Filestash vs Nextcloud (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Nextcloud grades higher than Filestash: 3.2 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Nextcloud grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Filestash
Web file manager that fronts S3, SFTP, WebDAV and other storage
Nextcloud
Open source, self-hosted file sync and collaboration platform
Which one is for you
Pick Filestash if
- Fits if you already have S3 or SFTP storage and want a friendly web layer
- Works for a developer who wants it free for up to 3 users
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you need storage itself, since Filestash does not provide any
- Skip it if you are a company on the free edition, as it is for 3 users under the AGPL terms
- Watch out: SSO and role control start at $50 a month
- Watch out: the pricing FAQ mentions plans from $750 a month that do not match the table
Pick Nextcloud if
- Fits if your files have to stay on a server you control, as at a school or public body with data rules
- Works for technical people who are happy running a server or a Docker image
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you just want to sign up and start syncing, as Nextcloud doesn't host your data itself
- Not for you if nobody on hand can look after installs, updates and backups
- Tight if you're a small team wanting official support, since Enterprise subscriptions start at 100 users
- Pricey if you want Talk, groupware or the office suites under Enterprise, as they cost extra there
- Watch out: Enterprise prices are in euros per user per year before VAT, from 71.29€
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFilestashFair | 3.2GPANextcloudVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CHobby cloud is $6 a month, just over the cheapest quarter's $4.75. Self-served is $50 for 3 seats and Enterprise $290. | AThe server software is free under the AGPL, and so are the desktop and phone apps, in a category whose middle plan is $5 a month per person for ever. You supply the server. The paid Enterprise subscriptions buy support, and they start at 100 users from 71.29€ a user a year before VAT. |
| Free plan and trial | BSelf-hosted Hobby is free for up to 3 users, with a trial on paid plans. You host it yourself. | AFree outright, not a plan with walls: the whole server, every app and community support, with no user cap and no feature held back for payers. There's an instant online trial too, if you want a look before installing anything. |
| Features | CA front end and gateways over other storage, with no storage of its own. SSO and roles are paid. | BSync and share, Talk for chat and calls, groupware, and documents edited together through Collabora or Euro-Office. Two things in the listing hold it back, though: Nextcloud hosts nothing for you, and in Enterprise plans Talk, groupware and the office suites cost extra. |
| Ease of use | DThe free version is self-hosted. No store rating on record. | DYou host it yourself, which is the definition of a hard start: installation, updates and backups are yours, even with the All-in-One Docker image to lean on. The iPhone app's 4.7 from about 10,400 ratings is about the app, not the server behind it. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, with S3, SFTP, WebDAV, Dropbox, Google Drive and SSO. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, the full set, and it talks to Collabora Online, Euro-Office, Thinkfree Office, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft's Office Online Server. |
| Best for | one web front end over S3, SFTP and SMB storage | running your own file sync on your own server |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Filestash and Nextcloud. How we grade
Price against what you get
Filestash starts at $6 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Nextcloud starts at about $6.64 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Nextcloud scores higher, and starts $0.64 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 17 score higher than Filestash for less, and 11 score higher than Nextcloud for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Filestash also covers workflow automation.
- Nextcloud also covers video calls.
At a glance
| Filestash | Nextcloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6 per month (Hobby, cloud-hosted) | 71.29€ per user / year, excl. VAT (from 100 users) |
| Free plan | Hobby self-hosted under AGPL v3 is free, for up to 3 users. | The Nextcloud server software is free to download and self-host under the AGPL license, and the Nextcloud desktop and mobile apps are free. |
| Free trial | Free trial offered on paid plans | Nextcloud Enterprise can be tried for free, and an instant online trial is offered |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Filestash | Nextcloud GmbH |
| Price read from | filestash.app | nextcloud.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Filestash
- It is a front end to other storage; Filestash does not provide the storage itself.
- The free Hobby edition is limited to 3 users and needs commercial licensing for company use beyond AGPL terms.
- The pricing page's FAQ also mentions plans starting at $750 per month, which does not match the table.
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.
Key features
Filestash
- Bring your own storage
- Connects to S3, SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, SMB, NFS, Azure Blob, Dropbox, Google Drive, Storj and others through one interface.
- Gateways
- Exposes stored files through SFTP, S3, WebDAV, FTP or MCP so existing tools can reach them.
- On-demand sync
- Desktop and mobile apps create a folder that syncs to your storage and other devices.
- Workflow engine and plugins
- Chains actions on events, with more than 150 plugins listed by the vendor.
- SSO and access control
- Supports LDAP, SAML and OIDC sign-in, with role-based access on paid plans.
- Audit and white-labeling
- Audit logs and white-label branding are listed on the Enterprise plan.
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.
Plans
Filestash
Hobby (self-hosted)$0
Open source AGPL v3 edition you host yourself, for up to 3 users.
Hobby (cloud)$6
per month
Hosted version of the individual plan.
Self Served$50
per month and up, includes 3 seats
Commercial license, SSO (SAML, OIDC, LDAP) and RBAC on a single node, cloud or self-hosted.
Enterprise$290
per month and up
Unlimited users, audit and compliance, whitelabeling, high availability and 24/7 support.
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.
Ways to pay less
Filestash
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Filestash or Nextcloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Filestash starts at $6 per month (Hobby, cloud-hosted), and Nextcloud starts at 71.29€ per user / year, excl. VAT (from 100 users). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Filestash or Nextcloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Filestash and Nextcloud have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.