Relayium

Relayium vs Nextcloud for sending files

Last updated: 2026-07-31

Nextcloud turned self-hosting into a real alternative to Google Drive or Dropbox: your own files, your own sync across every device, your own calendar and contacts, all under a domain you control. It's genuinely powerful software, and if what you want is a permanent home for your files, Nextcloud is the right tool for the job.

This article compares the two fairly. Nextcloud is built to store and sync data indefinitely, with a web server, database, PHP runtime, and ongoing updates. Relayium solves the narrower hand-off: realtime transfer keeps no server-side content copy, using a direct browser path on a LAN or encrypted TURN across networks, while an optional zero-knowledge link expires. For durable cloud storage Nextcloud fits better; for moving a file Relayium is lighter.

What Nextcloud does well

Nextcloud is a complete self-hosted cloud suite: file storage with desktop and mobile sync clients, calendars, contacts, an office suite, chat, and a large app ecosystem on top. Once it's running, it behaves like a private Google Workspace — files live there permanently, sync automatically across devices, and stay available whenever you need them.

That's a genuinely different job than sending a file. Nextcloud is the right choice when you want a permanent, shared home for your data: a team drive, a photo library, a place your household or company keeps files long-term.

Where they differ: a storage platform vs a transfer tool

Because Nextcloud does so much, running it means running a real application platform: a web server, a database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite), a PHP runtime, scheduled cron jobs, and periodic updates to the core and whichever apps you've installed. That's a fair trade for everything you get, but it's ongoing work, and you're the one planning storage capacity for everything you keep there.

Relayium doesn't try to be a storage platform. Realtime transfer keeps no server-side content copy: browser files move directly on a LAN and use TURN by design across networks, where the relay cannot read or decrypt the end-to-end ciphertext. Its self-hosted server remains one Go container with SQLite and unreadable encrypted blobs for stored links; an optional profile adds TURN. That is much less to run when the job is only A to B.

docker compose up -d --build

Realtime transfer, no server-side content copy

Relayium's realtime mode keeps no server-side content copy. Browser files move directly on a LAN; across networks, TURN carries end-to-end ciphertext the relay cannot read or decrypt. Nextcloud has no equivalent because every share uses your server. Relayium derives AES-256-GCM keys with X25519, shows a matching 6-digit SAS, and checks each file with SHA-256.

On the same network this needs no account at all: open relayium.com on both devices, pick up to 1,000 files, verify the code, and send. Sending across networks with a pairing code requires the sender to sign in — the recipient never needs an account. If a connection drops mid-transfer it resumes instead of restarting. On the same network the files go straight between the two devices; across networks the transfer runs over an encrypted TURN relay by design — it forwards ciphertext only and never holds the key.

When the recipient is offline: zero-knowledge stored links

Realtime transfer needs both people online at once, which is where Nextcloud's always-on server has a real edge. Relayium covers that case too, without giving up privacy: your browser generates a random AES-256-GCM key, encrypts the files with it before anything leaves your device, and the key lives only in the URL fragment — the part after the # that browsers never send to a server. The server stores ciphertext it cannot decrypt.

Creating a stored link requires the sender to sign in; the recipient needs no account to download. Each link can be set to expire after 1 hour, 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, or up to 14 days depending on your plan, or to burn after the first complete download — it isn't meant to be a permanent home for the file like a Nextcloud share, it's meant to disappear.

Feature comparison at a glance

The differences that matter most, side by side:

Frequently asked questions

Should I use Nextcloud instead of Relayium?

If you want a permanent, synced home for your files — photos, documents, a shared team drive — yes, that's exactly what Nextcloud is built for. Relayium isn't a replacement for that; it's for the narrower job of getting a file from one person to another, quickly and privately.

Does Relayium store my files the way Nextcloud does?

No server-side content copy or history is kept in realtime mode. Browser files are LAN-direct or cross-network TURN ciphertext the relay cannot read or decrypt. Stored links keep zero-knowledge ciphertext only until expiry or burn-after-read, not indefinitely like Nextcloud.

Do I need an account?

On the same network, no. Sending across networks with a pairing code, or creating a stored link, requires the sender to sign in; the recipient never needs an account. Nextcloud requires an account (or a share link from one) for every user who accesses it.

Can I self-host Relayium too?

Yes. Unlike Nextcloud's multi-service stack, Relayium's server is a single container: one docker compose command runs the whole thing, with an optional TURN relay profile for cross-network NAT traversal.

Is Relayium free?

Yes — free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 license, with no paid tier. Nextcloud's core server software is also free and open source; some hosting and support options from Nextcloud GmbH are paid.

Send a file by realtime transfer, or share an expiring zero-knowledge link — no cloud storage account required on the same network.

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