// FILES, EMAIL & DOCS
Microsoft 365 vs Nextcloud
Microsoft 365 charges every user, every month, forever — and your files live on their cloud. Nextcloud gives you files, calendars, and document editing on a private cloud you own, with no per-seat rent.
RENTED
Microsoft 365
From ~$12.50/user/mo
OWNED
Nextcloud
Free + your hosting
// AT A GLANCE
How they compare
Microsoft 365
Nextcloud
Pricing model
Per-user subscription
Free, open-source license
Per-user fees
Every user is billable
Unlimited users included
Who owns the site
Microsoft's cloud
Your server, your files
Files, calendars & docs
Yes (per seat)
Yes, included
Lock-in
Proprietary ecosystem
Open standards, leave anytime
* Pricing is illustrative of published list rates and scales with seats/usage; open-source figures reflect license cost only.
// THE CATCH
Where Microsoft 365 starts to hurt
X
Per-seat forever
Every employee is a monthly charge that never goes away.
X
Files in their cloud
Your documents and email live on Microsoft's servers under their terms.
X
Tier sprawl
The features you actually need are scattered across different paid plans.
// THE ALTERNATIVE
Nextcloud does the same job — and you own it
Nextcloud is a private cloud platform — file sync and share, calendars, contacts, and collaborative document editing — self-hosted with unlimited users and complete data ownership.
File sync and share for the whole team
Calendars, contacts, and mail
Collaborative document editing
Unlimited users, no per-seat fees
All files stay on your own server
// THE MATH
What it costs over three years
Microsoft 365 · 3-YEAR LICENSE
$2,250+
Based on 5 users on Business Standard; storage add-ons and higher tiers raise this further.
Nextcloud · LICENSE FEES
$0
No per-seat or usage fees ever. You pay only for the hosting you already run — plus our flat build & maintenance.
// WHY BUILTSTEAD, NOT DIY
Open-source is only free if your time is.
Nextcloud is free and powerful — but a fast, reliable private cloud still needs setup, hardening, backups, and updates. We install it, secure it, move your data over, connect it to the rest of your tools, and keep it running — all set up in your name. You get the savings of open-source without becoming your own IT department.
01
We host it for you
Deployed on reliable infrastructure, configured, secured, and monitored — no servers for you to babysit.
02
We migrate your data
Your existing records, contacts, and history moved over cleanly, so nothing is lost in the switch.
03
We connect your stack
Wired into your other tools so data flows automatically instead of being re-entered by hand.
04
We maintain & update
Updates, backups, and security patches handled on an ongoing basis — it just keeps working.
05
Set up in your name
Everything is titled to your company on your domain. No lock-in, no markup — the keys are yours.
06
Real people to call
When something needs attention, you reach us directly — not a ticket queue in another time zone.
Ready to drop Microsoft 365?
Get a free audit. We'll price out your switch to Nextcloud, map the migration, and show you the three-year savings — no obligation.
// MORE COMPARISONS
// GROWTH
// FINANCE
// OPERATIONS