OpenCloud vs Spacedrive
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
Spacedrive
Cross-platform file explorer powered by a virtual distributed filesystem
| Feature | OpenCloud | Spacedrive |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,056 | ★ 39,022 |
| First released | 2025 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Google Drive, Dropbox |
What are OpenCloud and Spacedrive?
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
Spacedrive
Spacedrive is an open-source, cross-platform file manager written in Rust, built around a virtual distributed filesystem (VDFS). It indexes and organizes files across multiple devices and storage locations from a single native app.
- Virtual distributed filesystem
- Indexes files across devices
- Cross-platform native app
OpenCloud vs Spacedrive: key differences
OpenCloud is written in Go, while Spacedrive is built with Rust. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for OpenCloud versus AGPL-3.0 for Spacedrive. Spacedrive is the more established project (first released 2022), while OpenCloud arrived in 2025. Spacedrive has the considerably larger community, at 39,022 GitHub stars versus 6,056. OpenCloud lists first-class Docker deployment; Spacedrive does not.
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 Spacedrive if…
- Unified multi-device view
- Modern Rust core
- Cross-platform clients
Watch out for
- Still beta quality
- Sync features incomplete
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCloud or Spacedrive better?
Neither is universally better. Spacedrive has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenCloud and Spacedrive free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCloud is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Spacedrive under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCloud and Spacedrive with Docker?
OpenCloud: yes. Spacedrive: check the project docs for container support.