Both let you run your own file-sync cloud for free: ownCloud's Community edition is free, open source and has unlimited users, and Nextcloud offers its server software as a download for your own hardware, with no price on its install page. The split comes at paid support, where Nextcloud Enterprise starts at 100 users and ownCloud Enterprise at 25.
These two look alike because they share a past. Nextcloud's own history page says it was started in June 2016 by Frank Karlitschek and Niels Mache, and it lists press coverage with headlines like "NextCloud Revives ownCloud's Open Source Cloud Storage Software". According to each company's own site, as of Nov 2026, they're separate products with different owners, different editions and different paid tiers. If you're self-hosting, the first question is cost, so that's where this starts.
That shared past is a fork. In April 2016 Frank Karlitschek and most of ownCloud's core contributors left ownCloud Inc., and he and many of them went on to fork ownCloud, creating Nextcloud, as Nextcloud's Wikipedia entry records.
What self-hosting costs, edition by edition
| Edition | Where it runs | Users | Price stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| ownCloud Community | Your server, self-managed | Unlimited | Free, 100% open source |
| ownCloud Standard | On-premises | From 25 users | Contact sales; annual commitment |
| ownCloud Enterprise | On-premises or custom subscription | From 25 users | Not listed; 30-day free trial |
| ownCloud.online for single users | Hosted in Germany | 1 to 4 users | Not listed; 14-day free trial |
| ownCloud.online for teams | Hosted in Germany | From 5 users | Not listed; 14-day free trial |
| Nextcloud server | Your server or private cloud | Not stated | No price on the install page |
| Nextcloud at a provider | Partner provider | Single user | Free account, 2 or more GB |
| Nextcloud Enterprise Standard | Your infrastructure | From 100 users | 71.29€ per user/year |
| Nextcloud Enterprise Premium | Your infrastructure | From 100 users | 104.99€ per user/year |
| Nextcloud Enterprise Ultimate | Your infrastructure | From 100 users | 204.75€ per user/year |
So for a small team happy to run its own server, neither vendor lists a fee for the self-hosted software. You pay in hardware and time. Nextcloud's install page also offers an all-in-one Docker image maintained by Nextcloud GmbH for home or cloud setups, and points people who want no server at all towards providers giving 2 or more GB on a free single-user account.
Where the paid tiers differ
ownCloud's paid on-premises editions both start at 25 users with an annual commitment, billed yearly. Standard includes 9x5 email support with a 2-hour reaction time and a commercial licence for core and Enterprise modules. Enterprise adds 12x5 global email and phone support, also with a 2-hour reaction time, pro features in the desktop and mobile apps, and custom branding on demand. Its hosted ownCloud.online plan for teams includes 1,000GB of storage plus 200GB per additional user, 180 days of file recovery, multi-factor authentication and end-to-end encryption. For large deployments or education, ownCloud quotes individual pricing starting at €1,85 per user per year.
Nextcloud Enterprise starts at 100 users, and the per-user price drops at 200 users to 53.17€ for Standard, 81.99€ for Premium and 183.75€ for Ultimate per year. Some extras depend on the tier. Nextcloud Assistant, described as a local AI assistant that summarises email threads and translates chat, is included only on Ultimate, as are the Slack, Miro and Notion integrations. Nextcloud Whiteboard isn't in Standard, is an optional extra cost on Premium and is included on Ultimate. Office suites like Collabora Online and Thinkfree Office are optional, at extra cost on some tiers. Nextcloud-branded iOS, Android and desktop apps are free.
What you get beyond files
This is where they've drifted furthest apart. Nextcloud now sells itself as a full workspace, Nextcloud Hub, with Talk for chat and calls, Office for documents, a PDF editor for fillable forms, and Tables for structured data such as staff time off. Its Smart Picker links to content anywhere in your Nextcloud, from a kanban card to a calendar event. If you're thinking about how shared tools like these support your marketing work in the cloud, that breadth matters.
ownCloud stays closer to file sync and share. Its Web Office connects to OnlyOffice, Microsoft 365, Collabora Online and Microsoft Office Online, and its feature list includes Windows Network Drive integration for SMB or Samba file servers without a VPN. Its newer platform, Infinite Scale, is built as a three-tier architecture separating storage, backend and frontend. It's positioned for organisations with high data governance requirements.
Governance and licence: the part people miss
Here's the catch. ownCloud's own site now describes the Kiteworks Open Source Program Office as the body responsible for its open-source strategy, governance, licensing and community health. It's led by a Kiteworks vice president and operates under the ownCloud brand. So when you pick ownCloud, the open-source roadmap sits with Kiteworks. That's not bad in itself, but you should know whose decisions you're relying on.
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Nextcloud's pricing page states that the AGPL licence applies, which it says gives legal certainty for customers and users, and its about page says it uses and supports open standards wherever possible and works in the open with a broad community. Nextcloud GmbH is the company behind it. Neither project's pages spell out how their licences differ from each other in detail, so if licence terms matter to your legal team, read both licence texts in full.
My pick
For a small business that wants a free, self-hosted Dropbox replacement plus chat and documents, Nextcloud. The downloadable server, the workspace apps and the Docker image make it the easier start. If you mainly need secure file sharing, already run Microsoft file servers, or want hosted storage in Germany with a small team minimum, ownCloud is worth a serious look. Either way, plan who'll patch and back up the server; a cloud management suite can help keep that under control.
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Quick answers
Is Nextcloud a fork of ownCloud?
Nextcloud was started in June 2016 by Frank Karlitschek and Niels Mache, and its own about page lists press coverage describing it as reviving ownCloud's open-source software.
Is ownCloud free?
ownCloud's Community edition is free, self-managed, 100% open source and allows unlimited users.
How much does Nextcloud Enterprise cost?
As of Nov 2026, Nextcloud Enterprise starts at 100 users, at 71.29€, 104.99€ or 204.75€ per user per year for Standard, Premium and Ultimate.
Who runs ownCloud now?
ownCloud's site says the Kiteworks Open Source Program Office is responsible for its open-source strategy, governance and licensing.
