Box vs Nextcloud

Box

• Companies that need unlimited storage priced per user
• Teams that send documents for signature from where they are stored
• Organizations connecting storage to Microsoft 365, Salesforce or Slack

Nextcloud

• Organizations that must keep files on servers they control
• Technical users comfortable running a server or a Docker image
• Schools and public bodies with data-sovereignty requirements

Box

• Business and Enterprise plans require a minimum of 3 users.
• File upload size is capped by plan: 250 MB on the free plan, 2 GB on Business Starter, 5 GB on Business and 15 GB on Business Plus.
• Enterprise Plus is sold on annual billing only, and Enterprise Advanced is priced through sales.
• The downloads page lists Box Drive for Mac and Windows only, with no Linux app.

Nextcloud

• Nextcloud does not host data itself: you self-host, sign up with a third-party provider, or use the partner-run Nextcloud One service.
• Enterprise subscriptions are available only from 100 users, with prices in euros per year excluding VAT.
• In Enterprise plans, Talk, Groupware and the office suites are optional components that cost extra.
• Running the free server means handling installation, updates and backups yourself.

Box

Box Drive

A desktop app for Mac and Windows that opens Box files from the computer without taking up much local disk space.

Box Sign

E-signatures are built in: 5 signature requests a month on the free plan, 10 on Business Starter, and unlimited from the Business plan up.

Box AI

Box AI is included from the Business plan. Enterprise adds 1,000 AI Units a month and Box Hubs, and Enterprise Plus raises the allowance to 2,000.

External collaboration

The Business plan charges for each external collaborator, while Business Plus and the Enterprise plans allow an unlimited number.

File version history

The free Individual plan keeps 1 version of each file, Personal Pro keeps 10 and Business Starter keeps 25.

Integrations and API

Box lists more than 1,500 apps and AI agents that connect to it, and paid business plans include a monthly allowance of API calls.

Nextcloud

Nextcloud Files

File sync and share across platforms, internally and with third parties. Desktop clients keep one or more local folders synchronized with the server.

Self-hosting

The server runs on your own hardware or private cloud. Nextcloud GmbH maintains an All-in-One Docker image intended for home or cloud installs.

Nextcloud Talk

Group chat, calls, screen sharing and web conferencing. In Enterprise subscriptions Talk is an optional component at extra cost, listed from 42€ per user / year.

Office document editing

Office documents can be edited together inside Nextcloud through Euro-Office, Collabora Online or Thinkfree Office, each an optional extra in Enterprise plans.

Nextcloud Assistant and Flow

A local AI assistant summarizes email threads, suggests text and translates chat messages, and Flow automates workflows. Both are included in Enterprise Ultimate only.

Enterprise capabilities

SAML authentication, Windows Network Drive support, password policies and audit-ready logging are included in every Enterprise subscription.

Box

• Individual$0

  Single user with 10 GB of storage, a 250 MB file upload limit and 5 Box Sign signature requests per month.

• Business Starter$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)

  Minimum of 3 users: 100 GB of storage, 2 GB file uploads, 25 file versions and 10 Box Sign requests per month.

• Business$15

  per user / month, billed annually ($20 billed monthly)

  Minimum of 3 users: unlimited storage, 5 GB file uploads, Box AI, unlimited e-signatures and 50,000 API calls per month.

• Business Plus$25

  per user / month, billed annually ($33 billed monthly)

  Minimum of 3 users: unlimited storage, 15 GB file uploads and unlimited external collaborators.

• Enterprise$35

  per user / month, billed annually ($47 billed monthly)

  Minimum of 3 users: 50 GB file uploads, 1,000 AI Units per month, Box Hubs and 100,000 API calls per month.

• Enterprise Plus$50

  per user / month, annual billing only

  Minimum of 3 users: 150 GB file uploads, 2,000 AI Units per month and support with 24-hour coverage.

Nextcloud

• Nextcloud serverFree

  Open source server software to host yourself, with free desktop and mobile apps and community support.

• Enterprise Standard71.29€

  per user / year, excl. VAT, starting at 100 users

  Nextcloud Files with enterprise capabilities, a 1-year maintenance life cycle and a 2-business-day reaction time.

• Enterprise Premium104.99€

  per user / year, excl. VAT, starting at 100 users

  Adds a 5+ year maintenance life cycle, 1-business-day reaction time, upgrade stand-by support and support for clustered instances.

• Enterprise Ultimate204.75€

  per user / year, excl. VAT, starting at 100 users

  Adds Nextcloud Assistant, Flow and Whiteboard, reaction times from 1 hour and phone support up to 24/7.

Box

• Annual discount

  About 25% lower with annual billing

  Box's pricing page has a monthly or annual toggle that advertises a saving for paying annually. The listed prices put Business at $15 per user annually against $20 monthly.

Nextcloud

• Other savings

  Lower per-user price from 200 users

  From 200 users the listed Enterprise prices fall to 53.17€ for Standard, 81.99€ for Premium and 183.75€ for Ultimate, per user / year.

• Education

  Education program, priced by quote

  The pricing page lists an Education program for schools, universities and other educational institutes, alongside a Public Sector program. Both are quoted on request.