ownCloud 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?
ownCloud
Open-source file sync, share and content collaboration
VS
Syncthing-Fork
Android client wrapper for continuous Syncthing file synchronization
| Feature | ownCloud | Syncthing-Fork |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,831 | ★ 2,534 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Dropbox, Google Drive |
Why pick each one
Choose ownCloud if…
- Mature and stable
- Enterprise features available
- Good admin controls
Frequently asked questions
Is ownCloud or Syncthing-Fork better?
Neither is universally better. ownCloud 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 ownCloud and Syncthing-Fork free and open-source?
Yes. ownCloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Syncthing-Fork under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ownCloud and Syncthing-Fork with Docker?
ownCloud: yes. Syncthing-Fork: check the project docs for container support.