Roundcube, the webmail option that features a desktop client-like interface, is joining forces with Nextcloud.

Nextcloud is a popular open source cloud platform, providing email, documents, calendar, and storage features. The platform competes with popular cloud options from Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

The company announced that Roundcube is joining it:

We are thrilled to announce that Roundcube project has found a new home with Nextcloud. Becoming a new steward for a popular webmail client trusted in highly regulated industries and among security-savvy users alike, we set sail to foster the growth and improvement of the project. This brings about a new milestone for global IT decentralization.

Nextcloud founder Frank Karlitschek touted the merger as a win for open source, as well as the two platforms and their users:

“The merger not only underscores the collective strength of the open source community but also highlights our enduring commitment to privacy, security, and user empowerment,” Karlitschek said.

The merger does not mean that Roundcube will be absorbed by Nextcloud and disappear as an independent product, nor does it mean that Roundcube will replace Nextcloud Mail:

As a product, Roundcube has an established path to success on its own. With opportunities remaining to be explored, a direct merger between Roundcube and Nextcloud is not planned. Neither will Roundcube replace Nextcloud Mail or the other way around. The products both have strengths and weaknesses and as open source products they already do share some underlying libraries and tools, but remain independent offerings for overlapping but different use scenarios. Nextcloud Mail will evolve as it is, focused on being used naturally within Nextcloud. Roundcube will continue to serve its active and new users as a stand-alone secure mail client.