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File Transfer & Synchronization

Open source alternatives to Google Drive

Google Drive keeps your files on Google's servers alongside Docs, Gmail and Calendar. The tools here put file sync on a server you run, and the real decision is how much else you want beside it. Nextcloud is the broad suite, with files, calendars, contacts, mail and an app catalogue, over 37,000 GitHub stars and an AGPL-3.0 licence; it suits a household or team replacing several Google services at once. ownCloud covers files, calendars and address books over WebDAV, CalDAV and CardDAV, and ships a Docker image. Cozy Cloud is a personal cloud for files, notes, contacts and passwords. bewCloud is the lightweight choice, with file sync, notes and photos, built with Deno and run with Docker Compose. Seafile is built for teams that sync separate libraries of files, though its last tagged release is old, which pulls its health score down. FileRun is proprietary and listed for comparison only. Whichever you pick, storage, backups and updates are yours to run.

updated Oct 2026 6 alternatives best health 96 ★ 64k combined 3,033 commits / 90d 2 with Docker

Top picks to replace Google Drive

  • Healthiest

    ownCloud

    Health 96/100: 94 commits in 90 days, latest release v10.16.6, Docker image available.

  • Most starred

    Nextcloud

    37,351 stars, the biggest community among Google Drive alternatives.

  • Permissive licence

    Seafile

    GPL-2.0, so you can fork or embed it without publishing changes; health 36/100.

Licence family

Showing 6 of 6 tools

All 6 Google Drive alternatives, ranked by health

  • Top pick · highest health

    ownCloud

    All-in-one solution for saving, synchronizing, viewing, editing and sharing files, calendars, address books and more.

    ★ 8.8k⟳ todayv10.16.6AGPL-3.0

    DockerPHPdeb
  • Nextcloud

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and [more](https://apps.nextcloud.com/) from any device, on your terms.

    ★ 37k⟳ todayv33.0.10AGPL-3.0

    PHPdeb
  • Cozy Cloud

    Personal cloud where you can manage and sync your files, notes, contacts, passwords, and documents.

    ★ 1.3k⟳ yesterday1.6.66GPL-3.0

    Nodejs
  • bewCloud

    File sharing + sync, notes, and photos (alternative to Nextcloud and ownCloud's RSS reader).

    ★ 1.2k⟳ 12 days agov4.21.0AGPL-3.0

    Docker
  • Seafile

    File hosting and sharing solution primary for teams and organizations.

    ★ 15k⟳ 14 days agov9.0.5GPL-2.0

    C

Google Drive alternatives compared

We track 6 open-source Google Drive alternatives, of which 4 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 2 ship a Docker image. ownCloud leads on health at 96/100 with 94 commits in the last 90 days; across all 6 projects you are choosing between AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0, GPL-2.0 and 2 other licences.

ownCloud edges Nextcloud 96 to 88, and most of the difference is Docker support: a Docker image against no Docker image. Nextcloud is the busier codebase, though, with 2,445 commits in 90 days to 94. Nextcloud has the largest following at 37k stars, yet ranks #2 of 6, held back mostly by Docker support (no Docker image).

The most recent release is Cozy Cloud 1.6.66, published 8 days ago. Seafile scores under 40, so check recent activity before adopting it. By stack, PHP (3), C (1) and Nodejs (1) are the most common. Seafile is permissively licensed; ownCloud, Nextcloud, Cozy Cloud and 1 more are copyleft. FileRun is source-available rather than open source, which limits commercial reuse. FileRun is not hosted on a forge Repoly can read, so it has no measured score yet.

Open source alternatives to Google Drive by health, stars, licence and last commit
Tool Health Stars Last commit Licence Self-hosting Best for
ownCloud Health 96 on 11 Sep, 96 nowSteady at 96 since 11 Sep 96 8.8k today AGPL-3.0 Docker image Long-term use: health 96/100
Nextcloud Health 88 on 11 Sep, 88 nowSteady at 88 since 11 Sep 88 37k today AGPL-3.0 Manual (PHP) Community size: 37k stars
Cozy Cloud Health 82 on 27 Sep, 82 nowSteady at 82 since 27 Sep 82 1.3k yesterday GPL-3.0 Manual (Nodejs) Fast development: 466 commits in 90 days
bewCloud Health 77 on 11 Sep, 81 nowUp 4 points since 11 Sep 81 1.2k 12 days ago AGPL-3.0 Docker image Fresh releases: v4.21.0, 12 days ago
Seafile Health 42 on 11 Sep, 36 nowDown 6 points since 11 Sep, no release for 32 months 36 15k 14 days ago GPL-2.0 Manual (C) Check activity first: health 36/100
FileRun 10 0 unknown ⊘ Proprietary Manual (PHP) Not measured: proprietary, no public code

How to choose a Google Drive alternative

  • Want the project most likely to keep shipping? Start with ownCloud: health 96/100 and 94 commits in the last 90 days.
  • Building it into a commercial product? ownCloud is AGPL-3.0; Seafile (GPL-2.0, health 36) lets you modify and ship it without publishing your changes.
  • Want the quickest install? ownCloud and bewCloud ship a Docker image; the others install by hand on their own stack.
  • Planning to patch or extend it? Match your stack: PHP (ownCloud and Nextcloud), C (Seafile), Nodejs (Cozy Cloud).
  • FileRun has no score because it is proprietary, so judge it on the project's own site.
  • The score measures maintenance, not features: shortlist two and try them with your own data before you migrate.

Google Drive alternatives: common questions

Is there an open source Google Drive alternative on GitHub?

Yes. 5 of the 6 Google Drive alternatives we track are on GitHub, led by ownCloud (github.com/owncloud/core, health 96/100, 8.8k stars) and Nextcloud (github.com/nextcloud/server, health 88/100). FileRun is proprietary, with no public repository. Each tool page links its repository and shows the health score we recompute from it every night.

What is the most maintained open source alternative to Google Drive?

ownCloud scores highest at 96/100, with 94 commits in the last 90 days, 8.8k stars on GitHub and its latest release (v10.16.6) published 24 days ago. Nextcloud has the most raw commit activity at 2445 commits in 90 days.

Which Google Drive alternatives run in Docker?

2 of 6 publish a Docker image or Compose file: ownCloud, bewCloud. Docker support contributes 10 of the 100 available health points, because it is the clearest signal that self-hosting is a supported path rather than an afterthought.

Is ownCloud or Nextcloud the better Google Drive alternative?

On measured health ownCloud leads, 96 to 88. ownCloud has 94 commits in 90 days, 8.8k stars and v10.16.6 from 24 days ago; Nextcloud has 2,445 commits in 90 days, 37k stars and v33.0.10 from 15 days ago. Nextcloud is ahead on stars, so it is the stronger pick if that is what you weigh most.

Which Google Drive alternatives use a permissive licence?

1 of 6 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): Seafile (GPL-2.0). 4 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.