Box vs ownCloud

Side-by-side feature comparison and pricing breakdown.

Feature
Box
File Sharing & Sync
Desktop & Mobile Apps
Enterprise Access Controls
Compliance Certifications Box has more formal certifications (FedRAMP, HIPAA)
Cross-Org Federation ownCloud supports federated sharing between instances
File Size Limits Box has a 5GB file size cap; ownCloud has no inherent limit
Self-Hosting
Pricing
$15/mo
Free Open Source
Save 100% — Save ~$15/user/mo (100% savings vs Box Business)

Verdict

ownCloud provides enterprise-grade file sharing without Box's per-user licensing, backed by 15+ years of maturity and 1.5M+ users. Box wins on SaaS convenience and compliance certifications, but ownCloud is the smarter choice for data-sovereign organizations.

Best for: Enterprises with 25+ users who need proven self-hosted file sharing with data sovereignty

Last updated: 2026-03-01