Syncthing
File Sync & StorageContinuous peer-to-peer file synchronization
Replaces Dropbox, Resilio Sync
Best Lightweight File Sync & Storage for self-hosting
The 41 best Lightweight file sync & storage you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
copyparty
File Sync & StoragePortable file server with accelerated resumable uploads
Replaces Dropbox, Google Drive
croc
File Sync & StorageSecurely send files between any two computers
Replaces WeTransfer, AirDrop
Magic Wormhole
File Sync & StorageGet things from one computer to another, safely
Replaces WeTransfer, AirDrop
Snapdrop
File Sync & StorageLocal file sharing in your browser, inspired by AirDrop
Replaces AirDrop
transfer.sh
File Sync & StorageEasy file sharing from the command line
Replaces WeTransfer
VERT
File Sync & StoragePrivacy-focused file conversion run on your own server
Replaces CloudConvert
SFTPGo
File Sync & StorageFull-featured SFTP, FTP and WebDAV server
Replaces Dropbox
PairDrop
File Sync & StorageLocal and internet file sharing inspired by Snapdrop
Replaces AirDrop, WeTransfer
Dufs
File Sync & StorageDistinctive utility file server with WebDAV support
Replaces Dropbox, Google Drive
ShareDrop
File Sync & StoragePeer-to-peer file transfer in the browser
Replaces AirDrop, WeTransfer
qrcp
File Sync & StorageTransfer files to and from phones by scanning a QR code
Replaces AirDrop, Snapdrop
FileBrowser Quantum
File Sync & StorageEnhanced web file manager fork with extra features
Replaces Google Drive, Dropbox
Perkeep
File Sync & StoragePersonal storage system for modeling, storing, and searching your data
Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare
File Sync & StorageAnonymous file sharing over the Tor network
Replaces WeTransfer, Dropbox
h5ai
File Sync & StorageModern HTTP web server index for browsing files
Replaces Google Drive
Tiny File Manager
File Sync & StorageSingle-file PHP file manager and browser
Replaces Google Drive
Send
File Sync & StorageEncrypted file sharing fork of Firefox Send
Replaces WeTransfer, Firefox Send
WebDAV Server Go
File Sync & StorageLightweight standalone WebDAV file server
Replaces Dropbox
elFinder
File Sync & StorageWeb file manager with a desktop-style interface
Replaces Google Drive, Dropbox
gocryptfs
File Sync & StorageFast encrypted overlay filesystem for cloud-synced folders
Replaces Boxcryptor
Updog
File Sync & StorageReplacement for Python SimpleHTTPServer with uploads
Replaces WeTransfer
FileGator
File Sync & StorageMulti-user file manager with role-based access
Replaces Google Drive, Dropbox
PicoShare
File Sync & StorageMinimalist file sharing for permanent direct links
Replaces Dropbox, WeTransfer
Rclone Browser
File Sync & StorageCross-platform Qt GUI for managing rclone remotes
Replaces Mountain Duck, Cyberduck
Gokapi
File Sync & StorageLightweight self-hosted file sharing with expiring links
Replaces WeTransfer, Firefox Send
gohttpserver
File Sync & StorageMake a directory accessible over HTTP with uploads
Replaces Dropbox
CryFS
File Sync & StorageEncrypted filesystem for safely storing files in the cloud
Replaces Boxcryptor
PsiTransfer
File Sync & StorageSimple open-source file sharing solution
Replaces WeTransfer
Nextcloud companion go-filecoin none WebDAV-Aria
File Sync & StorageSelf-hosted WebDAV and CardDAV server in PHP
Replaces Dropbox
Garage
File Sync & StorageLightweight S3-compatible distributed object store
Replaces Amazon S3, Dropbox
Linx
File Sync & StorageSelf-hosted file and code paste sharing server
Replaces WeTransfer, Imgur
WsgiDAV
File Sync & StorageGeneric and extensible WebDAV server written in Python
Replaces Dropbox
rustypaste
File Sync & StorageMinimal file upload and pastebin service
Replaces WeTransfer, Imgur
Pomf
File Sync & StorageSimple file uploading and sharing platform
Replaces WeTransfer, Imgur
Cryptomator CLI
File Sync & StorageCommand-line client-side encryption for cloud files
Replaces Boxcryptor
Davros
File Sync & StoragePersonal cloud storage with WebDAV access
Replaces Dropbox
Lufi
File Sync & StorageLet users fight uploads with client-side encryption
Replaces WeTransfer, Firefox Send
Filebin
File Sync & StorageQuick file sharing with auto-expiring bins
Replaces WeTransfer, Firefox Send
Kleeja
File Sync & StorageFree upload and file-sharing application
Replaces WeTransfer
Nephele
File Sync & StorageModular WebDAV server for Node.js with pluggable backends
Replaces ownCloud, Box
No apps match these filters.
At a glance
| App | Deploy effort | Difficulty | Min. RAM | License | ★ Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syncthing | ≈5-minute setup | Easy | 128 MB | MPL-2.0 | 89,373 |
| copyparty | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 47,011 |
| croc | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 32 MB | MIT | 40,570 |
| Magic Wormhole | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 32 MB | MIT | 22,986 |
| Snapdrop | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | GPL-3.0 | 19,725 |
| transfer.sh | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 15,901 |
| VERT | ≈5-minute setup | Easy | 256 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 15,893 |
| SFTPGo | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 128 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 12,660 |
| PairDrop | ≈5-minute setup | Easy | 64 MB | GPL-3.0 | 11,582 |
| Dufs | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 32 MB | Apache-2.0 | 10,915 |
Quick picks
- Most adopted: Syncthing (89,373 GitHub stars).
- Lightest footprint: croc (from 32 MB RAM, against 512 MB for the heaviest here).
- Fastest to deploy: Syncthing (verified single-container compose).
- Licensing: 18 of 41 use MIT; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Lightweight within the file sync & storage category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.