File sync and storage
Self-hosted alternatives to Google Workspace, priced
1 open-source tool that can replace Google Workspace, each shown with what it would actually cost to run for a team of 10 people. Google Workspace on the Standard tier costs $158 a month at that size.
| Tool | Server only | With your time | vs Google Workspace | Operational weight | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nextcloud | $37.20 | $150 | -$164 | medium | AGPL-3.0 |
The final column is the 36-month difference: positive means self-hosting is cheaper.
Which one to pick
Nextcloud 36,777 stars
Disk per user is the line that decides this comparison, not RAM. At 15 GB a head, storage overtakes compute well before 50 users.
At 10 people it needs 2.8 GB of memory and 170 GB of disk, which fits the Starter 4 GB plus a 90 GB volume at VPSServer for $31.00 a month. Setting it up is roughly 6 hours of work, then 1.5 hours a month to keep it healthy.
Full Google Workspace versus Nextcloud breakdown · Nextcloud at every team size
How the pricing was established
Google Workspace pricing was read from its own pricing page on 2026-10-09, quoted in euros and converted at 1.1592 dollars to the euro, the Frankfurter, European Central Bank reference rates rate for 2026-09-11. Server prices come from the providers listed on the hosting page. The sizing model and the cost of your time are set out in full on the methodology page.