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10 top picks · 3 audience rankings

Best open source file sync and storage apps

The best open source file sync and storage app is Syncthing, with 89,175 GitHub stars, the MPL-2.0 license and a Docker image; Puter and Nextcloud are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Syncthing leads for startups, small business, enterprise and home use. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 14 apps in the file sync & storage category of the appsgit catalog.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    Syncthing

    syncthing/syncthing

    Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.

    File Sync & StorageGoDocker

    Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

  2. Rank 2:

    Puter

    HeyPuter/puter

    Web-based operating system designed to be feature-rich, exceptionally fast, and highly extensible.

    File Sync & StorageTypeScriptDocker

    Puter has 43,656 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,363 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox.

  3. Rank 3:

    Nextcloud

    nextcloud/server

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    FeaturedFile Sync & StoragePHP

    Nextcloud has 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

1 of 4 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 14 apps in the file sync & storage category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Syncthing

    Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.

    Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

  2. 2

    Puter

    Web-based operating system designed to be feature-rich, exceptionally fast, and highly extensible.

    Puter has 43,656 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,363 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox.

  3. 3

    Nextcloud

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    Nextcloud has 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

  4. 4

    Cloudreve

    File management and sharing system, supports multiple storage providers.

    Cloudreve has 28,799 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 108 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

  5. 5

    ownCloud

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

    ownCloud has 8,833 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 331 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

  6. 6

    OpenCloud

    File Sharing and Collaboration Platform.

    OpenCloud has 6,095 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,695 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive.

  7. 7

    Seafile

    File hosting and sharing solution primary for teams and organizations.

    Seafile has 15,307 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 39 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox.

  8. 8

    Sync-in

    File storage, syncing, sharing, and collaboration with real-time editing, permission management, and desktop/CLI clients.

    Sync-in has 1,789 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 756 commits in the last year.

  9. 9

    Unison

    Unison is a file-synchronization tool for OSX, Unix, and Windows.

    Unison has 5,513 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 98 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    Peergos

    Secure and private space online where you can store, share and view your photos, videos, music and documents. Also includes a calendar, news feed, task lists, chat and email client.

    Peergos has 2,530 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 1,113 commits in the last year.

2 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for startups

Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Syncthing

    Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.

    Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Puter

    Web-based operating system designed to be feature-rich, exceptionally fast, and highly extensible.

    Puter has 43,656 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,363 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Cloudreve

    File management and sharing system, supports multiple storage providers.

    Cloudreve has 28,799 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 108 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Nextcloud

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    Nextcloud has 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For startups it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    OpenCloud

    File Sharing and Collaboration Platform.

    OpenCloud has 6,095 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,695 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive. For startups it also scores on a Docker image, a permissive license (Apache-2.0), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

3 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for small business and enterprise

Ranked for small business and enterprise (the same order for each) on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Syncthing

    Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.

    Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox, and appsgit has a step-by-step deploy guide for it. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide.

  2. 2

    Puter

    Web-based operating system designed to be feature-rich, exceptionally fast, and highly extensible.

    Puter has 43,656 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,363 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Nextcloud

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    Nextcloud has 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox, and appsgit has a step-by-step deploy guide for it. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide.

  4. 4

    Cloudreve

    File management and sharing system, supports multiple storage providers.

    Cloudreve has 28,799 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 108 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    ownCloud

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

    ownCloud has 8,833 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 331 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days.

4 of 4 · 5 picks

Best for home use

Ranked for home use on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    Syncthing

    Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool.

    Syncthing has 89,175 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 223 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    Puter

    Web-based operating system designed to be feature-rich, exceptionally fast, and highly extensible.

    Puter has 43,656 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,363 commits in the last year; it replaces Dropbox. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Cloudreve

    File management and sharing system, supports multiple storage providers.

    Cloudreve has 28,799 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 108 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Nextcloud

    Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms.

    Nextcloud has 37,003 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 7,289 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For home use it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    ownCloud

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

    ownCloud has 8,833 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 331 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Drive and Dropbox. For home use it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open source file sync and storage app?

The best open source file sync and storage app is Syncthing, with 89,175 GitHub stars, the MPL-2.0 license and a Docker image; Puter and Nextcloud are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Syncthing leads for startups, small business, enterprise and home use. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 14 apps in the file sync & storage category of the appsgit catalog.

Is Syncthing free?

Yes. Syncthing is open-source software released under the MPL-2.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Which open source file sync and storage app is best for a startup?

Syncthing ranks first for startups, with 89,175 GitHub stars, the MPL-2.0 license and a Docker image; Puter and Cloudreve follow. The startups ranking adds points for Docker images, permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits on top of stars and activity.

Which open source file sync and storage app is best for a small business?

Syncthing ranks first for small business, with 89,175 GitHub stars, the MPL-2.0 license and a Docker image; Puter and Nextcloud follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity.

Can I self-host these file sync and storage apps with Docker?

Yes, 6 of the 10 picks. Syncthing, Puter and Cloudreve publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these file sync and storage apps open source?

All 10 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license.

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