Hi all,
I’ve spent the last few months building a Windows sync client for Nextcloud called Nimbo, and it’s at the point where I’d like people other than me using it.
The short version of why: The official app I find very clunky, and always preferred the older version for dealing with file conflicts etc. So I decided to make something that bridged the old and new designs along with some additional features that made it easier for me to work with Nextcloud. The integrating apps with Windows is something I am particularly proud of.
What it does right now:
- Two-way sync with proper conflict handling (conflicting edits are kept, nothing gets silently lost)
- On-demand files - your whole Nextcloud shows up in Explorer as placeholders and files download when you open them. It’s the same Windows API OneDrive uses, and “free up space” works too
- Real-time sync via notify_push, so changes show up when they happen rather than on a polling timer
- You can open Nextcloud apps (Mail, Calendar, Deck, whatever your server has) in their own window with their own taskbar icon and start menu entry, so they behave like normal desktop apps
- Explorer status overlays and right-click actions, selective sync, multiple accounts
It talks plain WebDAV and the OCS APIs to your server. There’s no service of mine in the middle.
On licensing, because I know it matters here: the source is on GitHub under the PolyForm Noncommercial licence - free for personal use, and that’s permanent. It’s not OSI open source though: commercial use (companies deploying it, hosting providers white-labelling it) needs a paid licence, because that’s what pays for development. Not going to pretend otherwise. The official client is still the FOSS option and I’m not trying to replace it.
Windows 11 only at the moment (Linux is in progress). The direct download is free; it’s also on the Microsoft Store for £2.99 if you’d rather have Store auto-updates and chuck something towards development. I consider this the “Support me” option. Same app either way.
- Store: Nimbo - Download and install on Windows | Microsoft Store
It’s v0.1.x and I’m one person, so bug reports are welcome - and so is “the official client does X and yours doesn’t”. Thanks.