Nextcloud
Open-source self-hosted platform for file sync, sharing, calendars, contacts and collaboration.
Liked as a self-hosted way to sync files, calendars and contacts that users control1234, and as a WebDAV sync backend for apps like KeePass and Zotero.567 The most common complaint is that it feels slow and bloated89101112, with a dated UI and maintenance hassles also mentioned.13141516
Why people recommend it
All-in-one sync · 3
One server handles file syncing, file shares, contacts and calendars.
“A Nextcloud can give you many things at once, file syncing, file shares, contact syncing, calendar syncing, etc.”
“I use Nextcloud for files/contacts/calendar/etc. as well”
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“I use quite a few Nextcloud features where access via tailscale is either inconvenient or impossible.”
WebDAV backend · 3
Used as the sync layer for KeePass databases, Zotero storage and phone backups.
“I use nextcloud to sync my own keepass database across my devices.”
“I use a nextcloud server for mine and my partner's zotero storage, and its entirely trivial to set up.”
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“my Nextcloud WebDav Server”
Data ownership · 3
Commenters value owning their storage and replacing Google Drive or iCloud.
“Contacts, calendar, passwords and photos that I control. I recommend the same to others”
“I'm going to say that I love NC despite its slow performance.”
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“I use the PhoneTrack app[1] with Nextcloud.”
Stable when maintained · 3
Some long-time users report years of use with few problems.
“I've never had real problems with it, and it wasn't for lack of trying.”
“I haven't touched my nextcloud installation in maybe 9 months and I've been running it for about 1.5 years.”
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“my private instance works great and does everything I need it to. But I keep it behind a VPN.”
Clients and apps · 2
Client support is described as very good, and apps like PhoneTrack are praised.
“Nextcloud's client support is very good though and it has some great apps”
“I use the PhoneTrack app[1] with Nextcloud.”
Managed hosting · 3
Hosted options such as Hetzner Storage Share let users skip running their own server.
“A Nextcloud can give you many things at once, file syncing, file shares, contact syncing, calendar syncing, etc.”
“You can have hosted Nextcloud on Hetzner, with Headscale, email server, Vaultwarden, and Wordpress”
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“paid someone that provides managed Nextcloud hosting or whatever”
Caveats and dissent
Slow and bloated · 3
Many find the web UI sluggish, even on powerful hardware.
“I left nextcloud because how slow it felt even on my beefy server.”
“even when cached NextCloud feels sluggish”
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“Nextcloud is way too bloated for just browsing and sharing files on a disk.”
Dated, clunky UI · 3
Commenters call the interface outdated, and one company says staff disliked its docs editor.
“I love Nextcloud but I feel like they should really completely redo their UI.”
“We used to have a self-hosted Nextcloud and everyone hated the docs in it.”
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“Nextcloud is a mess. It tries to do everything.”
Upkeep and bugs · 3
Users report PHP incompatibilities, frequent upgrade nags, add-ons that break on updates, and bugs.
“I eventually gave up on self hosting Nextcloud because of incompatibilities with PHP(-FPM)”
“I use it, but it constantly nags me about some software upgrade I need to do.”
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“I keep it disabled due to tons of bugs in nextcloud itself.”
Reliability · 2
Some warn against relying on it, citing failed uploads and general unreliability.
“Nextcloud is fairly unreliable.”
“Nextcloud is a mess. It tries to do everything.”
Security surface · 2
Some users keep it behind a VPN because it has many parts exposed to attack.
“my private instance works great and does everything I need it to. But I keep it behind a VPN.”
“I love nextcloud and have been using it for years.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Nextcloud Hub 26 Spring: Built together, designed for the future 8 mentions
- Why Nextcloud feels slow to use 4 mentions
- Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7? 3 mentions
- Apple Defeats Liability for Not Scanning iCloud for CSAM 2 mentions
- GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple 2 mentions
- Today, we hacked what we'd set out to hack: the iPhone 1 mention
Data: nextcloud.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 46
“Contacts, calendar, passwords and photos that I control. I recommend the same to others”
“No, we use Nextcloud for docs and most storage”
“I use nextcloud to sync my own keepass database across my devices.”
“Nextcloud, OnlyOffice, Kanboard: for productivity”
“languagetool, nextcloud, hister, syncthing, restic backups, vaultwarden, windmill”
“I use the free-tier Oracle server, but: Nextcloud.”
“I use a nextcloud server for mine and my partner's zotero storage, and its entirely trivial to set up.”
“I sync the folders using Nextcloud”
“Finally something that is not nextcloud”
Can’t you just open a folder inside your Dropbox folders? Then it should just sync, right? (That’s how I use zettlr, but with nextcloud instead of Dropbox.)
“Nextcloud (Cloud Storage alternative)”
“Nextcloud is way too bloated for just browsing and sharing files on a disk.”
“I haven't touched my nextcloud installation in maybe 9 months and I've been running it for about 1.5 years.”
“I use it, but it constantly nags me about some software upgrade I need to do.”
“NextCloud”
“VPN to my home server so i can access Plex, Nextcloud etc via my domain name”
“my Nextcloud WebDav Server”
“Nextcloud is fairly unreliable.”
“I back up files to my own cloud with a Nextcloud integration for Android.”
“The primary storage mechanism is .md files stored as Notes in Nextcloud”
“I do use NextCloud, for instance (which, BTW, is fairly painful for some of the reasons I listed above)”
“I've never had real problems with it, and it wasn't for lack of trying.”
“I use Nextcloud and WebDAV for access.”
“it works well with my own nextcloud”
“Some European governments and municipalities have switched to it.”
“I use quite a few Nextcloud features where access via tailscale is either inconvenient or impossible.”
“I remember when Nextcloud moved from a drop-down menu for the apps to listing them all out separately on the header bar”
“my private instance works great and does everything I need it to. But I keep it behind a VPN.”
“I love nextcloud and have been using it for years.”
“I left nextcloud because how slow it felt even on my beefy server.”
“I use the PhoneTrack app[1] with Nextcloud.”
“I love Nextcloud but I feel like they should really completely redo their UI.”
“I eventually gave up on self hosting Nextcloud because of incompatibilities with PHP(-FPM)”
“I am now adding Nextcloud and moving calendar offline”
“This looks really cool and more modern than Nextcloud.”
“I use some apps that talk to my local network - omnifocus, nextcloud.”
“From nextcloud (private) to https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-storage.”
“A Nextcloud can give you many things at once, file syncing, file shares, contact syncing, calendar syncing, etc.”
“You can have hosted Nextcloud on Hetzner, with Headscale, email server, Vaultwarden, and Wordpress”
“Most platforms like Nextcloud focus on file storage, email, documents and video conference”
“client for personal NextCloud server; this app is used primarily for file sync”
“I am getting tired of DDOSing myself whenever I open the wrong menu on Nextcloud.”
“We used to have a self-hosted Nextcloud and everyone hated the docs in it.”
“I use Nextcloud for files/contacts/calendar/etc. as well”
“Nextcloud is a mess. It tries to do everything.”
“even when cached NextCloud feels sluggish”