head to head · open source
syncthing vs OpenCloud
syncthing has 90,019 GitHub stars, 5,584 forks, 388 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenCloud has 6,270 stars, 263 forks, 449 open issues and last shipped yesterday. syncthing leads on adoption by 1,336% (90,019 vs 6,270 stars). syncthing is written in Go under MPL-2.0; OpenCloud is written in Go under Apache-2.0. syncthing has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, OpenCloud 4%. syncthing 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
| syncthing | OpenCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 6.3K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.6K | ⑂ 263 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick syncthing if
- You weight community size — 90K stars and counting
- You want the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- 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 syncthing
[![Syncthing][14]][15] Goals Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program . It synchronizes files between two or more computers. We strive to fulfill the goals below. The goals are listed in order of importance, the most important ones first. This is the summary version of the goal list for more commentary, see the full [Goals document][13]. Syncthing should be: 1. Safe From Data Loss Protecting the user's data is paramount. We take every reasonable precaution to avoid corrupting the user's files. 2. Secure Against Attackers Again, protecting the user's data is paramount. Regardless of our other goals…
read the full syncthing 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 syncthing or OpenCloud more popular?
syncthing has 90,019 GitHub stars and OpenCloud has 6,270. syncthing has the larger community by that measure.
Are syncthing and OpenCloud free?
Both are open source. syncthing is licensed under MPL-2.0 and OpenCloud under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between syncthing and OpenCloud?
syncthing is written in Go 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, syncthing or OpenCloud?
Choose syncthing if you want the larger community (90,019 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose OpenCloud if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.