Collaboration and files
How much does Nextcloud cost for a business?
Short answer
The software itself costs nothing: Nextcloud is open source and free to use, including for business. What costs money is running it. A server and storage, backups to a second location, keeping up with updates and someone to manage it when something goes wrong. Do it yourself and you pay in hours. Outsource it and you pay a fixed monthly amount to a provider.
Is Nextcloud free?
The software is. Nextcloud server is open source under the AGPL licence. You can download it, install it and use it for business without buying a licence.
Using it is not free. Nextcloud runs on a server, and that server has to live somewhere, be kept up to date and be backed up. That costs money or time, and usually both.
So where are the costs?
In five things. Whether you do them yourself or outsource them, they always come back.
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Server | The machine Nextcloud runs on, with enough memory for your number of users |
| Storage | The space for your files, plus growth. Often the biggest part of the bill |
| Backups | A copy somewhere other than the server itself, and now and then a test that restoring works |
| Updates | New versions of Nextcloud, the apps in it and the operating system underneath |
| Management | Someone who answers when something breaks, and who knows how it fits together |
Storage and management decide most of it. Ten people with only documents need little storage. An architecture practice with drawings and photos needs a lot more.
What is Nextcloud Enterprise?
Nextcloud GmbH, the German company behind the software, sells an Enterprise subscription. You get the same open source software, plus support from their own engineers, early security updates and bug fixes, and longer support per version. They sell it per user per year, in three tiers: Standard, Premium and Ultimate.
For large organisations with their own IT department that makes sense. For most small and medium-sized organisations it does not: they get more from a provider who knows their environment and can be reached than from a support contract with the vendor.
Host it yourself or have it managed?
Hosting it yourself can work well. You then need someone who:
- can set up and maintain a Linux server
- tests updates before they go live, and can roll back when there is a problem
- arranges backups to a second location, and knows how to restore them
- can be reached when it goes wrong, also when that one colleague is off
If you have that person, your costs are mainly hardware and hours. If you do not, “free” gets expensive here. A Nextcloud server that is not kept up to date becomes an open door after a while.
Having it managed means someone else takes over that list. You pay a fixed monthly amount, and the server, updates, backups and outages sit with that provider. Because it is open source, you are not stuck then either: another company that runs Nextcloud can take over your environment.
Is Nextcloud cheaper than Microsoft 365?
Sometimes, sometimes not. It mostly depends on what you compare.
With Microsoft 365 you pay per user per month, and much of the storage is included. With Nextcloud you pay no licence per user, but you do pay for the server, the storage and the management. With many users and little data, Nextcloud often comes out well. With few users and a lot of data it can be the other way round.
The fairer question is what you get in return. With Nextcloud you know which hardware your data is on, and you can move to another provider without setting everything up again. Whether that is worth the difference in cost is your call. We work it out for your organisation.
What does it cost with us?
That depends on what you need. Just storing and sharing files is JevanaFiles. The full workplace with office software, chat, video calls and mail is JevanaHub. Both run on our own hardware, with updates, backups and management included.
We do not put prices on the site, because the number of users and the storage vary too much. You get a proposal up front with a fixed monthly price. Still choosing between Nextcloud and Microsoft 365? Read Nextcloud or Microsoft 365 first.