ownCloud Web vs Seafile
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?
ownCloud Web
Modern web frontend for ownCloud file sharing
VS
Seafile
High-performance file sync and share with block storage
| Feature | ownCloud Web | Seafile |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 567 | ★ 15,077 |
| First released | 2020 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Dropbox, Google Drive |
Why pick each one
Choose ownCloud Web if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Seafile if…
- Excellent sync performance
- Stable and battle-tested
- Good for large libraries
Frequently asked questions
Is ownCloud Web or Seafile better?
Neither is universally better. Seafile has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ownCloud Web and Seafile free and open-source?
Yes. ownCloud Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Seafile under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ownCloud Web and Seafile with Docker?
ownCloud Web: yes. Seafile: yes.