Pydio Cells Sync vs Nextcloud

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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FeaturePydio Cells SyncNextcloud
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageCPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM128 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarydocker, bare-metal, snap
GitHub stars★ 44★ 36,362
First released20192016
ReplacesDropbox, OneDriveDropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365

Why pick each one

Choose Pydio Cells Sync if…

  • Tight Cells integration
  • Cross-platform desktop app
Pydio Cells Sync details

Choose Nextcloud if…

  • Feature-rich and extensible
  • Active development and large community
  • Integrates calendar, contacts and office
Nextcloud details

Frequently asked questions

Is Pydio Cells Sync or Nextcloud better?

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

Are Pydio Cells Sync and Nextcloud free and open-source?

Yes. Pydio Cells Sync is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Nextcloud under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Pydio Cells Sync and Nextcloud with Docker?

Pydio Cells Sync: check the project docs for container support. Nextcloud: yes.

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