#1 most frequent
Germany
82.0%1,840 installations of 2,245
What is Nextcloud?
Nextcloud offers their open source,
self-hosted Content Collaboration Platform, combining what they describe as an easy user
interface for consumer-grade cloud solutions with the security and
compliance measures enterprises need. Nextcloud brings together
universal access to data through mobile, desktop and web interfaces with
next-generation, on-premise secure communication and collaboration
features like real-time document editing, chat and video calls, putting
them under direct control of IT and integrated with existing
infrastructure. Nextcloud boasts easy and quick deployment, open, modular
architecture and an emphasis on security and advanced federation
capabilities to enable modern enterprises to leverage existing file
storage assets within and across the borders of their organization.
Categories & Use Cases
Media
1 / 3
Screenshot of Nextcloud Hub
Top Performing Features
Device sync
Device syncing that updates files connected to the cloud, keeping all files up to date regardless of where they are edited or viewed.
Category average: 8.5
Device management
Administrators can manage devices connected to the cloud storage platform, including restricting access for certain devices or wiping files from devices remotely.
Category average: 8.5
Audio files
Supports audio file types, such as .mp3, .mp4, and .wav
Category average: 8.1
Areas for Improvement
Document collaboration
Users can edit files and attach comments to files.
Category average: 8.4
User and role management
Administrators can manage users and user groups by role, in terms of setting permissions for things like file access, sharing, and editing permissions.
Category average: 8
Performance
Platform runs at a good speed on all browsers; files load and sync quickly.
Category average: 8.4
Who Buys & Uses Nextcloud
#2 most frequent
United States of America
6.1%138 installations of 2,245
#3 most frequent
France
3.0%68 installations of 2,245
Your personal cloud for everyday needs.
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We started using Nextcloud during lockdown so our staff could work from home. They mostly needed to share files between different groups and read emails. Later, we added more features, such as surveys, chat, and editing office files, making it increasingly useful. Now it's one of the essential parts of our organization.
Pros
- File sharing.
- Editing office files.
- Manage users and groups.
Cons
- Automatic files upload.
- Resolve shares from deleted users.
- Login using external providers.
Return on Investment
- Faster response between users.
- Easier file sharing from remote users.
- Everything is on company server.
Usability
Alternatives Considered
ownCloud
Other Software Used
Thunderbird, Mozilla Firefox, LibreOffice
A solid option especially if you have high file number counts or the occasional large file.
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
I have one of my clients use it as an alternative to Onedrive/Sharepoint for cloud file storage. We had issues with very large numbers of files that would cause other platforms we tested with to fail, but Nextcloud handled it effectively. It also handled larger sizes without an issue.
Pros
- Large file counts
- Large files
- Cross platform
- No odd restrictions (folder depth, number of files per folder)
- Entra ID authentication
Cons
- Mass file import
- Documentation
- Server administration/Migration
Return on Investment
- We simply couldn't find another solution that would work. So it was either this, or not have a solution.
Usability
Alternatives Considered
OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive
Other Software Used
Google Drive
Better than paying for OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox or AWS! More secure, better privacy, way more professional
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use Nextcloud to share files with clients and internally keep track of documents. It was incredibly easy to setup, instructions are very clear to every user, easy to customize for our corporate theme and generally offered much more security, data privacy, cheaper pricing (self hosted, self cost) as well as most importantly: modularity. We could grant a user terabytes of cloud storage if they needed to, give specific users less, etc. All previous NAS could be integrated through quick plug-ins and SMB, additionally the apps for it already being supported on every operating system was helpful. All in all, a 10/10 experience from a security, data privacy and user experience perspective.
Pros
- Fast up/download speeds
- Self-hosted
- Free and Open Source
- Easy to install and setup
- Easy to use for coworkers and users
Cons
- Client side end-to-end encryption like CryptPad
- Gallery sync pause on Android/iOS (sometimes I do not want pictures to be synced, there is no option to stop it on iOS or Android, but there is for Desktop)
- Disable allowing every user to see every other user by default (you need to edit the HTML of the start page of Nextcloud in order to disable a feature that allows you to see every other user registered on that platform, for privacy reasons I find this questionable)
- Be able to change user-tags, so far you are just able to change usernames, but not your tag. Every Nextcloud user should be given a UUID which represents their Nextcloud tag, this way users can change it more easily.
- Dark mode not as an experimental feature, but fully integrated and not hidden away under "accessibility features"
Return on Investment
- Spent money once, was able to have a good and reliable cloud for three years, if I had gotten a Google Drive for Business or OneDrive, I would've been dependent on huge corporations (which suffered major outages during the last years), but I wasn't and hence was able to continue delivering to my customers despite most global businesses not being able to.
Purple Squirrel utilizes Nextcloud for scaling startups collaborating remotely
Pros
- Remote collaboration platform with just the right tools.
- Ease of access from any device, anywhere.
- Solid templates for development teams to collaborate without distraction.
Cons
- Nextcloud is new and relatively unknown, but with the features of enterprise solutions.
- I'd like to see a 'vault' feature for sensitive info.
- Potential for CRM use case with contacts.
Return on Investment
- Considerably easier to use than enterprise solutions.
- Even the enterprise for large teams is comparably inexpensive.
- A solid workspace for remote teams available at an instance without download.
Alternatives Considered
Amazon WorkSpaces (VDI), Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and Trello
Other Software Used
Trello, Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Amazon WorkSpaces (VDI)
Nextcloud - Amazing Self-Hosted Web File Storage That's Right Up There With the Big Two
Pros
- Very intuitive interface.
- Superb synchronization agent.
- Integration with AD/LDAP, external file sources, and other tools is top-notch.
- Wide variety of "apps" (plugins).
Cons
- Large PHP single-page layout can be unwieldy.
Return on Investment
- It allowed us access to our files from any device over the internet.
- It helped manage and organize our file sharing with third parties.
- It provided a secure wrapper for accessing files.
Alternatives Considered
ownCloud
