Nextcloud vs Dropbox: Real Monthly Cost
Self-hosted Nextcloud on a VPS against Dropbox Plus and Standard, for one person and for teams, with Dropbox prices from its plans page, and where it wins.
Dropbox prices by the person and gives each a lot of storage. A self-hosted Nextcloud prices by the server: any number of people can share it, but storage is whatever the server's disk holds. So the cheaper option depends on how many people you are and how much data you keep. Dropbox prices below are from its plans page as of 2026-10-18.
The monthly cost
Nextcloud here is the one-click Nextcloud app, whose recommended size is 2 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM: Veloxa 2 ($15 a month, $0.03 an hour), with 80 GB of disk. For more space, Veloxa 4 ($30 a month, $0.05 an hour) has 160 GB and Veloxa 8 ($60 a month, $0.09 an hour) has 320 GB.
| Who and how much data | Dropbox | Nextcloud on VeloxaHost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person, 50 GB | Plus: $11.99 a month, or $9.99 a month billed yearly (2 TB) | Veloxa 2: $15 |
| 1 person, 1 TB | Plus: $11.99, or $9.99 billed yearly | Not a good fit: the largest self-serve size has 320 GB of disk |
| 5 people, 60 GB in total | Standard: 5 × $18 = $90 a month, or 5 × $15 = $75 billed yearly | Veloxa 2: $15 |
| 10 people, 300 GB in total | Standard: 10 × $18 = $180 a month, or 10 × $15 = $150 billed yearly | Veloxa 8: $60 |
Dropbox's Basic plan is free with 2 GB. Its plans page lists Standard at $18 and $15 per user a month, the lower price being the yearly one, with team storage starting at 3,000 GB.
For one person, Dropbox is cheaper and holds 25 times as much as the Veloxa 2 disk. For a group sharing a modest amount of data, Nextcloud on one server costs a fraction of per-user pricing, and adding a person costs nothing.
What the VeloxaHost column leaves out
- HTTPS on your domain. The desktop and mobile apps should connect over HTTPS. VeloxaHost servers get a block of ports on a shared IPv4 address without ports 80 and 443, so a domain with a certificate on 443 needs a dedicated IPv4 address, a paid add-on with limited availability. The console shows its current price.
- More storage than the disk. Disk is fixed when the server is created. Nextcloud can also keep files in S3-compatible object storage, and VeloxaHost buckets are an add-on billed by the GB of each bucket's quota; see the billing guide in the docs for the current price.
- Your time. Nextcloud upgrades go one major version at a time, PHP and MySQL need patching, and backups are yours to schedule. Snapshots before an upgrade are not charged.
- A copy somewhere else. Your files live on one server in one region. Scheduled backups are copied off-site, and you can download any backup to keep your own copy.
Where Dropbox is the better pick
- Lots of data per person. 2 TB for $11.99 a month is far cheaper per GB than a server's disk.
- One user. With nobody to share the server with, Plus costs less than Veloxa 2.
- No administration. Dropbox has no upgrades, certificates or backups for you to run.
- Sync that just works. Dropbox's own clients are the reason many people pay for it; Nextcloud's are good, but you are the one who fixes a broken sync.
Where Nextcloud is the better pick
- Teams with modest data. Five people sharing 60 GB pay $15 instead of $75 to $90.
- Your files on your server. Nothing is stored with a third party, and you choose the backup schedule and who has an account.
- More than files. Nextcloud adds calendars, contacts and collaborative editing as apps in the same install.
FAQ
How much storage do I get with Nextcloud on VeloxaHost?
The server's disk: 80 GB on Veloxa 2, 160 GB on Veloxa 4 and 320 GB on Veloxa 8, shared by the system, Nextcloud and your files. Object storage buckets can add more, as an add-on.
Is Nextcloud free?
The Nextcloud server software has no license fee for self-hosting. You pay for the server it runs on.
Can I start small and grow?
CPU and memory can be raised from the console without a restart. Disk cannot be changed after the server is created, so start with the disk you expect to need, or plan to use object storage for growth.
What does it cost if several people use it?
The same. A VeloxaHost server is priced by its size, not by user, so ten accounts on Veloxa 2 still cost $15 a month. If many people sync at once and the server slows down, raise its CPU and memory; the price follows the size, not the head count.
Where are my files stored?
In US East, in the Washington, DC area, on your server's disk. VeloxaHost has one region today.
Facts about Dropbox were checked on 2026-10-18 against their own published pages: www.dropbox.com. Prices and plans change; check theirs before you decide.
Ready to deploy?
Start a free trial, or compare plans to match your team's scale.