Nextcloud
| License | FOSS problems | Maintenance | SSO | Users | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGPLv3Copyleft license. If you modify it and run it as a service, you must publish your changes. Surrounding linked code must also be open. | Copyleft License with CLA | Active | ✅ | Unlimited | ✅ |
Description
Nextcloud is a self-hosted cloud platform — file storage and sync, calendars, contacts, and a growing ecosystem of apps. Positioned as a replacement for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
Features
- File sync — desktop and mobile clients, keeping files in sync across devices.
- Calendars & contacts — standard CalDAV/CardDAV, working with whatever client already expects those protocols rather than a proprietary alternative.
- App ecosystem — a large app store extending the platform considerably, though quality is inconsistent — some apps well-maintained, others abandoned.
Usage patterns
- Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 replacement — the most complete self-hosted alternative for file storage and collaboration, the obvious starting point for an organisation moving file storage and collaboration off either.
- Resource-intensive — notoriously slow on modest hardware; ongoing maintenance carries a higher burden than simpler tools in this catalog.
License and governance
AGPLv3 — strong copyleft, so a modified version offered as a network service must also share its source. Nextcloud GmbH requires contributors to sign a CLA, granting itself the right to relicense contributions — the same copyleft-plus-CLA shape flagged elsewhere in this catalog (see CiviCRM), letting the company offer commercial/enterprise terms the AGPL alone wouldn't require.
Conclusion
Why you would — the most complete self-hosted alternative to Google Drive/Workspace: file sync, calendars, contacts, and a wide app ecosystem, standard CalDAV/CardDAV-compatible rather than locked to a proprietary client.
Why you wouldn't — resource-intensive and notoriously slow on modest hardware, with an app ecosystem whose quality varies a lot app-to-app, and ongoing maintenance heavier than simpler single-purpose tools in this catalog. See Setup for the actual deploy steps and known issues.