Im still not sure if this is true, but I’ve seen a couple people post that OnlyOffice may be Russian owned with a location in Latvia just to avoid association. I really hope not because I do like the UI more. I tried asking Le Chat about it and got this. I’d love to get someone else’s take on this though.

OnlyOffice is owned by Ascensio System SIA, a Latvian-based IT company with headquarters in Riga. The company was founded by Lev Bannov, who is also the CEO of OnlyOffice. The ownership structure has undergone significant changes, with the Singapore holding company ONLYOFFICE Capital Group Pte. Ltd. now being the ultimate owner of Ascensio System SIA through its UK subsidiary, Ascensio System Limited .

OnlyOffice has faced allegations and concerns regarding its ties to Russia. Some sources claim that OnlyOffice is a Russian company that has attempted to mask its origins by using a Latvian company as a front. These allegations suggest that the company has connections to the Russian government and military, and that it has set up shell companies to avoid being associated with Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine .

The company has been accused of using its Latvian headquarters as a way to enter the international market while continuing to operate and develop its products in Russia under the name R7 Office . These concerns have led some companies to sever ties with OnlyOffice due to its alleged support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its failure to condemn the conflict .

Despite these claims, it is important to note that OnlyOffice is officially headquartered in Riga, Latvia, and operates under Ascensio System SIA. The company has a complex ownership structure, with a Singapore holding company owning the UK branch, which in turn owns the Latvian branch .

source 1 source 2 source 3

The digital Euro initiative won’t be ready till like 2028, so we’ll definitely need some interim solutions!

If there’s not a better alternative to either, which would be best?

If all things were the same, I think I’d prefer Firefox over Vivaldi, but I’ve been using the latter assuming it helps our Norwegian friends more.

I’ve tested Qwant, Ecosia, Vilvaldi, Startpage, and Firefox Focus. (The last two I dropped since I realized they were still linked to US)

I like Vivaldi for desktop, but I don’t love the layout on mobile (although I appreciate you can change the icon to something not red!).

So I’ve just been using Qwant for both search and as an iOS browser. Pretty happy so far.

I appreciate your efforts! It can be tough out here on the digital frontier. It won’t always be easy but you’re a trailblazer!