Nextcloud
Your own cloud, complete with the privilege of maintaining your own cloud.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- AGPL-3.0+
- Hosting Model
- Self-host (your server)
- Platforms
- desktopmobilewebself-hostedself-host, real ops
- Installation
- Nextcloud All-in-One Docker stack or a supported web-server/PHP/database installation, plus sync clients
- Operational Setup
- A practical deployment needs an always-on host, Docker or a full PHP/database stack, domain and TLS, storage planning, backups, and upgrades
- Where Your Data Lives
- User files in a server data directory or object store; accounts, shares, file cache, versions, and other metadata in the database, with optional local synced copies
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It can sync the folder, but it is not Obsidian-aware, does not provide the same conflict handling and version recovery by default, and makes you operate the cloud service.
Replaces 2 paid apps
up to $15/mo ($180/yr) in subscriptions
Nextcloud FAQ
Common questions
Is Nextcloud free and open source?+
Nextcloud is an open-source tool licensed under AGPL-3.0+ that runs on self-host. Your own cloud, complete with the privilege of maintaining your own cloud.
What paid software does Nextcloud replace?+
Nextcloud serves as a free replacement for 2 paid SaaS applications: Google Drive, Obsidian Sync, saving up to $15/month ($180/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Nextcloud?+
Installation: Nextcloud All-in-One Docker stack or a supported web-server/PHP/database installation, plus sync clients. Setup notes: A practical deployment needs an always-on host, Docker or a full PHP/database stack, domain and TLS, storage planning, backups, and upgrades
What is the catch or trade-off with Nextcloud?+
It can sync the folder, but it is not Obsidian-aware, does not provide the same conflict handling and version recovery by default, and makes you operate the cloud service.