Closest to Mega
Nextcloud is the most popular file sync and sharing suite, and Seafile adds file sync with granular permissions. Peergos is a peer-to-peer encrypted filesystem, and Hoodik is a lightweight encrypted store.
Alternatives / Mega
12 open-source alternatives
12 Best Open Source Mega Alternatives in 2026
Looking for an open source Mega alternative? We compared 12 open source file storage tools by license, encryption, and maintenance. Nextcloud and Seafile are mature suites, Peergos is an encrypted peer-to-peer filesystem, and Puter and Spacedrive take different approaches.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
mega.io
Best Mega alternatives at a glance
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Puter | Browser-based desktop with storage | AGPL-3.0 |
| Spacedrive | Virtual filesystem (paused, FSL) | FSL-1.1-ALv2 |
| Nextcloud | Complete file sync suite | AGPL-3.0 |
| Seafile | Sync with permissions and co-editing | AGPL-3.0 server / GPL-2.0 client / Apache-2.0 components |
| Filestash | File manager over many backends | AGPL-3.0 |
| OpenCloud | Self-hosted platform with office suite | Apache-2.0 backend / AGPL-3.0 web components |
| Sync-in | Storage and collaboration | AGPL-3.0-or-later |
| Peergos | Peer-to-peer encrypted filesystem | AGPL-3.0 core |
| ownCloud | Platform for regulated organizations | Apache-2.0 backend / AGPL-3.0 web client |
| Hoodik | Encrypted storage (non-commercial) | CC BY-NC 4.0 |
| Twake Drive | Encrypted storage with collaboration | AGPL-3.0 |
| Firefiles | Browser file manager over S3 (stale) | AGPL-3.0 |
How we chose these Mega alternatives
We looked for open-source tools that store and share files like Mega, with attention to encryption. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Other platforms
Puter is a browser-based desktop with file storage and apps. Spacedrive presents files from multiple devices as one virtual filesystem, but development paused due to funding constraints and it uses a source-available license. Filestash, Sync-in, OpenCloud, ownCloud, Twake Drive, and Firefiles manage or sync files in various ways.
Important: licenses and maintenance
Hoodik is under CC BY-NC 4.0, which forbids commercial use. Spacedrive uses FSL-1.1-ALv2, which is source available. Filestash keeps enterprise features in a paid version, and Firefiles' last commit was in November 2025.
License details
Nextcloud, Puter, Filestash, Sync-in, Twake Drive, and Firefiles are AGPL-3.0. Seafile's server is AGPL-3.0. OpenCloud and ownCloud are Apache-2.0 backends with AGPL-3.0 web components.
Maintenance status
Most had commits within days of this update.
Why look for a Mega alternative?
Mega is a proprietary service with client-side encryption and storage quotas. Open-source tools let you host storage yourself, but end-to-end encryption is often optional.
puter.com
Puter is an AGPL-3.0 web-based operating environment with cloud storage, file management, applications, developer APIs, and a desktop-like interface.
43.8K4.1KAGPL-3.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Free and self-hostable under AGPL-3.0; hosted services may be offered separately.
- Cloud file storage and web file manager
- Desktop-style interface and APIs
- Application ecosystem
- Broader than a simple cloud drive
- Less focused on traditional desktop synchronization
spacedrive.com
Spacedrive is a cross-platform distributed file manager that unifies files across devices and storage locations. Its current Functional Source License is source available rather than OSI-approved open source.
39.3K1.4KFSL-1.1-ALv2Self-hosted
Pricing: Source available under FSL-1.1 with Apache-2.0 future relicensing; verify current hosted terms.
- Local-first and cross-platform
- Distributed file library
- Encrypted device communication
- Not currently OSI-approved open source
- Different model from a traditional cloud drive
- Synchronization is still evolving
nextcloud.com
Nextcloud is a self-hosted collaboration platform with file sync and sharing, calendar and contacts, real-time document editing, and chat and video calls through its Talk app. Communication is only one part of it, as it is primarily a file collaboration platform.
37.2K5.3KAGPL-3.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Free self-hosted; paid enterprise subscriptions available.
- Files, calendar, chat, and video in one
- Huge ecosystem and community
- Strong privacy and self-hosting focus
- Communication is secondary to file collaboration
- Needs maintenance and tuning to scale
seafile.com
Seafile is a self-hosted file synchronization and sharing platform with desktop and mobile clients, libraries, version history, permissions, and collaborative file workflows. Components use different open-source licenses.
15.4K1.7KAGPL-3.0 server / GPL-2.0 client / Apache-2.0 componentsSelf-hosted
Pricing: Open-source components are self-hostable; commercial editions and hosted services may be paid.
- Fast synchronization
- Strong performance with large libraries
- Mature file sharing and versioning
- Licensing differs across components
- Less extensible than a broad collaboration suite
filestash.app
Filestash is an AGPL-3.0 web file manager that connects to S3, SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Samba, and other existing storage systems, providing previews and a unified browser interface.
14.8K1KAGPL-3.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Free and self-hostable; requires an existing storage backend and optional commercial services may exist.
- S3, SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, and SMB support
- File previews and browser access
- Self-hosted and extensible
- Does not provide storage itself
- Less turnkey than Google Drive
opencloud.eu
OpenCloud combines file management, synchronization, sharing, spaces, search, permissions, WebDAV, office integrations, and cloud-native infrastructure. Its backend and web components use different licenses.
6.2K257Apache-2.0 backend / AGPL-3.0 web componentsSelf-hosted
Pricing: Open source and self-hostable; commercial support or hosted services may be available.
- Data sovereignty focus
- Modern cloud-native architecture
- Sync, sharing, spaces, and office integrations
- Multiple licenses across components
- Younger ecosystem than Nextcloud
peergos.org
Peergos is an AGPL-3.0-core encrypted peer-to-peer filesystem with client-side encryption, secure sharing, versioning, applications, messaging, and user-controlled data.
2.5K203AGPL-3.0 coreSelf-hosted
Pricing: Open-source core is self-hostable; hosted services and support may be offered separately.
- Client-side encryption
- Cryptographic permissions and secure sharing
- Peer-to-peer architecture and self-hosting
- Unusual architecture
- Smaller ecosystem
- More technical to deploy than traditional cloud drives
owncloud.com
ownCloud Infinite Scale is a self-hosted file synchronization and sharing platform with spaces, permissions, sharing, and collaborative integrations. Its backend and frontend components use different licenses.
2.2K283Apache-2.0 backend / AGPL-3.0 web clientSelf-hosted
Pricing: Open-source components are self-hostable; commercial offerings and support are available.
- Mature file-sync ecosystem
- Team spaces, sharing, and permissions
- Designed for organizational deployments
- Multiple licenses across components
- More enterprise-oriented than consumer cloud storage
sync-in.com
Sync-in is an AGPL-3.0-or-later platform for file storage, synchronization, sharing, WebDAV, team spaces, search, permissions, and collaborative document integrations.
1.9K158AGPL-3.0-or-laterSelf-hosted
Pricing: Free and self-hostable; verify current hosted and deployment options.
- File sync and team spaces
- WebDAV, search, and permissions
- Collaborative editing integrations
- Younger ecosystem
- Smaller community and integration ecosystem
hoodik.io
Hoodik is a Rust/Vue cloud storage platform that encrypts files in the browser before upload, so the server stores protected content rather than plaintext files. Its current license is CC BY-NC 4.0.
1.5K73CC BY-NC 4.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Source available for non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0; commercial use requires a separate agreement.
- Client-side encryption
- Lightweight Rust backend
- Self-hosting, sharing, search, and Docker deployment
- Not OSI-approved open source
- Non-commercial restriction
- Younger and smaller ecosystem
twake.app
Twake Drive is an AGPL-3.0 file storage and sharing platform from LINAGORA, with browser-based file management, collaboration, sharing, Docker deployment, and self-hosting.
987165AGPL-3.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Open source and self-hostable; hosted services may be offered separately.
- Designed directly around the cloud-drive use case
- Web file manager and sharing
- Docker deployment
- Smaller ecosystem than Nextcloud
- Less mature desktop synchronization ecosystem
firefiles.app
Firefiles is an AGPL-3.0 web file manager that turns existing S3-compatible storage buckets into a browser-based cloud drive with previews and bulk uploads.
37060AGPL-3.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Free and self-hostable; requires an external object-storage backend.
- S3 support and multiple buckets
- Browser previews and bulk uploads
- You control the underlying storage
- Requires external storage
- Not a complete synchronization platform
- Smaller project
Compare Mega alternatives
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puter | Web desktop | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Experimenting |
| Spacedrive | File manager | FSL-1.1-ALv2 (source available) | Local | Check status first |
| Nextcloud | File sync suite | AGPL-3.0+ | Yes | Closest replacement |
| Seafile | File sync | AGPL-3.0 server | Yes | Team file sync |
| Filestash | File manager | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Existing storage |
| OpenCloud | File platform | Apache-2.0 / AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Zero-trust deployments |
| Sync-in | File platform | AGPL-3.0+ | Yes | Small teams |
| Peergos | Encrypted filesystem | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Strong privacy |
| ownCloud | File platform | Apache-2.0 / AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Enterprises |
| Hoodik | Encrypted storage | CC BY-NC 4.0 | Yes | Personal use only |
| Twake Drive | File platform | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | European organizations |
| Firefiles | File manager | AGPL-3.0 | Your own S3 | Simple S3 browsing |
Which one should you choose?
Want a full cloud suite
Nextcloud adds real-time editing, chat, and a calendar to file sync.
Want strong end-to-end encryption
Peergos is an encrypted peer-to-peer filesystem.
Want to browse existing storage
Filestash connects S3, SFTP, WebDAV, and more.