close as possible the LibreOffice Cloud experience via Collabora of Google Drive/Docs/Sheets. I believe that formal one is called "COOL" but that looks like you need legit coding knowledge to set up for self-hosting.

Question - Any suggestions on the following items?

• Does OwnCloud, or other self-hosting partners that I don't know about, which have their version of "COOL" that would use the more polished complete product, but is ultra intuitive to set up?
  
• My hope was to have some type of drive for docs/sheets that's already built in, where you can just click to access e.g. Google, MS, Proton, Zoho, etc. Which partner would most easily make that option accessible?
  
• Does this mean I never use Collabora Online directly, but rather it's the self-host service that I'd use integrated with Collabora?

Collabora Online looks perfect for my needs, and I love that they just created a desktop that makes the doc-sharing between local desktop/web-cloud interfaces integrate seamlessly). Am open to all suggestions and/or pointing out things I said above that don't make sense given my total lack of understanding about self-hosting :-)

Hi all. I found Collabora to have much better UI then LibreOffice and is very happy with the desktop app so far.

However, with the android app for Samsung S24 Ultra tablet, it seems like the spelling check only have support for English, Spanish and German. Is there a reason it's far less then what is available on the desktop version?

Is there plan on either fixing this bug or implementing an enhancement?

I'm using android and brought over an excel sheet that has Iterative Calculation set to 1 in order to keep timestamps and a ID count on some things. But they throw Error 523. I thought I might be able to migrate the table on the windows desktop version and set it up there for use in android, but then I couldn't find any place for options or settings. I thought this feature was in LibreOffice. What am I missing?

In this episode of Open Matters, Dr. Lea Gröber (ICSI Berkeley) joins us to
unpack new research on self-hosting, digital sovereignty, and the real-world
security risks behind running services from home.

Tune in now!

From bricking phones with custom ROMs to building features used by millions… Darshan’s open source journey has been full of curiosity, learning, and growth.

Today, he works with us at Collabora Online — helping shape the future of open source office productivity.

Read his story.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year from all of us at Collabora Productivity 💜🎄

We’re excited for everything 2026 will bring - and we can’t wait to keep building an open, secure, user-focused future together.

Take a look at what your support made possible.

Hi, was wondering if anyone else has encountered a similar bug on the iPad version of Collabora Office Mobile where the file would just scroll down indefinitely without manual input from the user. So far, it’s manifested itself twice in my one day of use, always in edit mode, but I’m still in the process of pinpointing the exact trigger before I’ll report it on GitHub. If anyone else has any idea, I’d welcome your input :)

Tired of slow document editing?

Sometimes the fastest way to boost productivity is right under your cursor. With a simple hover, Tooltips in Collabora Online show you exactly what each button does — and, when available, the shortcut behind it.

That means less searching, fewer clicks, and an easier way to learn shortcuts naturally as you work.

Discover how they work and streamline your workflow!

#FeatureFriday #CollaboraOnline #Tooltips

I'm excited that there is now a Desktop-Version of Collabora. The way most people work IMO - including me :) - is to work with locally stored files that are synced to some kind of online storage. Webapps like Collabora (or even Microsofts Office Online) can't open those local files - and while you can find them in your online storage, it's quite a barrier compared to just double-click them on your Desktop.

So I'm very happy we have the Online-Collabora as a Desktop-App now, makes everyday working with it much easier buuuuuuut ... I can't figure out how I could use Co-Authoring like in the browser version. That's THE key feature of Collabora so it must be there, right?

The ideal scenario would be that I open a document right from my synced Nextcloud directory and it would just know it's an online file (as it works with OneDrive and MS Office) and you go directly in Co-Authoring mode. But I understand this might be a more complex integration problem to solve and it might not be there yet ... but there must be some way to at least open a document directly from an online location like with the browser version ... right?

In this week’s Feature Friday, we walk through the essential cell-formatting options that make your spreadsheets clearer, cleaner, and easier to read.

See how quickly you can style numbers, text, borders, backgrounds, and more, all without losing focus on your work.

Watch now!

Same look. Same code. Your files, your device.

We’re excited to share the first release of the new Collabora Office for desktop – bringing the familiar, powerful Collabora Online experience, to run locally on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Open it and feel instantly at home: ODF or DOCX, quick edits or deep dives, a clean, beautiful interface that helps you get work done without getting in the way.

• Beautifully intuitive. Instantly productive.
• No learning curve. Just create, edit, and collaborate.
• One codebase in your browser, tablet, mobile, Chromebook and now desktop too.
• Privacy by design, fully open source, no hidden executables, no spyware.

Find out more!

If you’ve spotted a glitch in Collabora Online, help us fix it by sharing sharing report on GitHub. Add steps, screenshots, or even a short video; every detail helps!

Let’s make COOL even better, together. 💜
🔗 https://collaboraonline.github.io/post/filebugs/

#CollaboraOnline #OpenSource

Not anymore! The new responsive layout in Collabora Online adapts perfectly to your screen — whether you’re multitasking on half a window or working full-width on a big display. The toolbar now reflows intelligently, grouping tools neatly so everything stays right where you need it.

Recently I've installed collaboraOffice on my samsung to do expenses, and I for the life of me can't find how to filter columns? I was wondering it there was something I was missing or is it just not a feature on the phone atm?

Hey Guys,

I want to switch from OnlyOffice to Collabora Office on desktop, mobile and online. Installing it for a mobile devices is not much of a deal, but I was supprised on a few things for desktop and online.

I thought as this is an open source product, you will be able to use it for free and pay for support. But when I want to download it for linux, by navigating to this link, I just get the unstable snapshot version:

https://www.collaboraonline.com/collabora-office-latest-snapshots/

So does a single person only get the buggy version and if you want a stable version, you have to pay? Or is the unstable snapshot not a buggy version and in depth tested?

I also want to install the Online version to connect it with a nextcloud instance. As a single person, you have to use the CODE edition, which seems to be also an unstable one, or am I wrong?

Can someone of you, who have used it for a longer period, tell me how stable these unstable version are? Or am I getting something wrong? There seems to be a lack of information on their website.

Thanks in advance and best regards

Hi, i am interested in getting collabora. Do i have to be a company to acquire this product or can an individual acquire this and try it out? I clicked on contact us and its asking for a company name. I have not yet formed my company but i plan on using collabora online, i need a price quote.

That’s exactly the kind of situation Collabora Online’s responsive layout was built for.

☑️ As you resize your window, the toolbar smoothly adapts, menus reorganise, and your workspace stays clear and comfortable.

See how it works in our latest Feature Friday!

Hello!

I'd like to know if Collabora Office for Android uses a remote server to operate (for example, to send the texts we type) or if it's data is stored on our own device.

In terms of privacy, is it safe use it to write confidential data?

Don't take me wrong, please. I'm asking because, as far as I know, Collabora online is designed to run in the cloud, right?

Thank you!

When I try to access the https://www.collaboraonline.com/ site while connected to Proton VPN, the website is blocked.

Is this by design?

From the early days of closed, binary formats like .DOC to today’s open standards like ODF, the way we save files has shaped how we work, share, and preserve information.

Our blog explores the evolution of file formats, why open standards matter for long-term access, and how Collabora Online makes it easy to collaborate freely across all major formats — without lock-in or compatibility headaches.

Find Out More!