Nextcloud vs OpenCloud: Which One Should You Self-Host?
Nextcloud is a whole workspace you build up with apps; OpenCloud is file sharing done lean — one program, no database, stricter defaults. Pick Nextcloud for calendar, calls and office alongside your files, or for end-to-end encryption on a production version today. Pick OpenCloud for team file sharing with fewer moving parts and locked-by-default links.
Nextcloud and OpenCloud both let you run your own cloud for free, but they are not two versions of the same thing. Nextcloud is a whole workspace you build up with apps. OpenCloud is file sharing done lean: one program, no database, and stricter defaults. Almost every other difference follows from that.
We installed both fresh on 1 October 2026, in Docker on a Linux server: Nextcloud 35.0.1, the newest release, and OpenCloud 7.2.4, its production version. OpenCloud also ships a rolling channel with a new version every few weeks; where that changes the answer, the table says so. OpenCloud began in 2025 as a fork of ownCloud Infinite Scale, from the Heinlein Group in Berlin. No speed claims here — neither server was timed.
How do Nextcloud and OpenCloud compare?
| Nextcloud 35 | OpenCloud 7.2.4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | 358 apps for this version in its store, one-click install: calendar, contacts, Talk (chat and video calls), mail, office | Files and sharing. Calendar and contacts only as a pass-through to a separate server, with no screen of its own. No chat or video calls |
| What you keep running | PHP app plus a database; the manual recommends Redis and cron | One program, no database |
| Encryption | Server-side encryption built in (off by default); End-to-End Encryption app | Production lists S3 server-side encryption only; end-to-end encrypted folders on the rolling channel (7.5 and later) |
| Public link passwords | Optional, and not offered by default | Required on every kind of link, generated for you |
| Moving from Nextcloud | — | Official guide moves personal files only |
| Logins | Local accounts; LDAP and single sign-on via apps | Built-in login server for up to 500 users, no multifactor; Keycloak recommended beyond that |
| Team folders | Team Folders app, one click | Spaces, built in, with members and quota |
| Upgrades | “You cannot skip major releases” | Production about every 6 months, rolling every few weeks, long-term releases |
| Desktop and phone apps | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Office documents | Needs a document server (Collabora or ONLYOFFICE) | Needs a document server (Collabora, ONLYOFFICE or Microsoft) |
| Version history and trash | Built in | Built in |
| Full-text search and antivirus | Extra servers (Elasticsearch, ClamAV) | Extra servers (Apache Tika, ClamAV) |
Can OpenCloud replace Nextcloud's calendar, chat and office?
Not on its own. On a fresh OpenCloud the app menu shows Files, App Store, Admin Settings and Calendar — and the Calendar entry opens a page reading “The calendar is not yet configured on your system.” OpenCloud's Radicale guide explains that it can pass calendars and contacts through to a separate Radicale server, and that “OpenCloud does currently not provide any UI to access them.” Its App Store holds small web add-ons (Draw.io, Notes, Maps, Forms…), each a .zip you copy onto the server before restarting. In Nextcloud, Calendar, Contacts and Talk install from the browser with “Download and enable” and a password confirmation.
Why does OpenCloud have fewer moving parts?
Nextcloud's system requirements call for PHP and a database (SQLite is “only recommended for testing and minimal-instances”), and its manual recommends Redis caching and cron for background jobs. OpenCloud's FAQ says it “writes data directly to disk instead of relying on a dedicated database”; it runs as a single program with its services inside. On our test servers at idle, Nextcloud with its database used about 337 MB of memory and OpenCloud about 202 MB — one setup, not a benchmark.
Does OpenCloud have end-to-end encryption?
On the rolling channel, yes: end-to-end encrypted folders and spaces arrived in version 7.5. On the production version (7.2.4, what opencloudeu/opencloud:latest installs) the datasheet lists one kind, “Server-Side Encryption: S3 SSE”. OpenCloud's own release page says “For most users, Rolling is ideal” — so if you are comfortable on rolling, this row narrows. Nextcloud ships server-side encryption (off by default; the keys live on the server) and an End-to-End Encryption app that encrypts chosen folders on your devices.
Which one protects share links better by default?
OpenCloud. Its “Add link” dialog arrives with a generated password, the field is required, and the server enforces a password for every link type. Nextcloud's “Create a new share link” makes a live link with no password and does not ask for one; you can add a password and expiry afterwards. Admins can change either default.
Can I migrate from Nextcloud to OpenCloud?
Partly. OpenCloud's migration guide uses rclone to copy personal files, and lists what is not migrated: shared files, public links, project spaces, trash-bin contents, file versions and metadata. Every link you have sent from Nextcloud has to be made again.
Should I choose Nextcloud or OpenCloud?
- Nextcloud — you want calendar, calls and office in the same place as your files, or end-to-end encryption on a production version today.
- OpenCloud — the job is sharing files with a team, and you want fewer moving parts and safer defaults.
- Think twice — you are already on Nextcloud with a lot of shared links; moving means re-creating every one.
Running Nextcloud already? See single sign-on with Keycloak and what a Nextcloud backup actually needs.
Full video transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,943
Nextcloud and OpenCloud both let
you run your own cloud, for free.
2
00:00:03,983 --> 00:00:06,779
But they're not two
versions of the same thing.
3
00:00:06,819 --> 00:00:10,038
Nextcloud is a whole workspace
you build up with apps.
4
00:00:10,078 --> 00:00:12,210
OpenCloud is file sharing done lean.
5
00:00:12,250 --> 00:00:15,107
One program, no database,
and stricter defaults.
6
00:00:15,147 --> 00:00:17,923
Almost every other
difference comes from that.
7
00:00:18,823 --> 00:00:23,341
I installed both today, in Docker,
on a Linux server I run myself.
8
00:00:23,381 --> 00:00:26,241
Nextcloud thirty five, the newest release.
9
00:00:26,281 --> 00:00:29,970
And OpenCloud seven point
two, its production version.
10
00:00:30,010 --> 00:00:34,942
OpenCloud also has a rolling channel
with a new version every few weeks,
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00:00:34,982 --> 00:00:38,188
and where that changes
the answer, I'll say so.
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00:00:38,228 --> 00:00:41,917
OpenCloud only started in
2025, as a fork of ownCloud,
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from the Heinlein Group in Berlin.
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Here's the whole picture first. Eight
things really differ. Scope. Moving parts.
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00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:56,205
Encryption. Link passwords. Switching
over. Logins. Team folders. And upgrades.
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00:00:56,245 --> 00:01:01,274
Four things are about the same: desktop
and phone apps, office documents,
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version history, and
search and virus scanning.
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Let's take the ones that decide it.
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Here's Nextcloud, version thirty five.
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Its app store lists over three hundred
and fifty apps for this version.
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00:01:18,888 --> 00:01:21,784
Its own Hub bundle is the starter kit.
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00:01:21,824 --> 00:01:26,382
Chat and video calls, contacts,
calendar, mail, and office.
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Take the calendar. Search the store for
it, and there it is, ready to install.
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Download and enable.
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Confirm your password, and Nextcloud
fetches it and switches it on,
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right here in the browser.
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No terminal, no files to copy.
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And there it is. A full
calendar, next to your files.
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Contacts and video calls
install the same way.
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Now OpenCloud's app menu. Files, the app
store, admin settings, and a calendar.
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But open the calendar,
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and it isn't one. The calendar is
not yet configured on your system.
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OpenCloud's docs explain.
34
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It can pass calendars and contacts
through to a separate server,
35
00:02:16,961 --> 00:02:20,721
and OpenCloud does currently not
provide any UI to access them.
36
00:02:21,061 --> 00:02:27,285
Its app store holds small add-ons. A
diagram editor, notes, maps, forms.
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Each one is a zip file you copy
onto the server, then restart.
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And there's no chat, and no video calls.
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So, scope. Both share files well.
40
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But calendar and contacts with
a screen, chat, and video calls,
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only Nextcloud has those.
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If you want them in one
place, that decides it.
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If files are the whole job,
OpenCloud doesn't carry the rest.
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Under the hood, Nextcloud is a PHP app.
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It needs a database,
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00:02:58,330 --> 00:03:03,570
and its own manual recommends a Redis cache
and a scheduled job runner next to it.
47
00:03:03,610 --> 00:03:07,498
That's four things to keep
running. OpenCloud is one program.
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00:03:07,538 --> 00:03:11,877
Its docs say it writes straight to
disk instead of using a database.
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00:03:11,917 --> 00:03:14,002
On my test servers, sitting idle,
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Nextcloud used about three hundred
and forty megabytes of memory,
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and OpenCloud about two hundred.
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That's one setup, not a benchmark.
53
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Nextcloud has two kinds of encryption.
54
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Server-side encryption is built
in, and switched off by default.
55
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And end-to-end encryption
is an app in the store.
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It encrypts the folders you
choose on your own devices,
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so the server only ever
stores files it can't read.
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OpenCloud's datasheet lists one kind.
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Server-side encryption, for S3 storage.
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End-to-end encrypted folders did
arrive, in version seven point five.
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00:04:03,133 --> 00:04:07,517
That's the rolling channel, which
OpenCloud says is ideal for most users,
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with a new version every few weeks.
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But the production version, the
one Docker installs by default,
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doesn't have them yet.
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Share a file with a public link, on both.
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Nextcloud makes the link live
straight away, with no password,
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and doesn't offer one.
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OpenCloud won't make the link
until it has a password.
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It makes one up for you, and its rules
require one on every kind of link.
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An admin can change either default.
But defaults are what most links get.
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Moving from Nextcloud to OpenCloud?
There's an official guide.
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It moves your personal files,
with a tool called rclone.
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And it lists what doesn't come across.
Shared files. Public links. Project spaces.
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The trash. File versions.
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00:05:02,019 --> 00:05:06,309
So every link you've sent from
Nextcloud has to be made again,
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00:05:06,349 --> 00:05:08,375
and every share set up again.
77
00:05:11,709 --> 00:05:12,127
Logins.
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00:05:12,167 --> 00:05:15,003
Nextcloud starts with
its own user accounts,
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and connecting a company directory or
single sign-on means switching on an app.
80
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OpenCloud has its own
login server built in.
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00:05:23,083 --> 00:05:27,096
Its docs aim that at smaller
setups, up to five hundred users,
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with no two-factor login, and
recommend Keycloak beyond that.
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Team folders. A shared folder that
belongs to a team, not to one person.
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In Nextcloud, that's the Team Folders
app, one click from the store.
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In OpenCloud it's built in.
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They're called Spaces, and each one
has its own members and storage quota.
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00:05:50,273 --> 00:05:55,199
Last, upgrades. Nextcloud's manual is
blunt. You cannot skip major releases.
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00:05:55,239 --> 00:05:58,728
Fall behind, and you climb
back one version at a time.
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00:05:58,768 --> 00:06:00,754
OpenCloud splits it three ways.
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00:06:00,794 --> 00:06:05,655
A production version about every six
months, a rolling one every few weeks,
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00:06:05,695 --> 00:06:09,354
and long term releases that
keep getting security fixes.
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So which one?
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If you want your calendar, calls and
office in the same place as your files,
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Nextcloud.
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00:06:16,438 --> 00:06:21,644
If the job is sharing files with a team,
with fewer moving parts and safer defaults,
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00:06:21,684 --> 00:06:22,269
OpenCloud.
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00:06:22,309 --> 00:06:26,953
If you need end-to-end encryption on
a production version today, Nextcloud.
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00:06:26,993 --> 00:06:30,825
And if you're already on Nextcloud
with a lot of shared links,
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00:06:30,865 --> 00:06:33,612
moving means making
every one of them again.
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The full table, with a source for every
row, is on securecloudstorage.com.
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The link is in the description.