Open Source Storage alternatives in 2026
Store files and data on your own infrastructure.
Quick comparison
Sorted by featured first, then GitHub stars as a tiebreaker — the same rule we use across the whole site.
| Tool | License | Minimum RAM | GPU | Docker | GitHub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immich 100% FOSS1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~2GB | — | ✅ | ★ ~50,000 |
| Nextcloud 1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~1GB | — | ✅ | ★ ~27,000 |
| Syncthing Lightest option100% FOSSMost popular on GitHub1-Click Deploy | MPL-2.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~65,000 |
| MinIO Lightest option1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~48,000 |
| PhotoPrism 1-Click Deploy | Source-available (non-OSI) | ~512MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~37,000 |
| Jellyfin Lightest option100% FOSS | GPL-2.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~37,000 |
| SeaweedFS Lightest option100% FOSS | Apache-2.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~23,000 |
| Baserow 1-Click Deploy | MIT | ~512MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~22,000 |
| Seafile 1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~1GB | — | ✅ | ★ ~12,000 |
| Filestash Lightest option1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~12,000 |
| ownCloud Lightest option1-Click Deploy | AGPL-3.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~8,000 |
| Pydio Cells | AGPL-3.0 | ~512MB | — | ✅ | ★ ~2,000 |
| Garage Lightest option100% FOSS | AGPL-3.0 | ~256MB | — | ✅ | — |
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Build my stackDetailed profile of each alternative
Alternative to Airtable
No-code database, a direct alternative to Airtable.
S3-compatible object storage, self-hosted.
Alternative to Google Drive, Dropbox
File cloud and collaboration, an alternative to Google Drive.
Alternative to Dropbox
Encrypted, efficient file sync, an alternative to Dropbox.
Alternative to Google Drive
File storage and sync, an alternative to Google Drive.
Alternative to Dropbox
Encrypted P2P sync between devices, a decentralized alternative to Dropbox.
Distributed, S3-compatible object storage, an alternative to Amazon S3.
Distributed storage for millions of files, an alternative to Amazon S3.
Alternative to Google Photos
AI-powered photo and video backup, a self-hosted alternative to Google Photos.
Alternative to Google Photos
AI-tagged photo manager, an alternative to Google Photos.
Alternative to Google Drive
Universal web file explorer, a front-end alternative to Google Drive.
Alternative to Dropbox
Enterprise file sharing with auditing, an alternative to Dropbox Business.
Alternative to Plex, Netflix
Personal media streaming server, a free alternative to Plex.
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum server I need to host Storage tools?
A base install of Nextcloud, Immich or Seafile runs fine on 2 vCPU and 4GB of RAM (~$24/month). But the real bottleneck isn't the process's RAM — it's disk. Server size here is dictated by how much you're going to store, not by the app itself.
How are backups of the data volumes handled?
Backups here have two layers: the database (Postgres/SQLite, with a scheduled dump) and the file library itself, which is usually much bigger — backed up via rsync or restic to a separate disk or an S3-compatible bucket. Since there are real, irreplaceable user files here (not just config), it's worth actually testing a restore now and then instead of just trusting that the cron job ran.
Is it safe to expose these tools to the internet, or is a VPN/Tailscale preferable?
Sync tools like Nextcloud are built to be reachable from your phone on any network, so exposing them via reverse proxy + TLS + fail2ban is the normal path. For apps holding more sensitive data (family photos in Immich, say), locking down at least the admin panel with VPN/Tailscale and turning on 2FA cuts risk a lot — a compromised storage app can leak everything it holds.
How do the costs compare against commercial SaaS alternatives?
Compared to Google Drive ($7.20/user/month on Workspace Business Starter) or Dropbox ($15/user/month on the Standard plan), self-hosted storage usually comes out cheaper past a handful of users — though here you're paying for the disk itself, not just the software.
Which Storage tools are 100% free?
5 out of 13 are 100% FOSS. The rest are Open-Core: the core is free, but some advanced feature may stay paid — we call it out on each tool's page.
Do I need a GPU to use these tools?
No, none of the 13 tools in this category need a GPU — they all run fine on CPU alone.
How much RAM do I need at minimum?
The lightest option on this list is Syncthing, which runs on as little as 256MB of RAM — enough for a cheap VPS.