Dropbox vs Seafile Community Edition

Fit:

Migration notes

File sync/share and library versioning fit; libraries replace Dropbox folder model, so permissions, shares and links need recreation/testing. Pro is needed for full-text search and granular folder permissions; Dropbox bundled signatures/video review not covered.

Sources: github.com, www.seafile.com · checked 2026-10-21

DropboxPaid incumbent

Entry priceNot established

Pricing modelper-seat, billed quote

OwnerDropbox, Inc.

Business Standard displayed $15/user/month; billing selector state not reliably preserved by extraction, so no normalized entry amount claimed. Personal Plus $9.99 also shown. Source

Dropbox plans reviewed
Plus	entry	Not established
Standard	business	Not established
Enterprise	enterprise	Quote only

Seafile Community EditionOpen-source alternative

Fit for Dropbox

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 Permissions of this strongest copyleft license are conditioned on making available complete source code of licensed works and modifications, which include larger works using a licensed work, under the same license. Copyright and license notices must be preserved. Contributors provide an express grant of patent rights. When a modified version is used to provide a service over a network, the complete source code of the modified version must be made available. May Commercial useModificationDistributionPatent usePrivate use Must License and copyright noticeState changesDisclose sourceNetwork use is distributionSame license No LiabilityWarranty Summary from GitHub's choosealicense.com

Paid-feature tier C

Self-host

Paid-feature limits3 noted

Seafile Community Edition plans reviewed
Community Edition	self-hosted Community Edition	Free
Professional Edition	paid self-hosted license	Not established
Professional Edition	paid self-hosted license	Not established

What you may give up

Full-text file search requires Professional
Granular folder/subfolder permissions require Professional
Comprehensive audit logs, HA/clustering and S3 deployment require Professional

Tier C: Server core AGPLv3 with explicit OpenSSL linking permission; python directory Apache-2.0, Seahub web UI separately Apache-2.0 and desktop sync daemon GPLv2. Community sync/share usable, but common search and permission workflows are paid. Popular haiwen/seafile repository is client daemon; server-core repository used for license/health. License source

What running it takes

or
Memcached

Hover or focus an icon for its name. Dashed means not established; struck through means no; grouped icons are alternatives.

Current manual uses Seafile13 Compose. Database/cache and persistent volumes required; no separate Elasticsearch assumed for Community (full-text search is Professional). Compose is manual, not one-click. Infrastructure and staff time are not priced here; this page does not compare total cost.