# ownCloud 9 Hacker News commenters recommended ownCloud and 9 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months. **Verdict:** Recommended as an easy-to-run, self-hosted file sync server that people say just works. Main caveats are update trouble and some features behind a paywall. ## Why people recommend it - Easy to set up and run (2 comments): "hosting your own OwnCloud/NextCloud is pretty easy. It just works." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46430115)) "It was nice and easy, and I didn't have any problems with it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491653)) - Simple option for a VPS (2 comments): "worst case you can run up a VPS with Owncloud or something" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45882714)) "why not set up owncloud on the hetzner machine?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46054770)) ## What people warn about - Abandoned free edition, paywalled features (2 comments): "The good OwnCloud is abandoned, and instead they released some meme enterprise nonsense." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491560)) "Some features are locked behind a proprietary paywall." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491539)) - Messy codebase, PHP concerns (2 comments): "owncloud/nextcloud were a huge mess, for long time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45863537)) "how much of a hot PHP mess it is" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47718845)) - Hard to keep updated, small company (2 comments): "They're committed to security updates for 10 but it's a small company." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48492466)) "I always had terrible trouble keeping it (and before it, Owncloud) updated" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48491170)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Syncthing](https://hackerapproved.com/p/syncthing.md): 212 recommend - [Nextcloud](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nextcloud.md): 154 recommend - [OpenCloud](https://hackerapproved.com/p/opencloud.md): 18 recommend - [Seafile](https://hackerapproved.com/p/seafile.md): 18 recommend - [Maestral](https://hackerapproved.com/p/maestral.md): 6 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "ownCloud", https://hackerapproved.com/p/owncloud/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).