Nextcloud
Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.
Nextcloud vs Seafile
Two self-hosted File Transfer & Synchronization apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Nextcloud | Seafile | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms. | File hosting and sharing solution primary for teams and organizations. |
| GitHub stars | 37,421 | 15,424 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 7.7k | 39 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-05 | 2026-10-16 |
| Latest release | v35.0.2 (2026-10-15) | v9.0.5 (2024-02-27) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0 |
| Language / platform | PHP, deb | C |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~4 GB, 2 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $20/mo |
| Categories | File Transfer & Synchronization, Groupware | File Transfer & Synchronization, Groupware |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Nextcloud is more popular on GitHub: 37.4k stars vs 15.4k for Seafile.
- Nextcloud had more commits in the last 12 months (7,666 vs 39).
- Nextcloud has more recent repository activity (2026-11-05 vs 2026-10-16).
- Nextcloud published a release more recently (v35.0.2 on 2026-10-15; Seafile's latest is v9.0.5 on 2024-02-27).
- Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0, Seafile under GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0.
- Nextcloud is written in PHP; Seafile in C.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Nextcloud: deb; Seafile: none listed.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Nextcloud (~2 GB server) than Seafile (~4 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Nextcloud leads on GitHub popularity, commit activity and recent activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nextcloud or Seafile more popular?
Nextcloud has more GitHub stars (37,421 vs 15,424 for Seafile, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Nextcloud or Seafile?
Nextcloud had more commits over the last 12 months (7,666 vs 39). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-05 for Nextcloud and 2026-10-16 for Seafile. Our health labels: Nextcloud is “Active”, Seafile is “Active”.
What licenses do Nextcloud and Seafile use?
Nextcloud: AGPL-3.0. Seafile: GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0.
Can I run Nextcloud and Seafile with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Seafile
File hosting and sharing solution primary for teams and organizations.
Browse all self-hosted File Transfer & Synchronization apps or Groupware.