Self-hosted alternatives to Google Drive
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File sync and sharing you control. The options differ a lot in architecture: full web suites (Nextcloud, ownCloud), a lean file server (Seafile) and server-less peer-to-peer sync (Syncthing).
The options at a glance
| Project | Description (from awesome-selfhosted) | License | GitHub stars | Last update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nextcloud | Access and share your files, calendars, contacts, mail and more from any device, on your terms. | AGPL-3.0 | 37,182 | 2026-10-21 |
| Syncthing | Syncthing is an open source peer-to-peer file synchronisation tool. | MPL-2.0 | 89,564 | 2026-10-20 |
| Seafile | File hosting and sharing solution primary for teams and organizations. | GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0 | 15,353 | 2026-10-16 |
| ownCloud | All-in-one solution for saving, synchronizing, viewing, editing and sharing files, calendars, address books and more. | AGPL-3.0 | 8,837 | 2026-10-21 |
Descriptions, licenses, stars and dates from awesome-selfhosted-data[1] (CC BY-SA 3.0), snapshot 2026-10-21.
Official requirements
| App | RAM (min) | CPU cores (min) | Disk (min) | Containers / services | GitHub stars | License | Spec source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seafile CE | 2 GB | 2 | 10 GB | Docker deployment integrates Seafile, Redis, MariaDB, SeaDoc and Caddy (5 services) | 15,353[1] | GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0, Apache-2.0 | [2] |
| Nextcloud | not published | not published | — | All-in-One: 1 master container that then starts the other containers | 37,182[1] | AGPL-3.0 | [3][4] |
- Seafile CE: 2 GB memory, 2 CPU cores (over 2 GHz recommended), 10 GB free disk (over 50 GB recommended). The Pro edition with Elasticsearch on the same machine needs 4 cores and 4 GB. The Docker deployment bundles Seafile, Redis, MariaDB, SeaDoc and Caddy[2].
- Nextcloud: 128 MB per process minimum, 512 MB recommended; total depends on users, apps and activity[3]. Details: Nextcloud VPS requirements.
- Syncthing syncs directly between your devices (peer-to-peer)[1], so a server is optional — useful as an always-on peer.
Seafile CE plan fit
| Plan | vCPU | RAM | Disk | Price (checked October 2026) | Meets Seafile CE minimum | Meets recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger — KVM 1 | 1 | 4 GB | 50 GB NVMe | $6.49/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $11.99/mo[5] | No | n/a | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 2 | 2 | 8 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $8.79/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $14.99/mo[5] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 4 | 4 | 16 GB | 200 GB NVMe | $12.99/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $28.99/mo[5] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Hostinger — KVM 8 | 8 | 32 GB | 400 GB NVMe | $25.99/mo promo, paid upfront; renews at $49.99/mo[5] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Hetzner — CX23 (Cost-Optimized) | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB NVMe | from €5.99/mo excl. VAT; hourly billing with monthly cap; listed as not available in some locations at check time[6] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute Regular 1 vCPU / 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $5.00/mo[7] | No | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 1 vCPU / 2 GB | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB NVMe | $12.00/mo[7] | No | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute Regular 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $20.00/mo[7] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 2 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $24.00/mo[7] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute High Performance 4 vCPU / 8 GB | 4 | 8 GB | 180 GB NVMe | $48.00/mo[7] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 1 GiB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $6.00/mo GiB as listed[8] | No | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 2 GiB / 1 vCPU | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB SSD | $12.00/mo GiB as listed[8] | No | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 4 GiB / 2 vCPU | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $24.00/mo GiB as listed[8] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 8 GiB / 4 vCPU | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB SSD | $48.00/mo GiB as listed[8] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
| DigitalOcean — Basic 16 GiB / 8 vCPU | 8 | 16 GB | 320 GB SSD | $96.00/mo GiB as listed[8] | Yes | n/a | View plan |
“Meets” is a mechanical comparison of the plan's listed vCPU/RAM/disk against the published figures cited on this page — not a performance test. Your apps, users and data add load on top. GiB (DigitalOcean) and GB are treated as equal here.
For a file server, compare the disk column with the data you'll store; extra block storage is usually priced separately by each provider.
All options: file transfer & synchronization directory.
FAQ
What is the lightest self-hosted Google Drive alternative?
Among options with published numbers, Seafile CE lists 2 GB RAM, 2 cores and 10 GB disk. Syncthing needs no central server at all because it syncs peer-to-peer.
Nextcloud or Seafile?
Nextcloud is a broader suite (files, calendars, contacts, apps); Seafile focuses on file hosting and sharing. Seafile publishes a fixed minimum; Nextcloud publishes memory per process.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- awesome-selfhosted-data (CC BY-SA 3.0) — https://github.com/awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted-data
- Seafile Admin Manual: System requirements — https://manual.seafile.com/latest/setup/system_requirements/
- Nextcloud Admin Manual: System requirements — https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/latest/admin_manual/installation/system_requirements.html
- Nextcloud All-in-One compose.yaml — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nextcloud/all-in-one/main/compose.yaml
- Hostinger VPS hosting pricing — https://www.hostinger.com/vps-hosting
- Hetzner Cloud Cost-Optimized plans — https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/cost-optimized
- Vultr pricing — https://www.vultr.com/pricing/
- DigitalOcean Droplet pricing — https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets