HortusFox 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.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureHortusFoxNextcloud
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicensefreeAGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, one-clickdocker, bare-metal, snap
GitHub stars★ 1,604★ 36,362
First released20222016
ReplacesDropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365

Why pick each one

Choose HortusFox if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
HortusFox details

Choose Nextcloud if…

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

Frequently asked questions

Is HortusFox or Nextcloud better?

Neither is universally better. Nextcloud has the larger community, while HortusFox is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are HortusFox and Nextcloud free and open-source?

Yes. HortusFox is licensed under free and Nextcloud under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run HortusFox and Nextcloud with Docker?

HortusFox: yes. Nextcloud: yes.

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