How much does Nextcloud cost for businesses? Community, Enterprise and Operations

Nextcloud is open source (AGPL) and can be used without a license fee. The costs of Nextcloud are incurred for servers, setup, migration and ongoing operation. If you want support directly from the manufacturer, you can buy an enterprise subscription, according to Nextcloud from €71.29 per user per year (Standard tariff, from 100 users, net, as of October 2026).

For many small and medium-sized businesses, Nextcloud is interesting because Microsoft 365 and other cloud packages charge per user per month. Whether Nextcloud is cheaper in the end depends on how you run it. This article shows the cost blocks.

The software: free to use

Nextcloud Hub with files, talk, groupware and Office is under the AGPL, a copyleft license. You can install and use the software without a license fee. The Nextcloud apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android are also free.

Enterprise subscription: if vendor support is required

Nextcloud's pricing page lists these tariffs (net, per user and year):

For businesses with less than 100 users, the subscription is usually not an issue. They work with the community version and a service provider who takes care of operation and updates.

The actual cost blocks

• Server and storage: a virtual or dedicated server at a hoster in Germany or your own hardware. Storage requirements and number of users determine the size.
• Setup: Installation, security, connection to existing accounts (e.g. Active Directory), Office integration.
• Migration: Transfer data from SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive or network drives, create new shares.
• Operation: Updates, backups, monitoring, help for users.
• Training: Instruct the team on how to use sharing and synchronization correctly.

Calculation example: what matters

Example: A company with 25 employees compares Nextcloud with a cloud package that is billed per user and month. With Nextcloud, there are no costs per user, but a fixed amount for servers and support. The more users, the stronger this difference is. For very small teams, a cloud package can be cheaper if the maintenance effort for your own server is relatively too high.

In addition to the price, other points count: where the data is, whether you are tied to a provider and whether price increases affect you. The article Avoid vendor lock-in classifies this.

How to keep costs down

• Activate only the apps that are actually used
• Set storage quotas per user
• Install updates regularly instead of big version jumps
• Staggering migration by department instead of everything in one weekend

Our offer

We set up Nextcloud for companies on servers in Germany or at your premises, migrate your data and, if desired, take over the operation. The process of a switch is described in the article Switching from Microsoft 365 to Nextcloud.

Counselling and accompanied implementation is eligible for funding: Through INQA coaching, the federal government covers 80% of the consulting costs of up to €1,200 per day for up to 12 days, i.e. up to €11,520 subsidy. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the other new federal states, BAFA consulting funding is also eligible at 80% until 31.12.2026 (50% in the old federal states). Funding is provided for consulting, not software. The funding check shows which program fits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nextcloud free?

The software is open source and can be used without a license fee. Costs are incurred for servers, setup and operation. Manufacturer support is available for a fee as an enterprise subscription.

What are the minimum number of users for Nextcloud Enterprise?

According to the price page, from 100 users. Smaller businesses use the community version, usually with a service provider for the business.

Is Nextcloud cheaper than Microsoft 365?

Often for medium and larger teams because there is no cost per user. For very small teams, a cloud package can be cheaper. It is also crucial whether functions such as Teams or SharePoint workflows need to be replaced.

How much does it cost to run a Nextcloud server?

This depends on the number of users, storage requirements and desired service. A fixed monthly amount for servers and support is typical, regardless of the number of users.

Would you like to know what Nextcloud would cost you? Write to us via the contact page.