CryptPad vs ownCloud

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureCryptPadownCloud
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 7,832★ 8,831
First released20152010
ReplacesGoogle Drive, Microsoft 365Dropbox, Google Drive

Why pick each one

Choose CryptPad if…

  • Strong privacy guarantees
  • Real-time collaboration
  • No account needed to start
CryptPad details

Choose ownCloud if…

  • Mature and stable
  • Enterprise features available
  • Good admin controls
ownCloud details

Frequently asked questions

Is CryptPad or ownCloud better?

Neither is universally better. ownCloud has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are CryptPad and ownCloud free and open-source?

Yes. CryptPad is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ownCloud under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run CryptPad and ownCloud with Docker?

CryptPad: yes. ownCloud: yes.

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