ownCloud vs. Nextcloud: comparing cloud collaboration services

People who want ready access to their personal or professional files, documents, images, music, and videos wherever they are, are resorting more and more to cloud storage. Services like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace provide an attractive and practical alternative to local storage and management on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, thanks to the accessibility offered by the Internet. However, there is still the question of how secure and safe your sensitive information is when stored in the cloud.

If you want to enjoy the benefits of the cloud while maintaining complete control over all your data, you should consider hosting and managing your own online cloud storage service. The necessary software can be found in the open source sector. Two particularly popular applications are ownCloud and Nextcloud, and this guide will shed some light on the pros and cons of both services.

This article was last updated in April 2021.

Other features can be added using ownCloud Marketplace apps. Enterprise subscribers can also have access to exclusive features like full-text search to find files, folders, or file contents quicker and easier, or automated file handling (workflow management). In addition, users can change the design of the cloud interface and even incorporate their own branding in the Enterprise version.

The ownCloud package is rounded off with various security features, although there are some minor differences between those included in the free version and the Enterprise edition.

If you are unsure whether you need the enterprise features for your own cloud, you can initially test them for 30 days. All you have to do is request the test version via the contact form. The download link will then be sent promptly by email.

When Nextcloud was released for the first time in 2016 as an independent spin-off of ownCloud, it was essentially just an open source version of the same software, with a new design. Since then, Nextcloud GmbH, which includes other former ownCloud developers as well as Karlitscheck, has sped up their software redesign.

The basic application is called Nextcloud Server and can be installed on almost any web space or server. Like ownCloud X. Your hardware requirements depend on general server traffic, user counts, and the number and size of your stored files. The development team recommends at least 512 MB of memory for stable cloud operation. Nextcloud does not differ significantly from its predecessor in terms of software requirements either.

As previously mentioned, all Nextcloud components invariably run under the free GNU AGPLv3 license, as a commercial license does not fit the developers’ philosophy. Paid professional support for power users is included in the Nextcloud portfolio, and users have the same choice to make between three models of different prices:

1. Basic: The basic package, which costs €1,900 (for 50 users – approx. £1,650), or €3,600 (for 100 users – approx. £3,100) per year includes email support (within 72 hours) and the Nextcloud Knowledge Portal – a security update once a year.
2. Standard: Support for professional developers, installations services, phone support during official business hours, and 3-year update support are available as standard for €3,400 (for 50 users – approx. £2,900) or €6,500 (for 100 users – approx. £5,600) per year.
3. Premium: Anyone choosing the Premium plan can expect to pay €4,900 (for 50 users – approx. £4,200) or €9,550 (for 100 users – approx. £8,300) annually. For this price, they receive planning security for 10 years, 24/7 email and phone support (optional), and support for scaling cloud storage, if needed.

Nextcloud is not just limited to uploading and downloading files, it is also packed with features that make it easy for both basic users and organising administrators to simplify file storage:

Thanks to its modular structure, one of the cloud storage platform’s strengths is its high degree of expandability: the Nextcloud apps can be used to add a wide range of functions from areas like ‘Integration’, ‘Multimedia’, ‘Office & Text’ or ‘Authentication & Authorisation’. Nextcloud lists all officially supported extensions in its own App Store.There, users will not only find documentation and download links for the now over 200 available extensions, but also a guide for developers who want to program their own modules.

Aside from a large arsenal of additional features, Nextcloud also focuses on the security of data stored in its ‘private’ clouds, providing effective tools for the best possible protection.

To test Nextcloud, you do not have to download and install the cloud software. On the homepage, people can try a demo of the software and try out the features listed here for one hour.

In many respects, it has become clear that Nextcloud, while not entirely a new software, is much more ambitious than ownCloud when it comes to collaboration. Since the 2016 release, the former spin-off has evolved from a simple file syncing and sharing solution to a premium alternative to cloud suites like Microsoft 365. The differences in terms of file storage and file sharing are only minor.

Key differences come when you look at the add-on and security features: on the one hand, ownCloud’s licensing policy ensures that certain components such as full text search, workflow management, or branding are only available to paid Enterprise customers. Nextcloud users do not have these limitations, as only support and update services cost extra. With features such as integrated real-time document management or audio and video calling, Nextcloud has outshone its predecessor in terms of functionality just as it has in terms of security. Automatically set-up brute force protection, easily implemented two-factor authentication, or server-side file encryption are just a few of the Nextcloud security features worth mentioning.

Cloud collaboration software also plays a major role at IONOS – so much so that we’re an exclusive partner of Nextcloud. Self-employed people, small and medium-sized enterprises can receive a suitable solution via the Nextcloud App to install the application directly on the rented server and use it for their own purposes. As a user, you benefit not only from the appropriate hardware and software framework (a cloud server package from XS is required) and simplified installation and setup, but also always remain up to date thanks to IONOS.

For larger businesses (from 50 employees), IONOS offers the Nextcloud Hub hosted by IONOS. The service lets you implement collaboration features from the open source application on a larger scale, removing barriers such as limited storage space and pre-defined user numbers. IONOS hosts the Nextcloud app according to EU security and privacy regulations, fully compliant with GDPR to provide maximum protection against unauthorised access.