ownCloud Reviews

Pros

After moving away from Dropbox, the missing piece we needed was on-prem support and this tool gave us exactly that. We now run it in an on-premises setup which makes us feel much more confident about the security of our files than before. It also includes server-side encryption which adds another layer of protection.

Cons

Something it still lacks is support for file locking. It also can't properly detect duplicate changes when two different users edit the same file.

Pros

Overall, the product does a solid job and several add-ons help extend its integrations and functionality in useful ways.

Cons

Development seems to be geared mostly toward enterprise customers, while community needs appear to be a much lower priority so feature requests tend to get little attention.

Pros

It's a thoughtfully built piece of software that's been designed and implemented really well and it does an excellent job of addressing a lot of problems while helping improve productivity.

Cons

No cons from my side!

Pros

The interface is simple, the admin panel is well organized and it fits both private users and companies that have the budget for it.

Cons

Pricing is a concern especially when compared with Nextcloud. It also doesn't offer the same feature set and the app can crash from time to time although I've seen the same thing happen with the Nextcloud app too.

Pros

Having control over your own data while still getting many of the same advantages as services like Dropbox or OneDrive is a big plus. It also lets you connect mobile phones and keep contacts and calendars synced, along with syncing files and folders across devices.

Cons

Updating from one version to another can be a bit tiring, depending on how your installation was done and the setup method you use.

Pros

OwnCloud worked well as the backup storage for our organization's documents. Uploading files, sharing them and keeping track of versions all felt very simple and convenient.

Cons

At times, uploading a full folder with subfolders was a bit inconvenient. We usually had to compress it into a zip file first which added some extra time. That said, uploading individual files never caused any issues.

Pros

What I really appreciate is how the Host can be installed on almost any device you want, whether it's a NAS, a computer or even a Raspberry Pi. That kind of flexibility makes it possible to scale your cloud setup however you need.

Cons

The weak point is the Android app. It's quite buggy and because of that the automatic backup feature doesn't work properly.

Pros

Having full control over your own cloud is a huge advantage. It gives you file storage that can be designed to your specific infrastructure and there are plenty of plugins available to help you work with and connect to your data.

Cons

At one stage, the community split and the project was forked which ended up leaving users with two different paths to choose from.

Pros

Biggest strength is how active the community is. During deployment, there are answers and workarounds available for almost any issue you run into. Its biggest advantage is being open source which means the code is open and the documents stored there actually remain under your control. For public and nonprofit institutions, it stands out as the leading free option in the market. It can fully take the place of a basic file server.

Cons

It is supposed to support collaboration but that part still feels underdeveloped. Editing happens on each user's local computer through whatever text editor, spreadsheet or presentation software they already have installed. Because of that, keeping everything standardized across users becomes difficult.

Pros

Not a single problem has come up with this software. It works really well and has also been a perfect option for storing documents that other people need to access.

Cons

I honestly don't have any negatives to mention about this software.

Pros

Sharing and managing files in the cloud has been the best part of using this software and the option to create groups for sharing files with multiple people in one place is especially useful.

Cons

One limitation is that within the same group, there's no way to set policies so only certain members can view specific files. To do that, you have to create a separate group with just the right people or share files one by one with each person.

Pros

Getting this open-source solution up and running was fairly simple. The configuration process is simple to handle and upgrades are also uncomplicated.

Cons

The cache setup can still be tricky to configure properly. I'm also running into a problem when trying to share a file from external storage. The developers are aware of it but it sounds like a difficult issue to fix.

Pros

I've been using it for at least 10 years and I've even helped with the Spanish translation. Over the years I got frustrated by bugs and other issues but the platform evolved quickly and those problems were fixed. At this point, it's the solution I rely on internally in a government institution and also for my personal clients as a backup system. One of the biggest advantages is that your storage capacity depends on how much you can afford in hard drives. It's simple to maintain, secure, packed with productivity and integration add-ons and it has clients available for basically every operating system out there.

Cons

Similar to Dropbox and other comparable products, your client has to scan all folders every time it starts. If you have large folders with lots of files, that process can take quite a while and put heavy use on the hard drive. So when the operating system boots up, the client can really hammer the disk until it finishes indexing everything.

Pros

Running this lets you keep files on-site instead of handing everything over to a cloud provider, while still getting the same syncing and sharing benefits people expect. It works like a Dropbox-style storage platform, keeping files in one place and syncing them across your computers. Support is available for Linux, Mac, Windows android and iOS which makes it flexible across different devices. There's a free version to get started with, plus a paid enterprise edition that adds more advanced features. Another big plus is the growing app marketplace so you can install extra tools on your instance and expand its functionality even more.

Cons

Initial setup can be a bit tricky and may take some effort to get right. Also, not every feature is included in the free open-source version.

Pros

Keeping my files on a server I manage myself is a big advantage. The interface is simple for sharing files and I appreciate that shares can include an optional expiration date.

Cons

Setting it up and handling updates requires some Linux knowledge and troubleshooting can become highly technical pretty fast. That's fairly understandable though since you're operating a powerful server.

Pros

To get it running on the server was fairly simple and it offers a simple folder structure that helps institutional users share files while keeping everything organized. It also includes a chat feature.

Cons

It covers most of the features I would want from this kind of app but I have had a hard time actually adopting it because I already use other cloud storage services. As for the chat tool, I would still rather use my phone to call, text or message people directly than rely on the company-required chat feature in it.

Pros

Sharing files with clients and outside contacts has become much more reliable with this software. The interface is very user-friendly and uploads and downloads have never failed for me. Before we started using it, sending files to clients... especially large ones, was always a challenge. After our IT team implemented it and designed it to fit our needs, it genuinely made my day-to-day work much easier.

Cons

The only problem I've run into was being caught off guard when a site expired. To be fair, that happened because I set an expiration date and then forgot about it so the mistake was mine. Still, it would be really helpful if the system sent a reminder when an expiration date is getting close. I've gotten better at keeping track of that now but I'd still value having that kind of notification.

Pros

Having everything in one place has been a huge plus for my workflow. It lets me keep all my work organized with my teammates and I can sync files across different computers without trouble. I also appreciate how secure it feels especially with the option to encrypt documents. Also, it includes an online music player, a text editor and viewers for online documents like PDF and OpenDocument files, along with many other useful features.

Cons

A part that feels harder than it should be is integrating certain technologies such as FTP. The documentation for setting up methods like FTP is a bit confusing compared with other tutorials so that side of the implementation could be clearer.

Pros

One thing I really appreciate about this platform is how well it lets me store exactly what I need and share it through a view-only link. It also gives me useful controls like setting permissions, blocking files and adding an expiration date to the link. That combination is impressive and the platform is very simple to use.

Cons

Con is that deploying the platform in a private environment is not really possible because it has too many limitations on that operating system especially considering that most people rely on it.

Pros

Compared with the rising cost of storage on other services, it feels like the best option out there. It's open source and works a lot like Dropbox, OneDrive and other platforms people already know so getting used to it doesn't take much effort. Setup is fast and most web hosts seem to run it without any trouble. I also appreciate being able to customize the login page and admin settings and the overall interface is pretty user friendly. If you want storage you can design and fully control yourself, it handles that really well.

Cons

At the beginning, I ran into a few errors during setup and had to rely on my host to fix them because I couldn't find clear documentation covering those issues. Since it's open source, the support system also isn't as strong or comprehensive as some paid alternatives.