Nextcloud

Score8.3 out of 10

45 Reviews and Ratings

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

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Screenshot of Nextcloud Hub

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: 8.4
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: 8.8
Audio files
Supports audio file types, such as .mp3, .mp4, and .wav
Category average: 8.3

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: 8.7
Performance
Platform runs at a good speed on all browsers; files load and sync quickly.
Category average: 8.6

Robert Hrovat View profile

Head of IT department in Information Technology at Slovenian Press Agency (51-200 employees employees)

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

Joseph Brower View profile

Owner and Lead Developer in Information Technology at Binary Cocoa (1-10 employees employees)

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

Erik Uden

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) in Information Technology at Uden AI (1-10 employees employees)

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.

🐿 Matthew Karsten View profile

Purple Squirrel Media in Corporate at Purple Squirrel Media (1-10 employees employees)

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)

Joe Foran View profile

Director Of Information Technology and HIPAA Privacy Officer in Information Technology at Continuum of Care (501-1000 employees employees)

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

Dropbox

Progress ShareFile

AvePoint Cloud Backup, on confidence platform

Nextcloud

What is Nextcloud?

Categories & Use Cases

Media

Key Features

Top Performing Features

Device sync

Device management

Audio files

Areas for Improvement

Document collaboration

User and role management

Performance

Reviews

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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Cons

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Usability

Alternatives Considered

Other Software Used

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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Return on Investment

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Other Software Used

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Pros

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Return on Investment

Pros

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Return on Investment

Alternatives Considered

Other Software Used

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Return on Investment

Alternatives Considered

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