How to Replace Dropbox with Self-Hosted Alternatives

Why Replace Dropbox?

Cost: Dropbox Plus is $12/month ($144/year) for 2TB. Self-hosted: $0/year on hardware you own.
Privacy: Dropbox stores your files on their servers. They can access them, and breaches have happened.
Storage: Dropbox limits you to 2TB on Plus, 3TB on Professional. Self-hosted is limited only by your drives.
Features: Dropbox keeps removing features from lower tiers and pushing you to upgrade.

Annual savings: $144/year (Dropbox Plus) → $0/year self-hosted.

Your Options

App	Difficulty	Feature Match	Best For
Syncthing	Easy	70%	Simple device-to-device sync
Nextcloud	Medium	90%	Full Dropbox replacement with web access
Seafile	Medium	85%	Fast sync for large libraries

Our Recommendation

For most people replacing Dropbox: use Syncthing. If what you actually use Dropbox for is syncing files between your computer and phone, Syncthing does it better — faster, more reliably, and without a server.

If you need web access and sharing links (Dropbox’s share features), use Nextcloud instead.

Migration Guide

Step 1: Export from Dropbox

Go to dropbox.com
Select all files → Download
Or use the Dropbox desktop app and copy from the Dropbox folder

Step 2: Set Up Your Self-Hosted App

Step 3: Move Your Files

Syncthing: Point Syncthing at your downloaded Dropbox folder and share it with your other devices.

Nextcloud: Upload via the web UI or point the desktop sync client at your Dropbox folder.

Step 4: Install Sync Clients

Install on all your devices. Let the initial sync complete.

Step 5: Cancel Dropbox

Once all files are syncing successfully:

Verify everything transferred
Uninstall the Dropbox client
Cancel your Dropbox subscription
Optionally delete files from Dropbox (they give you 30 days to recover)

What You’ll Miss

Dropbox Paper — use Nextcloud with Collabora for similar document editing
Smart Sync (on-demand files) — Nextcloud has virtual files; Syncthing downloads everything
Easy sharing links — Nextcloud supports this; Syncthing doesn’t
Dropbox Backup — set up your own backup with Restic or Duplicati

What You’ll Gain

No monthly fee — save $144/year
Unlimited storage — buy more hard drives, not more subscriptions
Privacy — your files never leave your hardware
Speed — Syncthing transfers files directly between devices, no cloud roundtrip