I need to find a good open source replacement for Google Drive and Google Docs. I have a bunch of Google documents and Microsoft Office files that I want to keep editing and working with. I’ve been looking into NextCloud and OnlyOffice since people recommend them a lot, but I’m having trouble figuring out what NextCloud actually costs.
I use both Android phones and Linux computers, so I need something that works well on both platforms. From what I can tell, NextCloud seems more focused on business users rather than regular people like me.
Does anyone know of other free and open source options that might work better for individual users? I just want something simple where I can store my files in the cloud and edit documents from different devices.
nextcloud’s actually free if you host it yourself - that confusing pricing is just for their managed service. i’ve had it running on a raspberry pi for months and it’s been solid with onlyoffice. the android app syncs perfectly and handles all my old google docs no problem.
I transitioned away from Google Workspace two years ago and started using Seafile in combination with Collabora Online. This setup has proven to be highly effective for personal use, and I found the installation process to be much simpler than I anticipated. Seafile offers reliable syncing on both Android and Linux platforms, and its web interface is both straightforward and responsive. It manages larger files more efficiently than many other options I’ve tried. While Collabora may not match the smoothness of Google Docs, it adequately supports .docx and .odt formats. I host it on a VPS that costs $5 monthly, but a home server could serve you well if your internet connection is stable. The entire configuration took me just one weekend, and since then, it has required minimal maintenance.
CryptPad’s pretty solid if you want browser-only editing without the self-hosting headache. I switched six months ago after getting sick of server maintenance. Handles most document formats well and the real-time collaboration works great. Takes a bit to get used to compared to Google Docs, but syncs everywhere without extra apps. Free tier’s storage is pretty limited though - you’ll probably need to pay if you’ve got lots of files. Disroot’s another option with free hosted open source tools including docs, but their servers get sluggish during busy times.
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