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Seafile

Open-source self-hosted file sync known for speed, organised into versioned libraries.

Open sourceSelf-hostableCloud storage and file sync services
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About Seafile

Seafile is a self-hosted file sync and share server with a reputation for speed and reliability on large numbers of files. Files live in libraries, each with its own version history and optional client-side encryption, and the desktop client syncs selected libraries or mounts everything as a virtual drive through SeaDrive. Recent versions add custom file properties, gallery and kanban views over files, and AI-generated descriptions, plus online office editing through Collabora or OnlyOffice. There is a free Community Edition and a Professional Edition, which can be run at no cost for a small number of users and is licensed per user beyond that; SeafilePlus is the hosted cloud option. Clients run on Windows, macOS and Linux, plus iOS and Android. Compared with Nextcloud it does fewer things, but the file side is faster and simpler to keep running.

Best for: Teams that want fast, reliable self-hosted sync without a big app suite.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Fast sync, even with many small files
  • Per-library versioning and optional encryption
  • Pro edition free for a few users

Why people leave

  • Library model takes getting used to
  • Fewer extras than Nextcloud
  • Some advanced features only in the Pro edition

Top Seafile alternatives

See all 5
  1. 1Nextcloud logo
    Nextcloud

    More apps (calendar, chat, office) on the same server.

    66.5
  2. 2ownCloud logo
    ownCloud

    Go-based Infinite Scale for large deployments.

    62.6
  3. 3Syncthing logo
    Syncthing

    No server at all, just peer-to-peer sync between devices.

    59.6
  4. 4Resilio Sync logo
    Resilio Sync

    Peer-to-peer sync for large files across many machines.

    57.2
  5. 5Dropbox logo
    Dropbox

    Hosted sync if maintaining a server becomes a burden.

    55.3

Why people left Seafile

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Seafile: common questions

Is Seafile free?

Yes. Seafile is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is Seafile open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at haiwen/seafile. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does Seafile run on?

Seafile is available for Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Self-hosted.

What are the best alternatives to Seafile?

The highest-ranked Seafile alternatives right now are Nextcloud, ownCloud and Syncthing. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Seafile alternatives