Seafile
Cloud content collaboration software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Seafile and its alternatives fit your requirements.
$100 per year
Free TrialFree version
Small
Medium
Large
- Banking and insurance
- Transportation and logistics
- Information technology and software
What is Seafile
Seafile is a file sync-and-share and team collaboration platform used to store, synchronize, and share files across devices and users. It supports both self-hosted deployments and a vendor-hosted cloud service, which makes it common in organizations that need control over data location and infrastructure. The product includes libraries/workspaces, sharing links, permissions, and desktop/mobile clients, with optional features such as online document preview and integrations. It is typically used by IT-managed teams that want an alternative to general-purpose cloud drives with stronger administrative control and on-premises options.
Self-hosted and cloud options
Seafile supports on-premises/self-managed deployments as well as a hosted cloud offering. This gives organizations flexibility for data residency, network isolation, and internal compliance requirements. It also enables use cases where storage must remain within a private data center or specific region.
Efficient sync and versioning
Seafile is designed around libraries and supports file versioning and history for collaborative work. Desktop clients provide selective sync and can reduce bandwidth usage compared with basic file transfer approaches. These capabilities fit teams that need reliable cross-device synchronization and rollback for shared content.
Admin controls and permissions
The platform provides user/group management, role-based permissions, and sharing controls at the library and folder levels. Administrators can manage quotas, access policies, and auditing-related settings depending on edition and deployment. This aligns with IT-led rollouts where governance is required beyond ad-hoc file sharing.
Collaboration features are narrower
Seafile focuses primarily on file sync, sharing, and basic collaboration workflows rather than full document lifecycle management. Organizations needing advanced matter-centric workspaces, deep email capture, or complex records management may require additional systems. Some higher-end governance features are typically found in dedicated document management platforms.
Some capabilities depend on edition
Feature availability can vary between the open-source/community edition and paid editions, and between self-hosted and hosted offerings. Teams may need to evaluate which edition includes required functions such as advanced administration, auditing, or enterprise support. This can add procurement and architecture effort during selection.
Self-hosting adds operational overhead
Running Seafile on-premises requires maintaining servers, storage, backups, upgrades, and security hardening. High availability and disaster recovery are the customer’s responsibility in self-managed deployments. Organizations without mature IT operations may find a fully managed service easier to sustain.
Plan & Pricing
On-premises (Seafile Server Professional Edition)
| Plan / Tier | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 users | Free | Pro edition can run for 3 users without a license file; trial/license options available. |
| 9 users | $100 total per year | Special small-business offer: $100 total/year for 9 users. |
| 10–249 users | $48 / user / year | Named-user license; license includes updates and basic email support; educational pricing available (approx. 50% off). |
| 250–499 users | $44 / user / year | Per-user annual pricing decreases with larger bands. |
| 500–749 users | $40 / user / year | |
| 750–999 users | $35 / user / year | |
| 1000+ users | Contact sales / custom pricing |
Notes: Pricing bands and educational discounts shown on the official pricing page; support plans are additional (remote session at $120/hr or paid yearly support tiers).
Cloud (Seafile Plus / Hosted offerings)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plus — Trial Plan | Free (trial) | At most 3 users, 1 GB storage (trial limitations per official site). Account may be inactivated after trial period. |
| Plus — Team Plan | $8 / user / month | Starts from 3 users; includes 500 GB (expandable), 3 months version retention, full-text search, online editing, audit logs, metadata/knowledge features. |
| Seacloud Pro A | $10 / month | 100 GB storage, 50 GB/month share link traffic (note: Seacloud.cc registration is closed; vendor recommends contacting sales/hosting partners). |
| Seacloud Pro B | $20 / month | 250 GB storage, 100 GB/month share link traffic (see note above). |
Notes: Seafile offers both self-hosted (Community Edition — free & open source) and paid Professional on-premises licenses, plus hosted/cloud plans. Trial offerings and cloud plans appear on official pages; some hosted service registrations (seacloud.cc) are marked as closed and vendor directs inquiries to email/partners.
Seller details
Seafile Ltd.
London, United Kingdom
2012
Private
https://www.seafile.com/
https://x.com/seafile
https://www.linkedin.com/company/seafile-ltd/
