head to head · open source
Seafile vs OpenCloud
Seafile has 15,414 GitHub stars, 1,674 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. OpenCloud has 6,270 stars, 263 forks, 449 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Seafile leads on adoption by 146% (15,414 vs 6,270 stars). Seafile is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence; OpenCloud is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Seafile has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, OpenCloud 4%. OpenCloud was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Seafile | OpenCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 6.3K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C | Go |
| Last push | 2026-10-16 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 263 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Seafile if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenCloud if
- You want the OpenCloud feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and OpenCloud fits your workflow better
About Seafile
Introduction Seafile is an open source cloud storage system with privacy protection and teamwork features. Collections of files are called libraries. Each library can be synced separately. A library can also be encrypted with a user chosen password. Seafile also allows users to create groups and easily sharing files into groups. Beyond sync and share, Seafile provides advanced metadata management features and handy collaboration features. Feature Summary Seafile has the following features: File syncing 1. Selective sync for any folder. 2. Correctly handles file conflicts based on history instead of timestamp. 3…
read the full Seafile overview →
About OpenCloud
Server Backend [!TIP] For general information about OpenCloud and how to install please visit OpenCloud on Github and OpenCloud GmbH. This is the main repository of the OpenCloud server. It contains the golang codebase for the backend services. Getting Involved The OpenCloud server is released under Apache 2.0. The project is thrilled to receive contributions in all forms. Start hacking now, there are many ways to get involved such as: Reporting issues or bugs Requesting features Writing documentation Writing code or extend our tests Reviewing code Helping others in the community Every contribution is meaningful…
read the full OpenCloud overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Seafile or OpenCloud more popular?
Seafile has 15,414 GitHub stars and OpenCloud has 6,270. Seafile has the larger community by that measure.
Are Seafile and OpenCloud free?
Both are open source. Seafile has no licence declared in this registry, and OpenCloud is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Seafile and OpenCloud?
Seafile is written in C and OpenCloud in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Seafile or OpenCloud?
Choose Seafile if you want the larger community (15,414 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose OpenCloud if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.