head to head · open source
Nextcloud vs Seafile
Nextcloud has 36,828 GitHub stars, 5,222 forks, 3,657 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Seafile has 15,254 stars, 1,677 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped 21 days ago. Nextcloud leads on adoption by 141% (36,828 vs 15,254 stars). Nextcloud is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0; Seafile is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. Nextcloud has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, Seafile 11%. Nextcloud 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
| Nextcloud | Seafile | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 15K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | PHP | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| 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 Seafile if
- You want the Seafile feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and Seafile fits your workflow better
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 →
About Seafile
Seafile is an open source cloud storage system written in C and positioned as a self hosted alternative to Dropbox and Google Drive. It organizes files into libraries, each of which can be synced separately, encrypted with a user chosen password, and shared between users or groups. The project lives in the self hosted file sync and document management ecosystem, where it combines storage, collaboration, knowledge management, and metadata features.
read the full Seafile overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Nextcloud or Seafile more popular?
Nextcloud has 36,828 GitHub stars and Seafile has 15,254. Nextcloud has the larger community by that measure.
Are Nextcloud and Seafile free?
Both are open source. Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and Seafile has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Nextcloud and Seafile?
Nextcloud is written in PHP and Seafile in C. 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 Seafile?
Choose Nextcloud if you want the larger community (36,828 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Seafile if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.