Dropbox vs Syncthing
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $12-$24/user/mo on Dropbox.
Side-by-side
| Dropbox | Syncthing (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $12-$24/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Dropbox's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Dropbox controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (MPL-2.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (Docker available) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 74 / 100 |
Why teams leave Dropbox
- Per-user pricing stacks for teams
- Storage tiers force upgrades before compression/dedupe options
- Closed-source sync engine, you cannot audit it
- Smart Sync requires Pro+
Syncthing answers this by: Nextcloud and Seafile give Dropbox-equivalent sync + sharing + apps on a Hetzner storage box ($4/TB/mo).
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Dropbox at the midpoint price ($18/user/mo).
| Period | Dropbox | Syncthing on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $90 | $4.13 | $85.87 |
| Yearly | $1080 | $49.56 | $1030.44 |
| 3 years | $3,240 | $149 | $3,091 |
Deploy Syncthing now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Syncthing a good alternative to Dropbox?
Syncthing is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Dropbox with an ossreplace health score of 74/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the MPL-2.0 license, versus Dropbox's $12–24/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Syncthing than Dropbox?
A 5-person team pays about $90/mo on Dropbox. Self-hosting Syncthing on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $3,091 less over three years (95% lower).
Is Syncthing hard to self-host?
Syncthing ships a Docker setup, so deployment is usually a single docker-compose command on a $4.13/mo VPS. You own the backups and updates, and there are no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Syncthing vs Dropbox?
Yes. Because Syncthing runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Dropbox, Dropbox controls the hosting, storage, and access.