OpenCloud vs SFTPGo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
OpenCloud
Modern open-source file platform from ownCloud team
VS
SFTPGo
Full-featured SFTP, FTP and WebDAV server
| Feature | OpenCloud | SFTPGo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,056 | ★ 12,570 |
| First released | 2025 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Dropbox |
What are OpenCloud and SFTPGo?
OpenCloud
OpenCloud is a modern open-source file sync, share, and collaboration platform built on a microservice architecture. It targets organizations wanting a current, lightweight content collaboration server. It is deployed via Docker Compose.
- Microservice-based architecture
- Web-based collaboration
- Lightweight Go backend
- Compatible desktop clients
SFTPGo
SFTPGo is a configurable file transfer server supporting SFTP, FTP/S, WebDAV, and HTTP access with cloud storage backends. It suits administrators who need secure, multi-protocol file access. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.
- SFTP, FTP, WebDAV and HTTP support
- Cloud storage backends
- Per-user quotas and rules
- Web admin and REST API
OpenCloud vs SFTPGo: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for OpenCloud versus AGPL-3.0 for SFTPGo. SFTPGo is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for OpenCloud. SFTPGo is the more established project (first released 2019), while OpenCloud arrived in 2025. SFTPGo has the considerably larger community, at 12,570 GitHub stars versus 6,056.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCloud if…
- Modern, fast codebase
- Lightweight footprint
- Permissively licensed
Watch out for
- Very new project
- Smaller ecosystem so far
Choose SFTPGo if…
- Multi-protocol in one binary
- Flexible storage backends
- Strong access controls
Watch out for
- No sync client
- Configuration can be complex
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCloud or SFTPGo better?
Neither is universally better. SFTPGo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenCloud and SFTPGo free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCloud is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SFTPGo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCloud and SFTPGo with Docker?
OpenCloud: yes. SFTPGo: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenCloud or SFTPGo?
SFTPGo has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for OpenCloud. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.