How agencies resell a managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice suite
TL;DR
A managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice suite gives a client files, sharing, real-time document editing, and calls — without per-seat billing.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Google Workspace Business Standard both bill about $14 per user per month, and that figure grows with every hire.[1][2]
On DANIAN the suite is two managed apps at €9 each — €18 per client per month at wholesale, flat regardless of headcount.
Sell it at €40–80 per client per month and you keep €22–62 in margin per client; at 20 clients that is €800–1,600 in recurring revenue.
This is files and documents, not email. It is also not a full white-label control plane yet — read the honest scope before you pitch it.
The agency math, at 20 clients
A managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice suite is two apps on DANIAN at €9 each. That is €18 per client per month at wholesale. Price the suite to your client at €40–80 per month and the margin is €22–62 per client. At 20 clients the line bills €800–1,600 per month, recurring, on €360 of cost.
The number that matters to an agency is margin per client, not headline price. The table below shows the suite at wholesale, a typical retail band, and the gross margin in between.
| Item | Per client / month | At 20 clients / month |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale cost (Nextcloud €9 + OnlyOffice €9) | €18 | €360 |
| Retail price (you set it) | €40–80 | €800–1,600 |
| Gross margin | €22–62 | €440–1,240 |
The margin holds because the cost is flat. Each client instance carries one predictable line. A 4-person client and a 40-person client cost you the same to host. So you set retail by the value the client gets, not by a seat counter that moves every time they hire.
Take a six-client design studio as a worked example. It adds the suite to four of its retainer clients at €60 per month each. Wholesale cost is €72; retail is €240; the studio keeps €168 a month on that line. Over a year that is roughly €2,000 in margin from four clients, with no servers to run and no on-call rota.
The alternative is to build it yourself on a server and carry the on-call risk. Running Nextcloud and OnlyOffice for one client is a weekend project. Running isolated instances for twenty clients, patched and backed up, is a job. A midnight patch that breaks one client's document editor is your problem at 2am, not a vendor's. Paying €18 to move that risk off your plate is the trade most agencies want.
That flat cost is the whole reason an agency can run this without becoming a hosting company. You can see the base app and price on managed Nextcloud at €9/month.
What you are actually selling
The suite covers three jobs: files and sharing through Nextcloud, real-time document editing through OnlyOffice, and chat and calls through Nextcloud Talk. OnlyOffice opens and saves .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files directly, so a client's existing Word and Excel documents keep working. It is a productivity suite, not a mail platform.[3][4]
Nextcloud — files, sharing, and calls
Nextcloud is an open-source file, sync, and collaboration platform under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Clients store, share, and sync files across desktop and mobile, the way they use Dropbox or Google Drive today. Nextcloud Talk adds chat and video calls in the same interface.
OnlyOffice Docs — real-time documents
OnlyOffice Docs is an open-source office suite under the AGPL v3 community licence. It edits text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in the browser, with several people in the same file at once. It is fully compatible with the .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx formats Microsoft uses, which is the part clients notice first. You can see the document layer on OnlyOffice for real-time docs.[4]
The honest scope — what this suite is not
Three gaps are worth naming before you pitch. The suite does not replace business email the way Microsoft Exchange or Gmail does. Nextcloud Talk handles team calls, but it is not built for 200-person town-hall meetings at the scale of Teams. And anything outside files, documents, and calls stays on whatever the client already runs.
Email is a separate decision. A client moving off Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace still needs mail somewhere. Leave their mail where it is, or set up a dedicated mail product alongside the suite. Either way, do not sell this as your client's whole Microsoft 365 replacement. Overselling that is what costs you the relationship on the first support ticket.
Calls work the same way. Nextcloud Talk covers one-to-one and small-team calls and screen-sharing well. For a large all-hands with live captions and breakout rooms, set the expectation honestly and keep that workload where it already lives.
For most small clients, that combination covers the working day. Staff keep shared folders in Nextcloud, co-edit a proposal in OnlyOffice, and jump on a quick call in Talk without leaving the browser. The gaps show up at the edges: a finance team that needs deep spreadsheet automation, or a sales team living in a Microsoft-native CRM. Map the client's real daily tools before you promise a clean switch.
What white-label requires — and what we support today
White-label reselling, done fully, means three things: a custom domain per client, the client's branding on the login screen, and billing that runs through your name. DANIAN supports the first and the third today. A central dashboard to manage many client instances at once is not something we offer yet.
Here is the part to get right. Each client gets their own instance on a domain you choose, with their data isolated from every other client. Nextcloud's built-in theming lets you set the logo and colours your client sees on the login and inside the app. You keep the client relationship and bill them through your own Stripe or invoicing, while we bill you €18 per client at wholesale.
What is not ready: a single console where you provision, resize, and monitor thirty client instances yourself, and an automated billing pass-through. Today you order and change instances by coordinating with our support, not from a reseller dashboard. If a self-serve multi-client console is a hard requirement for you right now, this is not ready for you yet — and it is better to hear that before you sign clients. If you would rather own the client and let us run the servers, the present setup fits.
Billing runs in one direction. We invoice you once a month for every client instance at €18 each, plus any extra resources. You invoice your clients on your own schedule, at your own price, under your own name. The client never sees a DANIAN line item, and you reconcile one wholesale bill against your own retail invoices. For an agency that already runs retainers, this is a familiar pattern, not a new system to learn.
If you are weighing this as a service line, see our Partner page and get more info.
The per-seat trap your clients are in
Microsoft 365 Business Standard rises to $14 per user per month in July 2026, up from $12.50. Google Workspace Business Standard already bills $14 per user per month. Both are charged per seat, every month, and both cap their business plans at 300 seats. Every hire raises the bill.[1][2]
Run the per-seat number against a flat instance and the gap is the pitch.
| Team size | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Google Workspace Business Standard | Managed suite (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $70 | $70 | one instance |
| 10 users | $140 | $140 | one instance |
| 25 users | $350 | $350 | one instance |
Per-user figures use $14 per user per month at annual commitment. The managed suite is billed per instance, not per seat.[1][2]
The contrast is the whole argument to the client. At five people the per-seat suite is $70 a month. At twenty-five it is $350 and climbing. A managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice instance carries the same line whether the client has five people or fifty, up to the instance's resource limits. For a growing client, flat beats per-seat the moment headcount moves.
Per-seat is not always the wrong choice, and saying so keeps you honest with the client. A client who lives inside Excel macros, Power BI, or Teams-native workflows is often better off paying Microsoft. The suite wins for clients who mostly need files, documents, and calls, and who resent paying more every time they hire.
How to package and price the suite
Price the suite against the client's current bill, not against your wholesale cost. A client paying $14 per seat for fifteen people spends about $210 a month, and that figure rises with every hire. Offer a flat instance at €60–90 a month and you undercut their bill while keeping €40–70 in margin. Anchor to the number they already resent.
A simple two-tier structure covers most clients. A standard instance fits a small team on light storage. A heavier instance adds a processing unit or more storage for clients with large files or more people. Extra resources bill at DANIAN's add-on rates, so your wholesale cost moves in small, known steps.
| Tier | What it fits | Your wholesale | Suggested retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Up to ~10 users, light storage | €18 | €40–60 |
| Plus | More users or heavy files | €27–40 | €70–110 |
Extra capacity is billed at €9 per processing unit and €0.50 per gigabyte of storage, so a Plus instance is the base suite plus whatever a larger client needs. Put the instance, onboarding, and a support response window you can keep into the retainer. Then hold the price. The most common reseller mistake is charging €25 for something worth €70 to the client, which trains the client to treat it as cheap and trains you to resent it.
Frame it as a managed service in the retainer, not a software resale. Clients buy outcomes, so describe it as their files, documents, and calls, kept running and supported, on their own domain. That framing supports a higher price than the word hosting does, and it matches what you already sell. It also sets the support expectation correctly: you are the client's first call, and we are yours.
Include the work clients actually value: the migration, a branded login, and a single point of contact for questions. You can review the document layer they will use on OnlyOffice for real-time docs before you write the proposal.
The migration conversation with your client
Moving a client onto the suite is mostly a files-and-documents conversation. Their existing files copy into Nextcloud through the desktop sync client or a bulk upload. Their Word and Excel files open in OnlyOffice as .docx and .xlsx, so formatting carries across. The one decision to settle early is email, because the suite does not cover it.
Run a compatibility check before you commit. OnlyOffice is strong on .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx, but a macro-heavy workbook or a tightly formatted template is the thing to test first. Open the client's two or three most complex documents in OnlyOffice and confirm they hold. If one breaks, you have found it during the trial, not after the switch.
Keep the old store read-only during the cutover. Files copy into Nextcloud while the client's current Dropbox or Drive stays intact as a backup. Because the data is standard formats and the old store is untouched, you can step back if something is off. That safety net is what lets you move a cautious client without a tense weekend.
Set timing honestly. A planned cutover for a small team is usually a short, scheduled switch, not an instant flip. Tell the client the suite will be ready for them to log into on a set day, with their files in place and the old store kept as backup for a couple of weeks. Then settle email in writing so nobody assumes it moved when it did not.
The 2026 question — OnlyOffice and Euro-Office
One thing changed this spring that any reseller should know. In March 2026, Nextcloud and a coalition forked OnlyOffice into a new project called Euro-Office. OnlyOffice responded by ending its eight-year partnership with Nextcloud over licensing and branding terms. The OnlyOffice connector for Nextcloud still works, and OnlyOffice has pledged to keep maintaining it.[5]
Here is what it means in practice. The integration you would sell today is supported, and OnlyOffice has publicly committed to continuing the Nextcloud connector its customers rely on. At the same time, Euro-Office reaches general availability in June 2026 and is expected to become the default office layer in future Nextcloud releases. So the document component may shift over the next year, from OnlyOffice to the fork — even though both share the same code roots and the same file compatibility.[5]
For an agency, this is an argument for managed hosting, not against it. Tracking an upstream licensing dispute and an integration migration is exactly the work you do not want to own. A host that follows the ecosystem moves the document layer for you when the time comes, while your client keeps the same files and the same login. We will keep the suite working through the transition and tell partners before anything changes.
The practical step for a reseller is to stay on the supported connector today and let your host handle the move later. Nothing about the dispute changes the files a client stores or the documents they edit. The codebase under the editor may change hands; the .docx the client opens does not. We track the migration so you can keep selling the suite with a straight face while the upstream sorts itself out.
When this works, and when it does not
Two questions decide whether this line is worth building. Do your clients mostly need files, documents, and calls rather than email and macros? And are you comfortable owning the client while a host runs the servers? If both are yes, the suite fits. If either is no, the honest answer is to wait until your situation matches the model.
It works when
You already manage client retainers and want a recurring line that does not scale with your team's hours.
Your clients mostly need files, shared documents, and calls, and feel per-seat price creep.
You are comfortable owning the client relationship and billing while a host runs the servers.
It does not work when
You need a self-serve console to provision and monitor dozens of client instances yourself today.
Your clients depend on Exchange-grade mail, deep Microsoft Office macros, or large-scale meetings.
You want zero involvement in support and expect every change to be one click on your side.
FAQ
What exactly does the client get?
Files and sharing through Nextcloud, real-time editing of .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files through OnlyOffice, and chat and calls through Nextcloud Talk. It does not include business email. Treat mail as a separate decision so the client is not surprised later.
How much does it cost me as the agency?
Two managed apps at €9 each, so €18 per client per month at wholesale. You set the retail price; €40–80 per client per month is a common band. That leaves €22–62 in gross margin per client before your own time.
Does each client get their own isolated instance?
Yes. Each client runs on their own instance and domain, with data isolated from every other client. The instances sit in hardened containers with their own resource allocation, so one client's load does not touch another's.
Can I put my client's branding on it?
Nextcloud's built-in theming sets the logo and colours your client sees on the login and inside the app. A central multi-client reseller dashboard, where you brand and manage many instances from one place, is not available yet.
Is the OnlyOffice integration going away after the Nextcloud split?
The connector is maintained, and OnlyOffice has pledged to keep developing it. The forked suite, Euro-Office, may become the default editor in Nextcloud over the next year. We manage that change for partners so your clients keep the same files and login.
What about email?
The suite does not include business mail. Keep the client's existing mail where it is, or set up a dedicated mail product alongside the suite. Do not pitch this as a full mail replacement — that gap is the easiest way to lose a client.
How do my clients get their data if they leave?
Files export over standard sync and direct download. Documents are standard .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx, so they open anywhere. The apps are open-source, so there is no lock-in to us — the client owns the data and the format.
Can I start with one client?
Yes. Run one client instance through a 7-day free trial, confirm the fit and the scope, then add clients as demand grows. Starting with one real client tells you more than any spec sheet about whether the line is worth productising.
Do I pay per user or per instance?
Per instance. On DANIAN the suite is two managed apps at €9 each, so €18 per client per month at wholesale, whatever the client's headcount. A four-person client and a forty-person client cost the same to host. Per-seat pricing applies to the SaaS you are replacing, not to this.
Is a managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice suite cheaper than Microsoft 365 for a 10-person client?
Usually, yes. Ten Microsoft 365 Business Standard seats run about $140 a month and rise with every hire. A managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice instance is one flat line, billed per instance rather than per seat. The suite covers files, documents, and calls, though not business email.
Should I charge my clients per seat or a flat monthly fee?
A flat monthly fee usually fits this suite, because your wholesale cost is flat at €18 per client. Flat pricing also makes the contrast with per-seat SaaS your selling point. Price by the value the client gets and the bill they already pay, not by a seat counter.
How many clients do I need before this is worth productising?
It depends on your retail price, but the math is quick. At €40–80 retail you keep €22–62 per client each month. Three clients makes a modest service line; ten turns it into roughly €220–620 a month in recurring margin. Start with one client and add as demand proves out.
Who handles updates, backups, and support — me or DANIAN?
DANIAN runs the servers, updates, backups, and monitoring, with 24/7 support for issues. You own the client relationship, the branding, and the billing. That split is the point: you sell and support the client commercially, while the host keeps the infrastructure running and you stay off a server on-call rota.
Do I need technical or server skills to resell this?
No server administration is required from you. The host provisions and maintains each client instance, so you focus on the client, the pricing, and the branded login. Some familiarity with Nextcloud's admin screens helps for day-to-day client requests, but you never patch servers or manage backups yourself.
Can I use my own domain for each client?
Yes. Each client runs on a custom domain you choose, so the service reads as yours, not the host's. Branding inside the app comes from Nextcloud's built-in theming. The piece still missing is a single console to provision and manage many client domains from one place.
Can I invoice clients under my own brand?
Yes. You bill clients through your own Stripe account or invoicing, at the retail price you set, while DANIAN bills you €18 per client at wholesale. An automated billing pass-through, where the host invoices your clients for you, is not part of the setup today. You keep the billing relationship.
Is it legal to resell open-source software like Nextcloud and OnlyOffice?
This is not legal advice, but yes in the ordinary case. Both apps are licensed under the AGPL, which permits commercial hosting and resale. The licence's core condition is that users can obtain the source code. Hosting unmodified Nextcloud and OnlyOffice for clients is a standard, well-trodden arrangement.
Where is my clients' data stored?
You choose the region. DANIAN runs in 21 datacenter regions across 6 continents, and each client instance is pinned to the region you pick for them. Every client's data sits in its own isolated instance. Files stay in standard formats the client can export at any time.
Can several people edit the same document at the same time?
Yes. OnlyOffice supports real-time co-editing, so several people can work in the same document, spreadsheet, or presentation at once and see each other's changes live. It runs in the browser, with no desktop install required. This is the collaboration clients expect from Google Docs or Microsoft 365.
Will my clients lose formatting when their Word and Excel files move to OnlyOffice?
In most cases, no. OnlyOffice is built around the .docx and .xlsx formats, so everyday documents carry across cleanly. The files to test first are macro-heavy workbooks and tightly designed templates. Open a client's two or three most complex files during the trial and confirm they hold before the switch.
Can Nextcloud Talk replace Zoom or Teams for client meetings?
For one-to-one and small-team calls with screen-sharing, yes — Nextcloud Talk handles those in the same place as files and documents. For a 200-person all-hands with live captions and breakout rooms, it is not a like-for-like swap. Set that expectation and keep large meetings where they already run.
Can I add other tools like a CRM or project management for the same client?
Yes. DANIAN hosts 150+ open-source apps, each at €9 per app per month. Alongside the productivity suite you can add a CRM, project management, or a team wiki for the same client, on the same flat per-app pricing. Each app runs in its own isolated instance.
Should I wait for Euro-Office before I start reselling this?
No need to wait. The OnlyOffice connector for Nextcloud is maintained today, and OnlyOffice has pledged to keep developing it. Euro-Office, the Nextcloud-backed fork, reaches general availability in June 2026 and may become the default editor later. A managed host moves the document layer for you when that shift lands.
What to do this week
Pick one client who fits: files, documents, calls, and a per-seat bill they dislike. Deploy a managed Nextcloud and OnlyOffice instance for them and set a retail price by value, not by seat. Confirm the scope in writing — files and documents, not email. For more info see our Partner page.
Sources
[1] Microsoft 365 Business plans and pricing, microsoft.com (accessed June 2026). List price changes effective 1 July 2026.
[2] Google Workspace pricing, workspace.google.com/pricing (accessed June 2026).
[3] Nextcloud server repository and project site, github.com/nextcloud/server and nextcloud.com.
[4] ONLYOFFICE Docs (DocumentServer) repository and project site, github.com/onlyoffice/documentserver and onlyoffice.com.
[5] Coverage of the ONLYOFFICE–Nextcloud partnership suspension and the Euro-Office fork, Neowin and Computerworld (April–May 2026).
Prices verified against the named pricing pages in June 2026 and change over time; re-verify before quoting a client.
