head to head · open source
copyparty vs Nextcloud
copyparty has 46,729 GitHub stars, 1,905 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Nextcloud has 36,844 stars, 5,227 forks, 3,657 open issues and last shipped yesterday. copyparty leads on adoption by 27% (46,729 vs 36,844 stars). copyparty is written in Python under MIT; Nextcloud is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0. copyparty has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Nextcloud 14%. copyparty was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (file-sharing), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| copyparty | Nextcloud | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 37K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 5.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick copyparty if
- You weight community size — 47K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Nextcloud if
- You want the Nextcloud feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Nextcloud fits your workflow better
About copyparty
copyparty is a portable file server that turns almost any device into a file server with resumable uploads and downloads through any web browser, built for self hosters, homelab operators, NAS owners and anyone who wants to share files directly from their own hardware.
read the full copyparty overview →
About Nextcloud
Nextcloud is a self hosted cloud collaboration platform built in PHP, licensed under AGPL 3.0. It enables organizations and individuals to store, synchronize, and share files, contacts, calendars, and other data on infrastructure they control, replacing reliance on third party cloud services. The project lives in the open source cloud software ecosystem and serves as a decentralized alternative to proprietary suites like Dropbox, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365.
read the full Nextcloud overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or Nextcloud more popular?
copyparty has 46,729 GitHub stars and Nextcloud has 36,844. copyparty has the larger community by that measure.
Are copyparty and Nextcloud free?
Both are open source. copyparty is licensed under MIT and Nextcloud under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between copyparty and Nextcloud?
copyparty is written in Python and Nextcloud in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, copyparty or Nextcloud?
Choose copyparty if you want the larger community (46,729 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Nextcloud if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.