OneDrive vs. ownCloud

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
OneDrive
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
OneDrive from Microsoft is a cloud storage and file syncing service.
$5
Per Month (Annual Commitment)
ownCloud
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
ownCloud is a self-hosted open source file syncing and sharing option, from the Boston-based company of the same name.
$5
per month
Pricing
OneDriveownCloud
Editions & Modules
OneDrive for Business Plan 1
$5.00
Per Month (Annual Commitment)
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
$5.00
Per Month (Annual Commitment)
OneDrive for Business Plan 2
$10.00
Per Month (Annual Commitment)
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
$12.50
Per Month (Annual Commitment)
Standard
$5
per month
Enterprise
$12
per month
For Teams
$13
per month
For Single Users
$15
per month
Community
Free
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
OneDriveownCloud
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsOneDrive can be purchased as a standalone tool, or as part of a Microsoft 365's business suite.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
OneDriveownCloud
Considered Both Products
OneDrive
Chose OneDrive
I think ShareFile is a more complete product that lets me set up folders where people can send me files along with me being able to send secure links to my files. The sharing of files is fairly similar but I feel ShareFile does it better.
Chose OneDrive
I think OneDrive just edges out the other two because of the connection it has to the microsoft suite. All the excel and word documents just work. You dont have to worry what formatting might do to the document.
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive offers more storage than google drive, but dropbox gives unlimited storage for my institution.

OneDrive is best for large file sharing.
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive feels native is you are a Microsoft 365 user. The integration aspect of being a Microsoft customer and using all platform tools together helps with driving adoption, ease of learning, and overall efficiency. While Google Drive is widely used as well, there is a ramp …
Chose OneDrive
The most similar in functions would be Google Drive, however I chose One Drive because first, it allows to use all of office 365 software, which is universally used and preferred because of its trajectory. One Drive syncs directly with windows, which allows to use the desktop …
Chose OneDrive
"Describe how OneDrive stacks up against (alternatives) and why you selected OneDrive." It doesn't, except it's more secure than Gdrive. Definitely wouldn't select OneDrive for anything important.
Chose OneDrive
Dropbox does not have convenient business solutions such as cloud reporting. But One Drive ,It's a platform that virtually everyone already uses to some extent: it's more user-friendly and provides a better browser-based experience.
Chose OneDrive
Though dropbox has been in existence and popular, I found OneDrive to be much more effective in terms of pricing. And app support is better with OneDrive. Also as mentioned the new feature of not downloading all files but showing the names gets my vote for OneDrive. One more …
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive's autosave feature with Microsoft is key, which puts it ahead of Google Drive. I do like Google Drive's ubiquitousness and it seems to be the preferred method of collaboration.
Chose OneDrive
Box is another file-sharing application that is very similar to OneDrive. Box falls short of OneDrive in its syncing capabilities. OneDrive is very quick with syncing so you never have to be concerned that you are not using the most up-to-date materials. Box was always a bit …
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive is my go to solution because included in the price of OneDrive is full access to the Microsoft Office suite of programs. It also includes all the same features as Google Drive and Dropbox, but includes those programs and even an email account if you want, so its the …
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive is ideal for document management and security of remote access to data and other important company data. I consider it secure and reliable as compared to Google Drive even though Google Drive offers more storage space for free.
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive has a specific file syncing technology which is otherwise known as the block level copying and [t]here the files would be broken [into] smaller packages whereas Google Drive would mine the user data from that of the files being uploaded to Google Drive.
OneDrive gives a …
Chose OneDrive
Compared to Dropbox, I like it a lot more. The user interface looks cleaner, your files are secure, and collaboration is encouraged with the tools that they offer.
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive gives powerful security and gives sufficient protection to our valuable data over Google Drive. It saves much of our precious time by synchronizing various files automatically. This auspicious tool lets us make privacy changes in each and every folder where there is a …
Chose OneDrive
I really find them equals in performance. I have used Dropbox for over a decade and it has always been reliable. However, Dropbox is not integrated with Microsoft Teams and it is much more expensive.
Chose OneDrive
I would not recommend OneDrive to anyone. Buggy and unreliable. Frequently corrupts files.
Chose OneDrive
OneDrive is included in our Microsoft suite of products so there was no additional cost for us to use it. We use OneDrive for that reason mainly. For the most part, it does what you expect a cloud storage system to do, and it does it fairly well. For a larger group (10 or more …
Chose OneDrive
In past organizations, I have utilized DropBox as a tool for file sharing and document collaboration. In my opinion, OneDrive is a much more comprehensive solution, because OneDrive takes DropBox one step further by integrating and automatically saving files in the device in a …
Chose OneDrive
All of these products require a document storage system or are a document storage system. All of them get you to replicate what you are currently doing and paying for with Office 365 and OneDrive as a packaged feature. It’s just as robust and is native to your operating system …
Chose OneDrive
Tight integration with Office 365 is the main reason. Besides, Microsoft has a good reputation for supporting enterprise customers. SmartSheet does not have that reputation. We also have a long, stable relationship with Microsoft. Microsoft provides 1 TB of storage for each …
Chose OneDrive
After our analysis, we found OneDrive superior to Dropbox and Backblaze, considering our specific scenario of use. We also found OneDrive very similar to Google Drive when comparing features, ease-of-use, etc.(both are in the same level). Google offered more storage space, but …
Chose OneDrive
We are a Microsoft ecosystem, so iDrive isn't appropriate. Dropbox was more expensive and less integrated to Windows. OneDrive is part of our Office 365 subscription, so the decision-making process was easy.
ownCloud
Chose ownCloud
The most important advantage for our research group is security and access control to our files, which cannot be guaranteed with 3rd party services

The sync client is great and outperforms OneDrive for sure and sometimes even Google Drive depending on the number and size of the …
Chose ownCloud
The paid cloud services are expensive if you need a lot of data. You're giving your personal and business information to a data-hungry organization. Local NAS solutions are too slow. We run ownCloud on an older business PC and the performance is outstanding, even for remote …
Chose ownCloud
ownCloud is better than Google Drive and Microsoft's OneDrive. I have not used Google Drive in some time now, so it may have improved. OneDrive has become better over time too, but my go-to is still ownCloud. Firstly, I prefer to have my data under my control. No other service …
Chose ownCloud
I have a very similar experience between Google Drive and DropBox. Both offer real-time sharing and collaboration. Google Drive limits external access and requires the recipient of shared files to have a Google account. In the case of both DropBox and GoogleDrive, they limit …
Chose ownCloud
The sync client is great and outperforms OneDrive for sure and sometimes even Google Drive depending on the number and size of the files.

If you already have your own home-lab or server room, it's really not expensive to buy a couple hard drives and have TBs of storage. Compared …
Chose ownCloud
Other tools with similar functionality have been much better for me to use. However, my company uses ownCloud as its software of choice, so I use it to remain consistent with them.
Chose ownCloud
This is another alternative to Google Drive as well, but less able to edit and use documents.
Chose ownCloud
I have used several products based on public (DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft Drive, etc) and private cloud (Citrix). Most of them work on public cloud space so they could present problems with compliance. Also, it is usually difficult to protect the information contained in …
Chose ownCloud
Due to the need to support many external workers it was mainly cost effectivity of open source solution: ability to allow external workers to access company files without the need to pay a license for each of them every month. Unfortunately, ownCloud does not offer until now as …
Chose ownCloud
ownCloud's ease of install, maintenance and use as well as a modern interface were major reasons for the choice.
Chose ownCloud
ownCloud is one of the only self-hosted solutions worth it. It is open source and free, meaning that anyone with a Linux VM or an old laptop can host its own feature-rich cloud server. Many all-in-one firewalls will mix OwnCloud and Crashplan, joining document management and …
Features
OneDriveownCloud
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
OneDrive
7.7
Ratings
9% below category average
ownCloud
8.5
Ratings
1% above category average
Versioning7.20 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Video files7.20 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Audio files6.30 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Document collaboration8.10 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Access control8.10 Ratings9.50 Ratings
File search8.90 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Device sync8.10 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
OneDrive
7.2
Ratings
19% below category average
ownCloud
8.5
Ratings
2% below category average
User and role management7.20 Ratings9.00 Ratings
File organization8.10 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Device management6.30 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
OneDrive
7.1
Ratings
18% below category average
ownCloud
8.8
Ratings
3% above category average
Performance6.30 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Reliability7.90 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Storage Reports7.10 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
OneDriveownCloud
Small Businesses
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 5.7 out of 10
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 5.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.7 out of 10
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.7 out of 10
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
OneDriveownCloud
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
OneDriveownCloud
Likelihood to Recommend
  • For collaborative work both in education and professional areas.
  • For personal work in multiple devices, and "on the go" work.
  • It's great for work that takes a lot of memory space, because it is saved in the cloud, not the device itself.
  • It's a great tool for anyone working with a lot of creative files that can't be stored in small devices like USBs.
Read full review
OwnCloud/Nextcloud is a great application for cloud storage of files, and makes sharing specific files or folders easy and fast. It also makes a great tool for real-time collaboration, including real-time chat and simultaneous editing of documents or spreadsheets. I have used ownCloud to assist clients in sending large files that could not be emailed -- for example, one of my clients is a Video Production agency. They produced a commercial to air, but could not email the file as it was 400MB. OwncCloud came to the rescue. I set up a temporary share and allowed him access to upload into that folder. Once the file was in the folder, I generated a share link that was then forwarded to TV stations for instant viewing in a browser. Each TV station then downloaded it and was able to add it to their scheduling system quickly. From the Photography side... I am able to deliver large amounts of files quickly and easily to my clients, and they can download or view on mobile devices easily. Since I use ownCloud on a daily basis, I cannot think of any reason why I would not use this software
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Pros
  • OneDrive does a great job of keeping file version history. I have had to use this feature many times and it is very simple to use. This one feature has saved my butt many times.
  • OneDrive synchronizes across devices very quickly. There have been many instances when I have added files online and, within seconds, saw the file show up on my local computer. This happens the other direction also. I am very impressed and satisfied with the speed of syncing in all directions.
  • The OneDrive app on my phone has been particularly helpful since it automatically syncs my photos (usually within seconds) and allows me access to all my files.
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  • 100% of our data is stored ONLY on our servers and workstation. No external hosting anywhere.
  • Open source, no recurring fees for any amount of data we need.
  • Feature rich browser based application.
  • Mature desktop sync client for PC and Mac.
Read full review
Cons
  • Sending Links - Though you can easily share links to files from the web experience, it isn't the same on the native experience. It would be nice if you could right click on a file to share its location with someone vs. opening the office application to share with others.
  • File Character Restrictions - This isn't just with OneDrive, but sometimes files will not upload due to an unsupported character in the file name.
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  • Requires you to manage the infrastructure, software updates, backups and security because it is self-hosted
  • The picture viewer in ownCloud is not really snappy by default (You need to setup plugins or some kind of cache)
  • No video viewer by default
  • The web UI requires a cache setup to have reasonable load times (to be fair, it is recommended in the admin page)
  • I stopped using the calendar and contacts plugins because after each update they would break
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Likelihood to Renew
I like Box better. If you sign into Microsoft using a personal account, be EXTREMELY careful. All of your downloads could suddenly be available to your entire company, and that is incredibly embarrassing. Did that happen to me? Not going to say, but just always check which MS account you sign into.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
I have given it this rating because it accomplishes the basic task that we use it for, storing and protecting our sensitive data. That being said, I hesitate to give it a completely positive rating, because I feel that the software performs at a bare minimum level, skimping out on some of the bells and whistles that would be nice.
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OwnCloud is easy for me to use, and I believe it would be for others too. The barrier for most people will be the set up. For a technology professional like myself, ownCloud's setup is pretty straightforward, but it's not the sort of thing most casual users will be able to handle. Also, it's on the user to maintain the service. These can be taken care of by paying someone to do it for you.
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Performance
It has a good performance, the pages load normally, access to the files, management, reports, everything is working well. With regard to integration with other systems, we have not done so yet.
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Compared with other cloud services, ownCloud has been the most efficient. It doesn't create a noticeable drain on resources and very quickly syncs across all my devices. I'm usually able to save a file on my laptop and by the time I walk over and sit down at my desktop machine, it's already there. I don't need to wait as often as I have with services like OneDrive.
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Support Rating
It's a Microsoft product so there is a wealth of information online both from Microsoft directly and from millions of users but as a corporate user we also have access to direct Microsoft support through a variety of avenues (phone, email, etc.). This makes finding answers to issues more accessible, however, it does also mean that any new feature requests will get buried.
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Regarding the community edition, there is a reasonably good support on the IRC, forums and in the issue section on Github. Perhaps a much more individual approach would be available if the premium support was chosen and the instance of the server was provided by the Owncloud company that also offers some premium extensions, not available generally. However, we did not need this level of support yet.
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Alternatives Considered
OneDrive feels native is you are a Microsoft 365 user. The integration aspect of being a Microsoft customer and using all platform tools together helps with driving adoption, ease of learning, and overall efficiency. While Google Drive is widely used as well, there is a ramp up to learning those controls over OneDrive is you are not used to those platforms.
Read full review
ownCloud is better than Google Drive and Microsoft's OneDrive. I have not used Google Drive in some time now, so it may have improved. OneDrive has become better over time too, but my go-to is still ownCloud. Firstly, I prefer to have my data under my control. No other service can offer the level of control that ownCloud does. Setting that aside, in my experience Google Drive never quite got syncing right. Unless you have a very small collection of files and you're not synced across many devices, Google Drive fails to achieve a complete sync. The icon is always showing that Drive is syncing (and not up to date). I've had similar issues with OneDrive, but these days on Windows 10 OneDrive usually can achieve a complete sync across multiple devices, but it often hogs CPU and Network resources to do so, and it's still slower than OneDrive.
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Return on Investment
  • OneDrive allows us to save much time on creating and archiving backup copies of our data. Microsoft gives a guarantee on the possibility of recovery of files or folders even from 30 days ago. It provides a great comfort of work.
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  • The company grew from 4 employees in 2013 when ownCloud was initially deployed to about 40 in 2017 and still using it with a very similar setting without any major upgrade on the same Linux VPS. 95% of all company data are stored and shared via ownCloud successfully. No clear data about ROI but clearly the perfect adoption rate by all people and its ubiquitous use makes it an essential part of the company workflow.
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ScreenShots