Hi everyone 
So, if you look at the website “Alternativeto”, you will notice that Nextcloud is not listed as one of the best alternatives. That needs to change! Vote for us and help people discover Nextcloud
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While I love Nextcloud, it not exactly an alternative to Dropbox.
Services like Dropbox are client focussed, and require very little effort by the users. Mega and OneDrive are good Dropbox alternatives.
Nextcloud requires the user to run their own server, ensure outgoing internet accessibility, managing domain names and TLS certificates, and keeping things updated while being responsible for security.
While we do all the above because it’s awesome and fun and we care about this stuff, Nextcloud isn’t really an alternative to Dropbox for the majority of people.
Nextcloud is listed as an alternative, but where it should be, a little down the list. The only travesty is that Owncloud is listed above the superior Nextcloud!
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Meh, if you’re gonna trust some random unknown admin to protect your privacy, you may as well stick with Dropbox! (…or Mega, or OneDrive, or SpiderOak, or Sugarsync…)
Errmm… so it is an alternative.
Anyway - it’s all about attack vector, a “small” provider will certainly be less of interest to whoever wants to get data. And btw, any admin on Dropbox would be some random unknown admin.
As I said:
“Nextcloud is listed as an alternative, but where it should be, a little down the list.”
When setting up Dropbox, Mega and the like, you enter your name and email address, and you’re done. Free storage.
Even when not going to the effort of running your own server, setting up Nextcloud requires that you put effort into looking for providers and deciding who to go with, then manually configuring the URL in the client. (And that’s ignoring that there are only two providers in my country and both charge a monthly fee for any access with no free online storage.)
The last thing we want to do is give a bad impression of Nextcloud by pretending it’s the same thing as Dropbox when it’s not. Dropbox is a service, whereas Nextcloud is a client and a server.
You can’t compare Dropbox, a well-known multinational company with over a decade of public operating history, with some random small operator no one has ever heard of.
And I don’t understand why you’re arguing. I use Nextcloud, I promote Nextcloud rationally, I understand my small attack surface makes me an unlikely target. I’m an admin I trust not to rip me off or take shortcuts with my data’s safety.
But pretending Nextcloud is something it’s not is not how you win converts. It’s how you create bad first impressions.
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Your argument about small attack vectors is just a reworked version of security through obscurity. This is never a good idea. In principle, we should strive to make our own personal NC servers as tough as Google’s or Dropbox’s. Sure, that’s realistically unlikely but willingly going for a smaller provider is not a good thing unless they can demonstrate that their security processes are robust.
The reason for using NC or OC is all about keeping control of your data.
In summary:
Security: Big Provider > Small Provider > Own Server
Obscurity: Own Server > Small Provider > Big Provider
Privacy: Own Server > Small Provider = Big Provider
The only possible privacy exception is SpiderOak which uses encryption which the company doesn’t have access to.
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Well since there ís a listing on alternativeto with nextcloud, owncloud, pydio, dropbox, sharepoint whatever else filesharing/storage/collaboration app… it seams there are people that think these are or can be alternatives to one and other…
An alternative to a cloud solution is host your own… isn’t it? The other way round counts too…
As long as there are arguments thinkable why and if something can be an alternative, any listing on alternativeto is legitimate…
In an alternative listing like: https://alternativeto.net/software/alfresco/ you will not find nextcloud or owncloud.
Though depending on the use of Alfresco or Nextcloud, even these two could be alternatives…
Security: Big Provider > Small Provider > Own Server
IMHO, Small Provider are a lot less the target of mass account stealing than Big Provider. Take phishing as an example: if you want some result you will need to batch to thousands/millions of users; so hackers will focus on Big Provider that have huge list of accounts.
@DarkSteve
I think an alternative in the context of Alternativeto is about doing the same job. If I open an account to my brother on my Nextcloud instance, he will enjoy a Dropbox alternative, without even having to register. He will have collaboration features, and can sync and share his stuff. Then, it’s a different model, of course. But when people want to leave dropbox, the service they are looking for is not “I want to be able to register with only and email address and a password”, but mostly “I want to sync and share my stuff”. Then, they can enjoy Nextcloud the hard way (installing it on a Raspberry Pi at home) or just pay a monthly fee to a trusted provider, like OVH in France, which is certainly not a “little unknown” provider, and has a clear contract with you that your stuff is your stuff. Of course it’s only a contract but hey, I tend to trust people whose business model is based on storage and not on profiling me (i’m refering to Google and not Dropbox here). What do you think of this approach?
Sure, which is the obscurity measure I also listed. Big providers are more likely to put in the effort needed to properly secure their systems.
Small providers may take longer for hackers to target, but when they do, they will break in more easily.
the usual hackers target open doors and pick easy locks. The do not distinct between big or small providers at first.
big providers are big prey. the hacker looking for fame and glory will target the big fish.
But this is pretty much off topic.
The topic was, “vote on alternativeto”
If something is an alternative is upto the individual that thinks or thinks not Nextcloud to be an alternative to dropbox…
I myself consider nextcloud out of the box a very good alternative to dropbox.
I even consider it a very goodl alternative to google calendar (calendar app)
Contacts ->contacts app
and so much more…
But still, it is in the eye of the beholder…
And I did not vote… I don’t want to login in anyway to alternativeto.net
For sure self hosted is the most secure way to go, that’s not my point.
But even if I totally agree that security by obscurity alone is the wrong way - the probability for a small provider to get professionally attacked by whoever or to get a “National Security Letter” from some 3-letter institutions is lower. Dropbox is too “hot” and has too much data centralized - it’s a candy shop, so efforts can be maximized to pull data. Btw, by using the new e2e encryption mechanism in NC13 the probability gets even lower to lose your data, even with a external provider.
Sadly, enabling a NC account and setting up the desktop app with a provider is not as comfortable like it’s with Dropbox and others, that’s true. There is room for improvement. Some kind of customized installer with preintegrated hoster URL maybe.
My opinion simply is that we shouldn’t scare non-technical people off by implying the only way would be self-hosted.
My reasons for choosing NEXTCLOUD
- Creation of administrative users, groups, what I share and with whom
- The space limit I give, installing a large capacity hard drive and limiting user profiles
- Remote access to the backoffice anywhere
- Plug-ins that give added value to enjoy the platform as: email, music, radio, tasks, notes, integration of an office system and more
The improvements that I propose:
- Improve client software to synchronize from different accounts at the same time
- Optimize the use of bandwidth for the load and detect the local network work automatically
- Improve client software in OSX, not to install owncloud client and keep client nextcloud
- The chat and contacts plug-in must be limited by user groups and not globally
- The music plug-in should keep playing when I change from document manager to office or any other button
- The video chat plug-in should be easier to install in order to use it outside the network
Mis razones para elegir NEXTCLOUD
- Creación de usuarios administrativos, grupos, qué comparto y con quien
- El límite de espacio lo doy yo, instalando un disco duro de gran capacidad y limitando los perfiles de usuario
- Acceso remoto al backoffice en cualquier lugar
- Plug-ins que dan valor agregado para disfrutar la plataforma como: email, música, radio, tareas, notas, integración de un sistema office y más
Las mejoras que propongo:
- Mejorar el software cliente para que sincronice desde distintas cuentas al mismo tiempo
- Optimizar el uso del ancho de banda para la carga y que detecte el trabajo en red local automáticamente
- Mejorar el software cliente en OSX, para no instalar owncloud cliente y mantener nextcloud cliente
- El plug-in de chat y contactos debe limitarse por grupos de usuario y no ver globalmente
- El plug-in de música debería mantenerse reproduciendo cuando cambio del administrador de documentos a office o cualquier otro botón
- El plug-in de video chat debería ser más sencillo de instalar para poder usarlo fuera de la red
The two are not the same and no where near each other… Sorry…
I have tried many many countless times to encourage people in my line of work to use Nextcloud and what do you think the response was?
Don’t get me wrong I’m a big big fan of Nextcloud, all my stuff, cals and contacts are on it, all of my devices are synced to my Nextcloud server at home, I love it, but as an alternative to Dropbox sorry its down the list, not to far down but down the list of alternatives.
All my client say “oh I’ll drop that file in Dropbox and you can get it there”. I’ve tried to convince them to drop it in a Nextcloud folder set for uploads at my end but you just get this look or response like you’ve landed from another planet. Sure if your mix of friends are in the IT game or ‘in the know’ then they may consider it as an alternative and join the party so to speak, however you try and convince someone who is just sharing a tech drawing or artwork or peice of media and see how far you get…
I asked a work friend to just drop the Nextcloud client on his laptop so we could share a project. The respose was not what I expected, when I tried to explain that it was a little like Dropbox, he asked ‘Where is the server base?’ ‘My house’ I said. ‘Nah you’re ok I’ll stick with Dropbox’ he said.
It’s an education folks that there are alternatives and there are other ways of doing things but its hard getting that message across. Somehow some folk think that Dropbox is safer. Yeah right!
Just my view of course but thats how it is with me right or wrong!
DJ
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My reasons for using NextCloud:
It’s all mine! and mine only!
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Very nice résumé of my own experiences too 
of course if they have to share something with me, i am fine they use whatever their pick. DropBox fine…
But when I share something with them… they get a Nextcloud link…
For some user/groups I just open a link where they can drop their stuff… when they have to drop me some images and photographs… there are still people that do have data to share and do not have a dropbox account
And there are also people that are actually pretty impressed they can share, collaborate (collabora) and videochat (spreed.me) without having to worry about EULA’s from big free (but there’s a catch) companies… as it is coming from my hallway closet…
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I really like Nextcloud, but for me the best is still Google Drive.
It’s really cheap now (10E/month for 1 TB), and it works really well. Half of the time I launch nextcloud on my phone, it doesn’t load, I have to kill it and re-launch. Also, their app is super smooth, flawless, we are not there yet with nextcloud. And smart sync for desktop is awesome, which nextcloud doesn’t have.
But I hope we’ll get there, and at least you own your data
With the new and always improving NC. Dropbox can’t touch Nextcloud. I love this program and will do all I can to help. This program is off the chain I tell you. With so many great features it like every time you trun a corner you get somthing new, wiht Dropbox well, it’s Dropbox. I love the fact that I control what happen to my data. If somthing happen with Dropbox it’s like nothing you can really do, it not on a server that belongs to you. For me it all about it under my control. I am here to stay with this product.
Just my 2 cents to a slightly dated thread but it is a little frustrating when I send an upload link to a friend to drop a file on my NC but they can only perform the upload from a workstation or laptop and not their hand held device/ipad, etc… Until this kink is worked out, NC can’t really rise to “contender”. Be that as it may, NC serves many purposes that that have transformed my computing life and for that I am grateful.