Google Drive vs ownCloud

Side-by-side feature comparison and pricing breakdown.

File Sync & Sharing
Desktop & Mobile Apps ownCloud has full clients for all platforms
Real-Time Document Editing Google Docs is more capable; ownCloud supports Collabora/OnlyOffice
Data Privacy Self-hosted with no third-party scanning or data mining
Community Size ownCloud has 1,100+ contributors and 1.5M+ users
Federation ownCloud supports cross-organization file sharing
Self-Hosting
Pricing
$1.99/mo
Free Open Source
Save 100% — Save ~$1.99/mo per user (100% savings vs Google One 100GB)

Verdict

ownCloud is a mature, battle-tested alternative for organizations wanting Google Drive-like file sharing with full data ownership. Google Drive's collaborative editing and ecosystem remain superior, but ownCloud eliminates privacy concerns entirely.

Best for: Organizations with 25+ users who need established, reliable self-hosted file sharing

Last updated: 2026-03-01