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Productivity

Free and open-source Dropbox alternatives

Dropbox (Cloud file storage and sync) is a commercial product. These 2 tools do the same job and are free to use or to self-host.
Short answer: the best free alternatives to Dropbox are Nextcloud and Seafile. Self-hosting is free; you pay only for the server (a small VPS is about $4–6/mo). Licenses and prices checked 2026-10-01.
  1. 1
    Nextcloud

    Self-hosted file sync, share and collaboration

    File sync plus calendar and docs; you run the server.

    Open source (AGPL-3.0) ·★ 37k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details

  2. 2
    Seafile

    Open-source file sync and share

    Fast file sync; Pro edition is paid.

    Open source (GPL-2.0 (core)) ·★ 15k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-09-18 · details

Want paid options too? See all Dropbox alternatives or the full free alternatives list. Beyond developer tools, OSS Software lists more open-source Dropbox alternatives.

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Dropbox?+

Yes. Nextcloud and Seafile do the same job for free; Nextcloud and Seafile are open source.

What is the best open-source alternative to Dropbox?+

Nextcloud is the most starred on GitHub (37k stars). File sync plus calendar and docs; you run the server.

Open source: OSI-approved license. Free to self-host: the code is public and free to run yourself, with limits in the license.