head to head · open source
Nextcloud vs ffsend
Nextcloud has 37,416 GitHub stars, 5,337 forks, 3,657 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ffsend has 7,423 stars, 207 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 12 months ago. Nextcloud leads on adoption by 404% (37,416 vs 7,423 stars). Nextcloud is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0; ffsend is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. Nextcloud has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, ffsend 3%. Nextcloud was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (file-sharing, hacktoberfest), 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
| Nextcloud | ffsend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | PHP | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2025-11-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 207 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Nextcloud if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ffsend if
- You want the ffsend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and ffsend fits your workflow better
About Nextcloud
Nextcloud Server ☁ A safe home for all your data. Why is this so awesome? 🤩 📁 Access your Data You can store your files, contacts, calendars, and more on a server of your choosing. 🔄 Sync your Data You keep your files, contacts, calendars, and more synchronized amongst your devices. 🙌 Share your Data …by giving others access to the stuff you want them to see or to collaborate with. 🚀 Expandable with hundreds of Apps ...like Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Video Chat and all those you can discover in our App Store 🔒 Security with our encryption mechanisms, HackerOne bounty program and two factor authentication…
read the full Nextcloud overview →
About ffsend
[![Build status on GitLab CI][gitlab ci master badge]][gitlab ci link] [![Newest release on crates.io][crate version badge]][crate link] [![Project license][crate license badge]](LICENSE) [crate license badge]: [crate link]: [crate version badge]: [gitlab ci link]: [gitlab ci master badge]: Notice: the default Send host is provided by [@timvisee][timvisee] (info). Please consider to [donate] and help keep it running. ffsend Easily and securely share files from the command line. A [Send][send] client. Easily and securely share files and directories from the command line through a safe, private and encrypted link…
read the full ffsend overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Nextcloud or ffsend more popular?
Nextcloud has 37,416 GitHub stars and ffsend has 7,423. Nextcloud has the larger community by that measure.
Are Nextcloud and ffsend free?
Both are open source. Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ffsend under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Nextcloud and ffsend?
Nextcloud is written in PHP and ffsend in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Nextcloud or ffsend?
Choose Nextcloud if you want the larger community (37,416 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ffsend if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.