Nextcloud vs Proton Drive

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

Proton Drive

• People who want encrypted storage under Swiss jurisdiction
• Proton Mail, VPN or Pass users who can bundle storage with Unlimited
• Private collaboration on documents and spreadsheets

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.

Proton Drive

• The free plan is limited to 5 GB.
• Desktop sync apps exist for Windows and macOS only; Linux users get a command-line client and the web app.
• The lowest prices require yearly billing. Drive Plus costs $4.99 a month when billed monthly.
• Individual storage above 200 GB comes only through the Unlimited, Duo and Family bundles, which include other Proton products.

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.

Proton Drive

End-to-end encryption

Files are encrypted before they are uploaded. Proton states that only the owner and the people they share with can open them, and that Proton itself cannot.

Sharing controls

Files, photos, documents and spreadsheets are shared by link, with password protection, expiry dates and the ability to revoke access at any time.

Proton Docs and Sheets

Encrypted document and spreadsheet editors with real-time collaboration are built into Drive, and the editor is included on the free plan.

Photo backup

The mobile apps back up photos automatically and support collaborative albums for sharing them.

Desktop sync

Desktop apps for Windows and macOS sync files between the computer and the cloud. A command-line client is offered for Linux, macOS and Windows.

Long version history

Paid plans from Drive Plus allow previous versions of a file to be recovered for up to 10 years.

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.

Proton Drive

• Proton Free$0

  5 GB of storage for files, photos and documents, with the online document and spreadsheet editor.

• Drive Plus$3.99

  per month, billed yearly at $47.88 ($4.99 billed monthly)

  200 GB of storage and 10 years to recover previous file versions.

• Proton Unlimited$9.99

  per month, billed yearly at $119.88 ($12.99 billed monthly)

  500 GB of storage plus Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar and Proton Pass.

• Proton Duo$14.99

  per month, billed yearly at $179.88 ($19.99 billed monthly)

  2 TB of storage for up to 2 users, with everything in Unlimited and advanced account protection.

• Proton Family$23.99

  per month, billed yearly ($29.99 billed monthly)

  3 TB of storage for up to 6 users, with the Proton premium products that are included in Duo.

• Drive Professional$7.99

  per user / month, billed yearly ($9.99 billed monthly)

  Team plan with 1 TB per user, user access management, and sync across devices and users.

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.

Proton Drive

• Annual discount

  20% to 25% off with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Drive Plus is $3.99 a month instead of $4.99 (20% off), Proton Unlimited is $9.99 instead of $12.99 (23% off) and Proton Duo is $14.99 instead of $19.99 (25% off).