A team drive in Google Workspace Business Starter costs about $13 per user per month, or nearly $161 per year per person, before you even add more accounts for your team. You're not paying for the storage you actually need, but for a per-user license, and your company files remain on Google's servers. Nextcloud is an open source cloud drive with file synchronization from your computer and phone, shared folders, and document editing in your browser, which you host on your own Box, and the installation is fully automatic, no manual wizard needed. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to set up Nextcloud on Saplo.
Why Nextcloud instead of Google Workspace
Google Workspace hides its cost in the licensing model:
- the fee increases with each additional account on the team, so a company employing ten people pays ten times more than a company with one person, regardless of how much space the files actually take up,
- the space limit is imposed in advance by the plan, and exceeding it means upgrading to a more expensive package, even if you only need a little more space,
- company files are stored on someone else's infrastructure, in a configuration and under a jurisdiction that you do not control.
Nextcloud runs as a complete set of Docker containers on your Box: the main application, Redis for caching and file locking for simultaneous editing from multiple devices, and a separate cron container for background tasks such as file previews or trash cleanup. The engine sets up an empty database for it, generates a random administrator password, and runs a full automatic installation, and the total cost is the cost of the Box itself, without a fee for an additional user and without a rigid space limit beyond what you have on your disk.
Requirements
To set up Nextcloud on Saplo, you need:
- A Box with Docker running (the engine automatically enables it during installation from the catalog; container nesting is required, which Saplo has by default),
- A minimum of 1 GB RAM free on the Box and 15 GB of disk space, meaning a Box S plan for $29 per year is sufficient,
- A domain or subdomain
*.saploapp.plincluded in the price of every plan, where your drive will be hosted, - You DO NOT manually set up a separate database; Nextcloud gets its own empty database in Saplo's shared MySQL, and the engine automatically transmits access data.
You can find a full description of the application and its place in the App catalog on the Nextcloud on Saplo page.
Step-by-step installation
- In your Saplo panel, go to App catalog and select Nextcloud.
- Choose a Box with at least 1 GB of free RAM, where the disk will be installed, and a domain or subdomain under which it will operate.
- Confirm the installation. The engine sets up three containers from the official
nextcloud:apacheimage: the application, Redis for cache and file locks, and a separate cron container that runs background tasks every five minutes. It also creates an empty database and starts the installation without a browser wizard. - After the installer finishes, the engine checks via HTTP whether the disk is actually responding before considering the installation complete.
- Administrator login credentials are saved to the
NEXTCLOUD-SETUP.txtfile in the application directory.
First configuration
- Log in at your domain address using the credentials from
NEXTCLOUD-SETUP.txt. - Change the administrator password immediately after the first login. You'll find this option under the account icon in the top right corner, in the Settings section, and then Security.
- Add accounts for other team members in the Users section. Each account is free of charge.
- Install the desktop or mobile client (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android). Provide your domain address and login details so files synchronize automatically in the background.
- Create shared folders for your team and grant access to specific accounts or groups. Go to the Files section, right-click on the folder, and select Share.
Nextcloud on Saplo vs. Google Workspace
| Google Workspace (Business Starter) | Nextcloud on Saplo | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | fee for each account in the team | cost of the Box itself, unlimited accounts |
| Annual cost (approx., 1 person) | approximately $161 | $29 (Box S) |
| Storage limit | plan-imposed, exceeding it requires a more expensive package | as much as you have disk space on your Box |
| Where data is stored | on Google's servers | on your Box |
| Desktop/mobile clients | yes | yes, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android |
FAQ
Does installing Nextcloud on Saplo require going through a wizard in the browser? No, the engine runs a fully automatic installation when the containers start. The disk is ready for login immediately after the installation is complete.
Where can I find the administrator password?
In the NEXTCLOUD-SETUP.txt file in the application directory on Box, along with the login address.
Do I have to create a database myself? No, the engine creates an empty database in Saplo's shared MySQL and automatically passes the access data to the container.
Does adding another person to the team cost more? No, you can create unlimited accounts in Nextcloud without additional fees. You only pay for the Box on which the installation is located.
What plan is sufficient to start? Box S, with the minimum recipe requirements (1 GB RAM, 15 GB disk), is the cheapest plan that will support Nextcloud, at $29 per year.
If you're currently paying for every additional account in Google Workspace or Dropbox, contact us. We'll help you choose the right Box and transfer your team's files.
- #Cloud storage
- #Google Workspace
- #Nextcloud
- #Guide
