Group-Office vs Nextcloud Groupware
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted groupware options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Group-Office | Nextcloud Groupware |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 77 · Good | 64 · Good |
| Category | Groupware | Groupware |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 279 | ★ 1,188 |
| First released | 2003 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace |
What are Group-Office and Nextcloud Groupware?
Group-Office
Group-Office is a PHP-based groupware suite that bundles email, calendar, contacts, file sharing, and project management. The community edition is open source and self-hostable.
- Email, calendar and contacts
- ActiveSync and CalDAV support
- Project and document management
- Modular and extensible
Nextcloud Groupware
Nextcloud Groupware bundles the Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Deck apps to turn a Nextcloud instance into a full collaboration suite. It provides CalDAV and CardDAV synchronization for all clients.
- Integrated mail, calendar and contacts
- CalDAV and CardDAV sync
- Deck kanban boards
- Runs on existing Nextcloud
Group-Office vs Nextcloud Groupware: key differences
Group-Office is written in PHP, while Nextcloud Groupware is built with JavaScript. Group-Office is the more established project (first released 2003), while Nextcloud Groupware arrived in 2016. Nextcloud Groupware has the considerably larger community, at 1,188 GitHub stars versus 279.
Why pick each one
Choose Group-Office if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Watch out for
- Some modules are commercial
- Dated user interface
Choose Nextcloud Groupware if…
- Tight Nextcloud integration
- Standards-based sync
Watch out for
- Requires Nextcloud
- Mail app needs external IMAP
Frequently asked questions
Is Group-Office or Nextcloud Groupware better?
Neither is universally better. Nextcloud Groupware has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Group-Office and Nextcloud Groupware free and open-source?
Yes. Group-Office is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Nextcloud Groupware under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Group-Office and Nextcloud Groupware with Docker?
Group-Office: yes. Nextcloud Groupware: yes.