A self-hosted alternative to Nextcloud for team email
Nextcloud is the open-source, self-hosted suite for files, calendar and office documents, but it has no mail server: Nextcloud Mail is a client for a mail server you run yourself. Work Inbox is the mail server and the app, on Cloudflare, with nothing to patch.
Start free 14 days, no card. Or self-host for free.
Side by side
Nextcloud's facts from its own pages, checked 9 November 2026. Prices as Nextcloud shows them, before tax.
| Feature |  Work Inbox |  Nextcloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | €1 / €2.50 / €5 a month (Starter, Pro, Business), billed monthly; first 5 people free, at least 5 billed; self-hosted free | Free community edition; Enterprise from 100 people |
| Free plan or trial | Included: Free for up to 5 people; 14-day trial for teams, no card. Self-hosting free for good | Included: Community edition free |
| Shared mailboxes | Included: Unlimited on every plan, no licence per mailbox | Partly: Depends on the mail server you run |
| Aliases and catch-all | Included: Unlimited aliases, catch-all per domain, plus addressing | Partly: Depends on the mail server you run |
| Notes or docs edited together | Included: Shared notes with live editing, checklists, tables, @mentions | Included: Nextcloud Text and Nextcloud Office |
| Self-hosting and source code | Included: Open source; runs on your own Cloudflare account | Included: Open source (AGPLv3), self-hosted on your servers |
| IMAP and mobile mail apps | Not available: Not yet: web app only (installable). IMAP gateway planned | Partly: Nextcloud Mail is itself an IMAP client |
| Claude / ChatGPT (MCP) | Included: MCP server: search and read mail, notes, contacts and drive files on every plan; replies and changes on Pro and Business | Partly: MCP through the Context Agent app |
| Calendar, contacts, files | Partly: Calendar, contacts (a team address book) and a shared drive; no office documents or video calls | Included: Files, calendar, contacts, Talk |
Nextcloud's plans
- Community edition: free to self-host (AGPLv3)
- Enterprise: €71.29, €104.99 or €204.75 a person a year from 100 people (Standard, Premium, Ultimate)
Why teams pick Work Inbox
- Mail included: no separate mail server to install and keep running.
- Runs on Cloudflare's network, not on a server you patch.
- Hosted plans for teams of any size, free for up to 5 people.
Pick Nextcloud if
- You need files, calendar and office documents on your own servers.
- You already run a mail server and want a web client and groupware for it.
- You need an enterprise subscription with SAML and support.
Questions
Does Nextcloud include a mail server?
No. Nextcloud's own groupware page says Nextcloud Mail is a client for IMAP infrastructure and Nextcloud doesn't include a mail server. Enterprise can bundle one at extra cost.
Sources
Other comparisons
Bring your domain
Your team's mail on it this afternoon.
$ open workinbox.io/signupstart →
$ git clone https://github.com/workinbox-io/inbox.git && cd inbox && pnpm install && pnpm setup