Apps

Nextcloud review — self-hosted cloud for files, calendar and more

Who is this for? Anyone with their own server or NAS who wants to replace Google Drive, Calendar and Contacts without depending on an external service. No server? [Proton Drive](/en/reviews/proton-drive-review/) is the more accessible choice.

Price: Free (self-hosted)
Updated: March 2026

Nextcloud review

Who is this for? Anyone with their own server or NAS who wants to replace Google Drive, Calendar and Contacts without depending on an external service. No server? Proton Drive is the more accessible choice.

Nextcloud is an open-source cloud platform you run on your own server. It replaces Google Drive (files), Google Calendar (calendar), Google Contacts (contacts) and more — without your data sitting at an American tech giant.

What Nextcloud offers

Nextcloud Files: File synchronisation and storage. Desktop sync client for Windows, macOS and Linux. Mobile apps for Android and iOS. Files directly accessible via the web interface.

Nextcloud Calendar: CalDAV server. Sync your calendar with Thunderbird, Apple Calendar, Android apps (DAVx⁵).

Nextcloud Contacts: CardDAV server. Sync contacts with your phone and email client.

Nextcloud Talk: Video calls and messages — built-in, no Zoom or Google Meet needed for simple calls.

Nextcloud Notes: Markdown notes synchronised across devices.

Nextcloud Deck: Kanban board for task management (similar to Trello).

Hosting options

VPS (Virtual Private Server): The most flexible option. Rent a small VPS from a provider such as Hetzner, DigitalOcean or Vultr. Install Nextcloud via Docker or the official installer. Accessible everywhere.

Raspberry Pi or home server: No monthly costs, but dependent on home internet (uptime, bandwidth) and requires opening a port or using Tailscale for external access.

Nextcloud AIO (All-in-One): Docker Compose installation that automatically configures everything including TLS. The fastest way to run a production Nextcloud.

docker run -it \ --name nextcloud-aio-mastercontainer \ --restart always \ -p 80:80 -p 8080:8080 -p 8443:8443 \ nextcloud/all-in-one:latest

Specifications

Property	Value
Type	Self-hosted cloud
Open-source	Yes (AGPLv3)
Hosting	VPS, NAS, Raspberry Pi, home server
Clients	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Encryption	In transit (TLS) + optional server-side encryption
End-to-end encryption	Limited (for selected folders, not the default all-files-encrypted experience)
CalDAV/CardDAV	Yes
Free	Yes — self-hosting only costs server

Comparison with cloud options

	Nextcloud	Proton Drive	Google Drive	Tresorit
Control	Full	Provider	Google	Provider
End-to-end encryption	Limited (experimental)	Yes	No	Yes
Calendar/Contacts	Yes built-in	Via Proton Calendar	Yes	No
Self-hosting	Yes	No	No	No
Monthly cost	Server costs	Paid	Low	High
Technical knowledge	Medium-high	Low	Low	Low

Proton Drive vs Nextcloud: Proton Drive has stronger encryption (zero-knowledge, E2E). Nextcloud gives more features (calendar, contacts, video, notes) but weaker file-encryption guarantees. The tradeoff is encryption strength versus feature breadth.

Encryption — honest about limitations

Nextcloud encrypts files in transit (HTTPS). Server-side encryption encrypts files on your server’s disk — but the server has the keys, so if your server is compromised, the files are readable.

The E2EE feature for selected folders is available, but it is not the standard or smooth default experience in Nextcloud. For complete zero-knowledge cloud storage, Proton Drive or Cryptomator + Nextcloud is often the better choice.

Conclusion: The privacy benefit of Nextcloud lies in control (you manage the server, not Google), not in encryption architecture.

Caveats

Technical knowledge required: Setting up a server, running updates, configuring TLS — not for everyone. Nextcloud AIO simplifies this, but you need to know what Docker is.

Uptime responsibility: If your server goes offline, your files are not accessible. With VPS hosting uptime is good; with home server dependent on your internet connection.

Updates: Nextcloud has active development — updates come regularly. Automatic updates via AIO, but you need to keep up with them.

Pros and cons

Pros

Files, calendar (CalDAV), contacts (CardDAV), video calls, notes, and task management in one self-hosted platform
You manage the server — data is not at Google, Microsoft, or any other third party
Desktop sync client for Windows, macOS, and Linux; mobile apps for Android and iOS
Open-source (AGPLv3), with only infrastructure costs if you self-host

Cons

File encryption is not zero-knowledge by default — the server holds the keys; a compromised server means readable files
End-to-end encryption for files is limited and selective rather than a simple product-wide mode
Setting up a server, running updates, and configuring TLS requires medium-to-high technical knowledge
Uptime and availability depend on your infrastructure — a home server depends on your internet connection

Conclusion

Nextcloud is the most complete open-source replacement for Google Workspace. Files, calendar, contacts, notes, video calls — all under your control on your own server.

The price: you manage the infrastructure yourself. For those who want that, there is no better alternative. For those who don’t, Proton Drive + Proton Calendar is a simpler privacy-friendly option.