A photographer with 2TB of photos was paying Google One $10/month. Then Google changed its storage policy. Again.
The Cloud Storage Trap
Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud - convenient until they change pricing, scan your files, or shut down a service you depend on.
Nextcloud is a free, self-hosted cloud platform. Files, calendar, contacts, video calls, office documents - all on YOUR server.
What Nextcloud Offers for Free
- File Sync - Desktop and mobile clients, auto-upload photos
- Sharing - Public links, password-protected shares, expiration dates
- Office Suite - Collabora/OnlyOffice integration for docs, sheets, presentations
- Calendar and Contacts - CalDAV/CardDAV, sync with any client
- Video Calls - Built-in Talk app for video conferencing
- Email - Integrated email client
- App Store - 400+ apps: notes, tasks, music, recipes, maps
- E2E Encryption - End-to-end encryption for sensitive folders
Quick Start
docker run -d -p 8080:80 -v nextcloud:/var/www/html nextcloud
Why Self-Host Your Files
| Feature | Nextcloud | Google Workspace | Dropbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage | Unlimited (your disk) | 30GB-5TB | 2GB-3TB |
| Monthly Cost | $5-10 (VPS) | $6-18/user | $10-24/user |
| Data Privacy | Full control | Google scans | Third-party |
| Office Suite | Yes | Yes | Limited |
GitHub: nextcloud/server - 28K+ stars
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