Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Box VS ownCloud

Compare Box VS ownCloud and see what are their differences

Box logo Box

Box offers secure content management and collaboration for individuals, teams and businesses, enabling secure file sharing and access to your files online.

ownCloud logo ownCloud

ownCloud is an open source project enabling businesses to host their own cloud storage while maintaining regulatory and compliance needs.
  • Box
    Image date //
    2025-01-11
  • ownCloud Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-21

Box features and specs

  • Storage Capacity
    Box offers generous storage options, including unlimited storage for business plans, allowing organizations to handle large amounts of data seamlessly.
  • Collaboration Tools
    Box provides robust collaboration features, enabling multiple users to work on documents simultaneously, leave comments, and manage projects efficiently.
  • Security Features
    Box includes advanced security measures such as encryption, access controls, and compliance certifications (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) to ensure data safety.
  • Integrations
    Box integrates with numerous third-party applications including Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Slack, making it versatile for various workflows.
  • User-friendly Interface
    Box has a clean and intuitive user interface, which simplifies the user experience for both new and seasoned users.
  • File Versioning
    Box keeps a history of file versions, so users can easily revert to previous versions if necessary.
  • Mobile Accessibility
    Box offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, allowing users to access files and collaborate on the go.

Possible disadvantages of Box

  • Cost
    Box can be relatively expensive compared to other cloud storage solutions, particularly for small businesses and freelancers.
  • File Size Limitations
    Box has file size upload limits, which may be restrictive for users needing to upload very large files.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    While feature-rich, Box's extensive functionalities can overwhelm new users who may face a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Offline Access
    Although Box provides offline access to files, its capabilities can be limited and sometimes unreliable compared to competitors.
  • Syncing Issues
    Some users have reported occasional issues with file syncing, which can disrupt workflow.
  • Customer Support
    While Box offers customer support, some users have reported that response times and the quality of support could be improved.

ownCloud features and specs

  • Open Source
    ownCloud offers an open-source version, allowing users to inspect, modify, and enhance the software according to their needs.
  • Data Privacy
    Users maintain complete control over their data as it can be hosted on their own servers, ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations.
  • Customizability
    The platform provides extensive customization options, enabling users to tailor it to their specific requirements.
  • Integration Capabilities
    ownCloud supports various integrations with third-party services and applications, enhancing its functionality.
  • Active Community
    A vibrant and active community contributes to continuous improvements, bug fixes, and the development of new features.

Possible disadvantages of ownCloud

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex and may require technical expertise, which can be a barrier for non-tech-savvy users.
  • Maintenance Requirements
    Self-hosting ownCloud necessitates regular maintenance, updates, and security management, which can be time-consuming.
  • Performance Issues
    Performance can be impacted by the server's hardware capabilities and the efficiency of the network infrastructure.
  • Costs
    While the open-source version is free, the enterprise version, which offers more features and support, comes with a cost.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    In comparison to some proprietary cloud storage solutions, ownCloud may lack certain advanced features and ease of use.

Box videos

Box Cloud Storage Review

More videos:

  • Review - I ~Honestly~ Review 8 Popular Subscription Boxes
  • Review - Butcher Box Unboxing & My Honest Review

ownCloud videos

ownCloud Demonstration

More videos:

  • Review - Create Your Own Hosted Cloud Storage Server in Minutes - OwnCloud

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Box and ownCloud)
Cloud Storage
66 66%
34% 34
File Sharing
66 66%
34% 34
Encrypted Cloud Storage
63 63%
37% 37
Office Suites
53 53%
47% 47

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Box and ownCloud

Box Reviews

Best Top 12 MEGA Alternatives in 2024
For businesses and enterprises, Box provides scalable, enterprise-level cloud storage with robust collaboration and productivity features. It's a credible alternative for those seeking a professional solution.
The Best iPhone Transfer & Manager Software for 2022
Whether you have an iPhone or any other device, one of the options you can check out is Box. The designers of Box say that their unique selling point is the simplicity of the software. For instance, all you need, to transmit files of any size to anywhere, is a link. This means that you don’t necessarily need a Box account to use the software.
Google Drive alternatives: Best picks
With Box, you can create files that will instantly be shared with your teammates. They can then edit and comment on your documents in real time. The Box is probably one of the most integrated apps on this list, too. With over 1,000 leading software providers like Office 365, Salesforce and Adobe Sign, your teammates will be able to edit documents without leaving the...
Source: nordvpn.com
13 Best Free Dropbox Alternatives for File Sharing
Box provides enhanced features such as dedicated phone support, encrypted data transfer and storage. You can also integrate it with Salesforce.com and Google Apps. In addition, you can access it through tablets, Android phones, Blackberry, iPad and iPhone. They also have partnerships with mobile companies for apps which allow users to easily access their services. Box...
Source: brainyhubs.com
Top 11 Best Dropbox Alternatives in 2020: Which Is The Most Secure?
An additional metric for your review could be resources consumed by each program. DropBox is notorious for gobbling up a lot of your free memory. As I type this, it is using 143 threads and 357MB of my 8GB RAM on a MAC and it is not performing a synch. I would love to know which of your top choices was less RAM hungry than DropBox. It is the major reason I am looking to...

ownCloud Reviews

Best Top 12 MEGA Alternatives in 2024
ownCloud is an open-source file sync and share software for everyone from individuals operating the free ownCloud server, to large enterprises and service providers operating under the ownCloud Enterprise Subscription. ownCloud provides a safe, secure and compliant file sync and share solution – on servers you control.
6 cPanel Alternatives
ownCloud is a file sharing solution for teams looking to manage data outside of something like Google Drive. The personal cloud storage solution has dozens of stable plugins that further consolidate data for remote-based organizations:
13 Best Free Dropbox Alternatives for File Sharing
Owncloud is not as such a cloud service, but a software to create our own. Owncloud allows us to take advantage of an old equipment or a service that we have to use it as if it were Dropbox.
Source: brainyhubs.com
16 Tresorit Alternatives
Like Dropbox, this service will allow you to manage all elements from a browser tab. From it, you can manage them, divide them into folders, and even download them online. ownCloud is a synchronization tool and ‘backup’ file, which is especially useful for small and medium enterprises. Moreover, it is not only versatile and practical but also extremely safe.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Box should be more popular than ownCloud. It has been mentiond 93 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Box mentions (93)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (February 2025)
    Box | http://box.com | San Francisco Bay Area (US) | Warsaw (PL) | HYBRID Box, Inc. (NASDAQ: BOX) develops and markets cloud-based content management, collaboration, and file sharing tools for businesses. Several roles available spanning frontend and backend segments, mid-career reliability, observability, database, and productivity engineering roles. http://careers.box.com. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Sharepoint Alternatives?
    I've used box.com with pretty good results, but expect to pay through the nose for the privilege. Source: over 1 year ago
  • I NEED HELP
    So I have all my mountain goats stuff on my Spotify local files, I found a random comment here from like 4 years ago with this guys box.com storage collection of all of his mountain goats songs, recently the link stopped working :( if anyone has it (i know its a pretty niche ask) I would love to have it back. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Now that Google Drive is starting to limit, what's your migration plan?
    Alright. Mind if I check with you a couple weeks from now to see how this turns out for you? I've never heard of box.com. I'm checking out their website now. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What is everyone’s opinion on these demos getting leaked?
    You would be surprised how stupid Label employees can be, they even give stuff that is "confidential" to unpaid interns to post on their internal pages like box.com or their disco.ac pages. I've seen so many demos, instrumentals and albums posted somewhere public because they got someone to do a half assed job at it. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

ownCloud mentions (31)

  • Automating My Cloud Workflow with OwnCloud, Docker, and GCP
    Hey folks! 👋 I'm Sahal, a software engineer currently diving deeper into the world of DevOps and cloud automation. Recently, I’ve been working on deploying my own cloud storage solution using OwnCloud — self-hosted, scalable, and privacy-friendly. Here’s a quick overview of what I’ve been hacking on. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • 5 Awesome ownCloud Alternatives
    If you've been using ownCloud, you might recently be reconsidering. Maybe you're frustrated by feature limitations, licensing costs, or concerned about its uncertain future since the acquisition. Switching solutions after a product changes ownership isn't unusual—products do sometimes deteriorate under new management. Luckily, there are strong options if you're looking for a reliable file syncing and sharing... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Roundcube Open-Source Webmail Software Merges with Nextcloud
    You might want to check out ownCloud[0] if you're purely interested in file sharing. Its all open source and you can run your own server. I can't attest to how well it runs currently, as I haven't used it for a few years, but I used it a couple years ago and it was pretty solid [0]: https://owncloud.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • What's your web browser based access to file system?
    I am not interested in complex cloud hosting systems like https://www.seafile.com/en/home/, https://nextcloud.com/, https://owncloud.com/. I run some cloud software (forgot the name) in the past and it was very inefficient at synchronizing, Seafile was great with synchronization, but recovery was painful. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • All Ford EV will have access to Tesla Supercharger network
    Also just because something is "free" doesn't mean it is cheaper. I can run a free Owncloud but it might be cheaper to pay someone else to run my server while I focus on my solution. USB-A could be patent free and USB-C may have a small royalty but the UX and cost of manufacture may make USB-C still cheaper. I would be curious what the end agreement money exchange between Ford and Tesla was but I don't think we... Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Box and ownCloud, you can also consider the following products

Dropbox - Online Sync and File Sharing

Google Drive - Access and sync your files anywhere

Mega - Secure File Storage and collaboration

Microsoft OneDrive - Secure access, sharing & file storage

pCloud - Cloud storage service with up to 20GB for free! Store, share and send large files to anyone. Join now and have your files everywhere you go.

Nextcloud - With Nextcloud enterprises host their own secure cloud solution for storage, collaboration & communication from any device, anywhere.