head to head · open source
Nextcloud vs Sync-in
Nextcloud has 36,828 GitHub stars, 5,222 forks, 3,657 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Sync-in has 1,769 stars, 136 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Nextcloud leads on adoption by 1,982% (36,828 vs 1,769 stars). Nextcloud is written in PHP under AGPL-3.0; Sync-in is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Nextcloud has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, Sync-in 8%. Nextcloud was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (collaboration, file-sharing, nextcloud), 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 | Sync-in | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | PHP | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 136 |
| 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 Sync-in if
- You want the Sync-in feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Sync-in 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 Sync-in
Sync in is a self hosted platform for file storage, synchronization, and team collaboration. It lives in the self hosted file management ecosystem, alongside homelab, on premise, and cloud alternative use cases. The project is written in TypeScript and licensed under AGPL 3.0.
read the full Sync-in overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Nextcloud or Sync-in more popular?
Nextcloud has 36,828 GitHub stars and Sync-in has 1,769. Nextcloud has the larger community by that measure.
Are Nextcloud and Sync-in free?
Both are open source. Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sync-in under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Nextcloud and Sync-in?
Nextcloud is written in PHP and Sync-in in TypeScript. 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 Sync-in?
Choose Nextcloud if you want the larger community (36,828 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Sync-in if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.