Nextcloud
Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.
Nextcloud vs Syncthing
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 | Syncthing | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms. | Peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool. |
| GitHub stars | 37,421 | 90,105 |
| Forks | – | 5.6k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 398 |
| Commits (12 months) | 7.7k | 235 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-05 | 2026-11-02 |
| Latest release | v35.0.2 (2026-10-15) | v2.1.7 (2026-10-21) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language / platform | PHP, deb | Go, Docker, deb |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | File Transfer & Synchronization, Groupware | File Transfer & Synchronization |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Syncthing is more popular on GitHub: 90.1k stars vs 37.4k for Nextcloud.
- Nextcloud had more commits in the last 12 months (7,666 vs 235).
- Syncthing published a release more recently (v2.1.7 on 2026-10-21; Nextcloud's latest is v35.0.2 on 2026-10-15).
- Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0, Syncthing under MPL-2.0.
- Nextcloud is written in PHP; Syncthing in Go.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Nextcloud: deb; Syncthing: Docker, deb.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Syncthing (~1 GB server) than Nextcloud (~2 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Nextcloud leads on commit activity; Syncthing leads on GitHub popularity. 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 Syncthing more popular?
Syncthing has more GitHub stars (90,105 vs 37,421 for Nextcloud, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Nextcloud or Syncthing?
Nextcloud had more commits over the last 12 months (7,666 vs 235). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-05 for Nextcloud and 2026-11-02 for Syncthing. Our health labels: Nextcloud is “Active”, Syncthing is “Active”.
What licenses do Nextcloud and Syncthing use?
Nextcloud: AGPL-3.0. Syncthing: MPL-2.0.
Can I run Nextcloud and Syncthing with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Syncthing. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Syncthing
Peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.
Browse all self-hosted File Transfer & Synchronization apps.