OpenCloud vs Syncthing-Fork

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?
FeatureOpenCloudSyncthing-Fork
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseApache-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguageGoJava
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB128 MB
Deploymentdockerbare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 5,792★ 2,534
First released20252017
ReplacesDropbox, Google DriveDropbox, Google Drive

Why pick each one

Choose OpenCloud if…

  • Modern, fast codebase
  • Lightweight footprint
  • Permissively licensed
OpenCloud details

Choose Syncthing-Fork if…

  • Actively maintained
  • No central server needed
Syncthing-Fork details

Frequently asked questions

Is OpenCloud or Syncthing-Fork better?

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

Are OpenCloud and Syncthing-Fork free and open-source?

Yes. OpenCloud is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Syncthing-Fork under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OpenCloud and Syncthing-Fork with Docker?

OpenCloud: yes. Syncthing-Fork: check the project docs for container support.

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