Nextcloud vs Pomf

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureNextcloudPomf
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0MIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB64 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, snapbare-metal
GitHub stars★ 36,362★ 922
First released20162015
ReplacesDropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365WeTransfer, Imgur

Why pick each one

Choose Nextcloud if…

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

Choose Pomf if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in PHP
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Pomf details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nextcloud or Pomf better?

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

Are Nextcloud and Pomf free and open-source?

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

Can I run Nextcloud and Pomf with Docker?

Nextcloud: yes. Pomf: check the project docs for container support.

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