Nextcloud - on shared hosting/budget?

bikegremlin · October 2025

I have decided to give Nextcloud a try.

My reasoning was to keep my address book and calendar portable (so I can sync any changes accross several computers and phones), but not rely on Google, Apple or other huge corporation.

For files and photos I suppose the likes of good old offline storage combined with Hetzner and even Pcloud (and Filen.io) are probably a more reasonable choice - correct me if I'm wrong.

Of course, I wanted to keep the costs low, so I tried an installation in a shared hosting environment (well, technically it's under a reseller hosting account, but the principle and access rights are the same).

So far so good.
A few error logs, some warnings, but it does work. LOL.

The details (with a list of warnings and errors I came across):

https://io.bikegremlin.com/38385/nextcloud-selfhosted-install-on-shared-hosting/

Corrections, ideas and tips are more than welcome.

angstrom · October 2025

I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

A couple of times in the past, I tried to install Nextcloud on a shared hosting account, but I felt frustrated by the restrictions that a typical shared hosting account typically imposes, so I gave up. Nextcloud has become complex/intricate enough that I simply find it more straightforward to install and to maintain on a VPS

I'm familiar with virtually all of the errors/warnings that you mention. I recall that earlier in the past, I had the goal of eliminating every error/warning, but at some point, I gave up on this and focused simply on eliminating the major/serious errors/warnings

bikegremlin · October 2025

@angstrom said:
I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

Hetzner's managed Nextcloud looks like a good option in terms of both money and time:
https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

A couple of times in the past, I tried to install Nextcloud on a shared hosting account, but I felt frustrated by the restrictions that a typical shared hosting account typically imposes, so I gave up. Nextcloud has become complex/intricate enough that I simply find it more straightforward to install and to maintain on a VPS

One of the reasons for posting here was to hear if there are wiser and perhaps simpler alternatives that are still good.

Having said that, so far, Nextcloud is doing what I need it to:
I'm using other services for file and picture storage/offload (Hetzner storage box, Filen.io and Pcloud), and for note taking and syncing (Obsidian).

I'm familiar with virtually all of the errors/warnings that you mention. I recall that earlier in the past, I had the goal of eliminating every error/warning, but at some point, I gave up on this and focused simply on eliminating the major/serious errors/warnings

This!
Over the years, despite my perfectionism (and mild OCD - which are both flaws despite people using them to humblebrag), I have learned to just leave stuff imperfect when that is the more reasonable thing to do.

AlwaysSkint · October 2025

Currently (and for many years), I run Nextcloud on a small slice/slab ( @Francisco ) and the cheapest Online/Scaleway dedicated server. I use them as backup repositories rather than anything 'fancy', so just ignore the irrelevant warnings. ;-)
I have run it before in a shared hosting environment on one of my VPSes but having full control of the setup helps a lot (especially for command line commands).
I wouldn't trust Hetzner with ANY of my data, given how much they harbour hackers, crackers, port scanners etc. They just don't give a crap about what originates from their infrastructure.
How about a Oneprovider 1TB HDD dedi?

SGraf · October 2025

Nextcloud is quite nice, if properly maintained and configured and tuned. I'm running a few "managed" installations for clients. This will in the near future also turn into a public service.

Already got a brand name selected, just waiting for the logo to be finished and getting the design done shortly after.

Regarding running on shared hosting: This can be done and i have some scripts that are running on my shared hosting platforms from sitetide.com . The initial install is no problem, auto-updates,... can be a bit of a nuisance. So once the new cloud storage service launches, i'll likely stop including the nextcloud installer/updater on shared hosting.

bikegremlin · October 2025

@AlwaysSkint and @SGraf - it is fair to note that the reseller/shared hosting providers I use offer SSH, and that is very helpful at times (not just for Nextcloud).

Without SSH, I am not sure how my install would have fared.

SGraf · October 2025

@bikegremlin said:
@AlwaysSkint and @SGraf - it is fair to note that the reseller/shared hosting providers I use offer SSH, and that is very helpful at times (not just for Nextcloud).

Without SSH, I am not sure how my install would have fared.

The normal/shared hosting plans on SiteTide have auto-installers. Where required users may request a cron job (via ticket).
For The Cloud Hosting Plans, you get ssh access, plus Cron Job setup via the Web-UI.

For the upcoming product line of managed cloud storage products, the aim is a quite different ofc. So there you get cloud storage as a product without any installation/maintainance required. Just ready to use.

bikegremlin · October 2025

@SGraf said:

@bikegremlin said:
@AlwaysSkint and @SGraf - it is fair to note that the reseller/shared hosting providers I use offer SSH, and that is very helpful at times (not just for Nextcloud).

Without SSH, I am not sure how my install would have fared.

The normal/shared hosting plans on SiteTide have auto-installers. Where required its also possible to get a cron job (via ticket). For The Cloud Hosting Plans, you get ssh access, plus Cron Job setup via the Web-UI.

For context: my reply was related to the option of one of installing Nextcloud on their own, in a shared hosting environment (in general).

If a provider offers Softaculous with shared hosting plans, one could also try the Softaculous' Nextcloud auto-installer (picking the "Custom" install option even lets you set a data directory outside of public_html, which is nice) - but I haven't gone on to finish and install using this automated approach, wanted to do it "manually".

angstrom · October 2025

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:
I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

Hetzner's managed Nextcloud looks like a good option in terms of both money and time:
https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

In the past, I considered Hetzner's managed Nextcloud a couple of times, but in the end, I decided to manage my own installations. That said, Hetzner's prices seem good for what you get

Around a month ago, mainly because I was curious, I signed up for a free 2GB Nextcloud account at The Good Cloud ( https://thegood.cloud/ ), who are an "official preferred partner" of Nextcloud. One signs up for this free account via the page https://nextcloud.com/sign-up/#the_good_cloud at the Nextcloud site. My impression after a month is very positive: the synchronization is always very quick and I haven't yet noticed any downtime. The Good Cloud claim to be privacy-centric ( https://thegood.cloud/about-us/ ). Not surprisingly, their pricing ( https://buy.thegood.cloud/en/individuals ) is much higher than Hetzner's managed Nextcloud pricing, but I think that I'd be more inclined to choose The Good Cloud over Hetzner for managed Nextcloud

bikegremlin · October 2025

@angstrom said:

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:
I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

Hetzner's managed Nextcloud looks like a good option in terms of both money and time:
https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

In the past, I considered Hetzner's managed Nextcloud a couple of times, but in the end, I decided to manage my own installations. That said, Hetzner's prices seem good for what you get

Around a month ago, mainly because I was curious, I signed up for a free 2GB Nextcloud account at The Good Cloud ( https://thegood.cloud/ ), who are an "official preferred partner" of Nextcloud. One signs up for this free account via the page https://nextcloud.com/sign-up/#the_good_cloud at the Nextcloud site. My impression after a month is very positive: the synchronization is always very quick and I haven't yet noticed any downtime. The Good Cloud claim to be privacy-centric ( https://thegood.cloud/about-us/ ). Not surprisingly, their pricing ( https://buy.thegood.cloud/en/individuals ) is much higher than Hetzner's managed Nextcloud pricing, but I think that I'd be more inclined to choose The Good Cloud over Hetzner for managed Nextcloud

The Good Cloud website has links that lead to just their "blog page" instead of to where they are expected to.
That doesn't look very promising.

To see and compare prices also seems to require a bit more clicking on the site.
Another thing I dislike.

angstrom · October 2025

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:
I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

Hetzner's managed Nextcloud looks like a good option in terms of both money and time:
https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

In the past, I considered Hetzner's managed Nextcloud a couple of times, but in the end, I decided to manage my own installations. That said, Hetzner's prices seem good for what you get

Around a month ago, mainly because I was curious, I signed up for a free 2GB Nextcloud account at The Good Cloud ( https://thegood.cloud/ ), who are an "official preferred partner" of Nextcloud. One signs up for this free account via the page https://nextcloud.com/sign-up/#the_good_cloud at the Nextcloud site. My impression after a month is very positive: the synchronization is always very quick and I haven't yet noticed any downtime. The Good Cloud claim to be privacy-centric ( https://thegood.cloud/about-us/ ). Not surprisingly, their pricing ( https://buy.thegood.cloud/en/individuals ) is much higher than Hetzner's managed Nextcloud pricing, but I think that I'd be more inclined to choose The Good Cloud over Hetzner for managed Nextcloud

The Good Cloud website has links that lead to just their "blog page" instead of to where they are expected to.
That doesn't look very promising.

To see and compare prices also seems to require a bit more clicking on the site.
Another thing I dislike.

I'd agree that the "structure" of the site leaves something to be desired, but I guess that I'm willing to overlook this (unless they're really trying to hide something crucial)

Since their only product is managed Nextcloud, they seem to be more focused on selling managed Nextcloud to businesses (than on selling to individuals), but I give them a pass on this. (In general, businesses are a more promising source of income than individuals are)

angstrom · October 2025

@angstrom said:

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:
I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

Hetzner's managed Nextcloud looks like a good option in terms of both money and time:
https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

In the past, I considered Hetzner's managed Nextcloud a couple of times, but in the end, I decided to manage my own installations. That said, Hetzner's prices seem good for what you get

Around a month ago, mainly because I was curious, I signed up for a free 2GB Nextcloud account at The Good Cloud ( https://thegood.cloud/ ), who are an "official preferred partner" of Nextcloud. One signs up for this free account via the page https://nextcloud.com/sign-up/#the_good_cloud at the Nextcloud site. My impression after a month is very positive: the synchronization is always very quick and I haven't yet noticed any downtime. The Good Cloud claim to be privacy-centric ( https://thegood.cloud/about-us/ ). Not surprisingly, their pricing ( https://buy.thegood.cloud/en/individuals ) is much higher than Hetzner's managed Nextcloud pricing, but I think that I'd be more inclined to choose The Good Cloud over Hetzner for managed Nextcloud

The Good Cloud website has links that lead to just their "blog page" instead of to where they are expected to.
That doesn't look very promising.

To see and compare prices also seems to require a bit more clicking on the site.
Another thing I dislike.

I'd agree that the "structure" of the site leaves something to be desired, but I guess that I'm willing to overlook this (unless they're really trying to hide something crucial)

Since their only product is managed Nextcloud, they seem to be more focused on selling managed Nextcloud to businesses (than on selling to individuals), but I give them a pass on this. (In general, businesses are a more promising source of income than individuals are)

I would add that as far as I can tell, The Good Cloud web site isn't trying to dazzle anyone with a slick design, but I tend to see this as a positive feature

vyas · October 2025

NC install on Myw.pt reseller worked quite well 2020-2023 for me. Had a nice 50-55 GB (don't remember exact)…
DE, so Hetzner I think.

once my icloud subscription runs out of prepaid credit, I might take a look at NC again… though Koofr presents a rock solid case.

x01 · October 2025

there are also some good free nextcloud instances to use like disroot.org or thegood.cloud which is more than enough for caldav.

here are more free offers
https://help.nextcloud.com/c/hosting/14

bikegremlin · January 18

The latest Nextcloud patch (32.0.5) broke CardDAV on IOS and Floccus bookmark sync on all systems.

One bug gets fixed, new bug gets introduced.

This looks like more hassle than is worth it.

I’m switching to alternative solutions.

havoc · January 18

@bikegremlin said:
The latest Nextcloud patch (32.0.5) broke CardDAV on IOS and Floccus bookmark sync on all systems.

One bug gets fixed, new bug gets introduced.

This looks like more hassle than is worth it.

I’m switching to alternative solutions.

It did always look a bit fragile to me.

Don't really see any alternative that seems particularly viable though

bikegremlin · January 18

@havoc said:

@bikegremlin said:
The latest Nextcloud patch (32.0.5) broke CardDAV on IOS and Floccus bookmark sync on all systems.

One bug gets fixed, new bug gets introduced.

This looks like more hassle than is worth it.

I’m switching to alternative solutions.

It did always look a bit fragile to me.

Don't really see any alternative that seems particularly viable though

Firefox sync or export for bookmarks.
MXroute’s CardDAV support for contacts and calendar.

RSS client will be missed though.

AlwaysSkint · January 18

@bikegremlin said: The latest Nextcloud patch (32.0.5) broke CardDAV on IOS and Floccus bookmark sync on all systems.

By default, Nextcloud keeps a copy of previous files,so that you can rollback changes. Just in case you didn't realise that.
[Edit] Perhaps only on older versions: I took a quick look and couldn't see signs of a system files copy. There are methods to rollback though not without risk.

bikegremlin · January 19

@AlwaysSkint said:

@bikegremlin said: The latest Nextcloud patch (32.0.5) broke CardDAV on IOS and Floccus bookmark sync on all systems.

By default, Nextcloud keeps a copy of previous files,so that you can rollback changes. Just in case you didn't realise that.
[Edit] Perhaps only on older versions: I took a quick look and couldn't see signs of a system files copy. There are methods to rollback though not without risk.

It does - though I was "wise" enough to remove that - sigh.

It does feel too much like a zip-tie and WD40 solution ("on glass legs" as is a local saying).

Maybe Hetzner's managed solution is more solid, but that would still be the same software basically (and an extra monthly payment to stack up), so for now I'm rolling without it and see how it fares.

I think if Nextcloud tried to do less it may have been better, not sure. Many people do use it though, so maybe it's just me, but this is my impression based on my experience. Really gave it a chance.

AlwaysSkint · January 19

@bikegremlin said: It does - though I was "wise" enough to remove that - sigh.

It does feel too much like a zip-tie and WD40 solution ("on glass legs" as is a local saying).

LOL x2 - Yes, I can be a bit 'judicious' in my quest to save space too.

bikegremlin · January 19

@AlwaysSkint said:

@bikegremlin said: It does - though I was "wise" enough to remove that - sigh.

It does feel too much like a zip-tie and WD40 solution ("on glass legs" as is a local saying).

LOL x2 - Yes, I can be a bit 'judicious' in my quest to save space too.

I usually wait before updating, but I did this to troubleshoot eM Client address book bug.

Hasn't helped - but that's probably eM Client related, since with MXroute CardDAV Betterbird and Iphone work fine, only eM Client can't read most of the contacts (only about 80 out of about 800). Sigh.

On that note, I'm not excited with how the "pro email software" is dealing with an imporant thing as contacts. Spirit of the times I guess.

Ympker · January 19

A friend of mine is really happy with Nextcloud hosted by Hetzner

Falzo · January 19

get a small (hybrid) storage VPS from greencloud , layer7 or hosthatch. works pretty well for a few hundred GBs here ;-)

bikegremlin · January 19

@Ympker said:
A friend of mine is really happy with Nextcloud hosted by Hetzner

MXroute hosts Nextcloud via Crossbox webmail.

That instance works well.

In fact, it helped me fix my CardDAV issues so I got eM Client contacts to work and sync normally (import to MXroute's Nextcloud, then export, then import to MXroute CardDAV - and all good).

I suppose my local Nextcloud instance got corrupt somewhere along the way, even before the latest update that totally broke it.

beagle · January 19

I'm hosting mine on an old Hetzner dedi and I always stay a version behind just patching minor versions.

The only reason I don't go for Hetzner shared boxes is their backup / restore process. I can't do my own backup and their restore process is based on ZFS snapshots and doesn't allow file restore. You need to rollback the whole snapshot.

elliotc · January 20

Webdav is resources hungry when you have lots of files that your shared might not happy with that.
My Nextcloud instance is hosted on a HostHatch compute+storage combo instance and runs an n8n container, as the instance has ample resources. Its primary purpose is to collect backup data from family members.
All data is subsequently synced to my local NAS. Since the local network resides behind NAT, Nextcloud provides a more convenient access method for family members.

Amadex · January 20

Get a USB stick 🌝

bikegremlin · January 21

@angstrom said:

@bikegremlin said:

@angstrom said:
I've been running a couple of Nextcloud installations for a number of years now, but I run them on VPSes

As your report suggests, it can be tricky to run Nextcloud on shared hosting, but this also depends on how much "freedom" one's shared hosting account gives one. Your shared hosting or reseller account seems good in this respect

Hetzner's managed Nextcloud looks like a good option in terms of both money and time:
https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/

In the past, I considered Hetzner's managed Nextcloud a couple of times, but in the end, I decided to manage my own installations. That said, Hetzner's prices seem good for what you get

Around a month ago, mainly because I was curious, I signed up for a free 2GB Nextcloud account at The Good Cloud ( https://thegood.cloud/ ), who are an "official preferred partner" of Nextcloud. One signs up for this free account via the page https://nextcloud.com/sign-up/#the_good_cloud at the Nextcloud site. My impression after a month is very positive: the synchronization is always very quick and I haven't yet noticed any downtime. The Good Cloud claim to be privacy-centric ( https://thegood.cloud/about-us/ ). Not surprisingly, their pricing ( https://buy.thegood.cloud/en/individuals ) is much higher than Hetzner's managed Nextcloud pricing, but I think that I'd be more inclined to choose The Good Cloud over Hetzner for managed Nextcloud

After some problems with eM Client contacts sync, I've concluded that Nextcloud is probably the safest bet for contacts after all. But, properly managed one, ideally not the latest & greatest version.

MXroute offers Nextcloud via Crossbox and that's working great for now (I'm using only CardDAV and CalDAV) - even though it's "only" version 24 Nextcloud (discussed on Reddit).

I also decided to give The Good Cloud a try. Works fine, but the free account is no longer really free:

https://thegood.cloud/a-quest-for-sustainable-altruism/

For my personal use, the personal plan price of 3.5 € per month would still be cheaper than Hetzner, though if more than one person wanted to use it, I can see Hetzner becoming cheaper very quickly (1 TB, unlimited users for under 4.5 € per month):

https://thegood.cloud/personal-storage-pricing/

https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-share/#pricing

The Good Cloud does seem to take their backups seriously, according to this:

https://thegood.cloud/backups/