The short answer
Plume is not a fork or a replacement of Nextcloud: it is another client for the same files. It talks to your server with Nextcloud's standard WebDAV and OCS interfaces and stores nothing of its own there, so the official apps and the web interface keep working next to it. Stop using Plume any time: nothing changes on your server.
The official apps do much more than Plume. Plume does less on purpose: browsing, searching, opening and saving files, with as little in the way as possible.
| Plume | Official Nextcloud apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Files: browse, search, open, save | Files, plus photo upload, encryption and more |
| On Mac | A native SwiftUI app, and a Finder location where files download when opened | The desktop client, which keeps the folders you choose in sync on your Mac |
| On iPhone and iPad | A single-screen SwiftUI app, plus the Files app | The Nextcloud app, plus the Files app |
| Search | Whole account as you type, from a local index, ignoring case and accents; Spotlight | Search in the apps and through Nextcloud's server search |
| Accounts | One | Several |
| Automatic photo upload | No | Yes |
| End-to-end encrypted folders | No | Yes |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Code | Swift only, no third-party dependencies, GPL-3.0-or-later | Open source (GPL) |
| Price | Free | Free |
Compared with the official apps' public features in October 2026. Nextcloud is a trademark of Nextcloud GmbH; Plume is not affiliated with it.
Why Plume feels light
- Local first: folders and search answer from what is already on the device, then the server fills in what changed. You don't wait for the network to see a folder you have opened before.
- Native and small: one SwiftUI codebase for iPhone, iPad and Mac, built on Apple's frameworks only.
- Part of the system: Finder, the Files app, the share sheet, Quick Look and Spotlight do the rest, so there is little new to learn.
When Plume is the better fit
- You use one Nextcloud account on a Mac, an iPhone or an iPad.
- You want to find any file as you type and open it quickly, without syncing whole folders.
- You like apps that do one thing and stay out of the way.
When to stay with the official apps
- You need several accounts, automatic photo upload or end-to-end encrypted folders.
- You want folders kept in sync on your computer at all times, or changes pushed while the app is closed.
- You use Windows, Linux or Android.
Try both
Plume and the official apps can be installed side by side and signed in to the same server. Each gets its own app password, which you can revoke separately in your Nextcloud security settings.