# Seafile review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Open-source file sync and share, self-hosted or in the cloud Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Seafile is file sync and sharing software with a free open-source Community edition, a paid self-hosted Professional edition and a hosted Plus Cloud service. Files are organized in libraries that can be synced, shared with users and groups, and searched. Recent versions add custom file properties and AI chat over a library. - **Category:** File Storage & Sync - **Made by:** Seafile Ltd. - **Website:** https://www.seafile.com - **Runs on:** Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you don't want to host: both free editions run on your server. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Seafile has a free plan, and paid plans start at $8 per user / month (Plus Cloud Team plan). - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Community edition is free and open source; Professional runs free for up to 3 users; the cloud trial gives 1 GB for up to 3 users. - **Free trial:** Plus Cloud trial plan is free for 30 days; Professional trial licenses are sent on request. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Community Edition | $0 | Free and open source, self-hosted, with file sync, sharing, version control and public links. | | Pro, up to 3 users | $0 | Professional edition self-hosted for 3 users with no license file needed. | | Pro, 9 users | $100 per year in total for 9 users | Special offer for small businesses on the self-hosted Professional edition. Excludes email support. | | Pro, 10 to 249 users | $48 per user / year | Self-hosted Professional with email support. Price per user drops to $44 at 250 users and $35 at 750. | | Plus Cloud Team | $8 per user / month, from 3 users | Hosted by Seafile: 500 GB expandable storage and 3 months of file version retention. | Read from https://www.seafile.com/en/pricing/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Seafile before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Half-price Professional licenses for education** (Education): The educational price column lists $24 per user per year at 10 to 249 users, and a 25% discount is given to public institutions. Source: https://www.seafile.com/en/pricing/ ## Key features - **File sync and sharing:** Libraries sync across desktop and mobile clients and can be shared with users and groups, with public links and version history. - **Online editing:** Office documents can be viewed and edited in the browser, with OnlyOffice and Collabora Online integrations in the Professional edition. - **Custom file properties:** Libraries can carry extra properties such as owner and status, shown in table, Kanban, gallery and map views. - **AI chat and search:** Full-text and semantic search, plus an AI chat that answers questions about the files in a library. - **Directory and security controls:** The Professional edition adds LDAP and AD sync, single sign-on, two-factor authentication, audit logs and remote wipe. ## Good for - Organizations that want to host their own file server - Small teams that can use the free 3-user Professional license - Teams that need LDAP or single sign-on on a budget ## Worth knowing - The Community edition lacks the Professional features such as audit logs, LDAP sync and full-text search. - Professional pricing is per year; above 1,000 users it is by quote. - Phone-style remote support sits in a separate paid plan at $5,000 per year, or $120 per hour. - Plus Cloud needs at least 3 users, and trial accounts are deactivated after 30 days. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Seafile is open-source file sync and share, free as Community or for up to 3 users on Professional, or $8 a user in its cloud. The free editions need a server, Community lacks audit logs and LDAP, and the cloud plan starts at 3 users. - **Value for money: C.** The free editions need your own server, so it counts as a C. Plus Cloud is $8 a user with a 3-user minimum, so $24 a month. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Community is free and open source, and Professional is free for up to 3 users, though you host it. - **Features: C.** File sync and sharing, but Community lacks audit logs, LDAP sync and full-text search. - **Ease of use: D.** The free editions need self-hosting. No store rating on record. - **Platforms and integrations: A.** Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps, and 6 integrations. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Seafile's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among file storage and sync services - Seafile's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 18 of the 45 other file storage and sync services we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 28 of 45) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $8 a month for each person, against a middle price of $6.32 for the category: 27 of the 37 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 17 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/file-storage ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Seafile you would be making files kept in step across devices without losing one. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $96 a year. Seafile is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself. - You could not: Files kept in step across devices without losing one. - You could not: Storing and serving files for other people. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team. - You could not: It plugs into other products, OnlyOffice, Collabora Online and LDAP among them. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and audit logs. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with OnlyOffice, Collabora Online, LDAP, Active Directory, AWS S3, WebDAV **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, File sync, File sharing, AI features ## Alternatives - [Nextcloud](https://toolgpa.com/tools/nextcloud): Open source, self-hosted file sync and collaboration platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/nextcloud-vs-seafile) - [ownCloud](https://toolgpa.com/tools/owncloud): Open-source file sync and share you can host yourself. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/owncloud-vs-seafile) - [Syncthing](https://toolgpa.com/tools/syncthing): Free, open source file sync directly between your own devices. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/seafile-vs-syncthing) - [Resilio Sync](https://toolgpa.com/tools/resilio-sync): Device-to-device file sync with an enterprise edition. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/resilio-sync-vs-seafile) - [pCloud](https://toolgpa.com/tools/pcloud): Swiss cloud storage sold by subscription or one-time payment. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/pcloud-vs-seafile) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.seafile.com/en/pricing/ - https://www.seafile.com/en/home/ - https://www.seafile.com/en/download/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/seafile Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).