Skip to content

Best Offline-First File Sync & Storage for self-hosting

The 15 best Offline-First file sync & storage you can self-host, ranked by community traction.

LocalSend

File Sync & Storage

Share files to nearby devices without the internet

Replaces AirDrop

★ 94.3k Easy setup MIT

Syncthing

File Sync & Storage

Continuous peer-to-peer file synchronization

Replaces Dropbox, Resilio Sync

★ 89.4k Easy setup MPL-2.0

Spacedrive

File Sync & Storage

Cross-platform file explorer powered by a virtual distributed filesystem

Replaces Google Drive, Dropbox

★ 39.2k Medium setup AGPL-3.0

Kubo (IPFS)

File Sync & Storage

Reference implementation of the InterPlanetary File System

Replaces Dropbox

★ 17.2k Hard setup MIT

ShareDrop

File Sync & Storage

Peer-to-peer file transfer in the browser

Replaces AirDrop, WeTransfer

★ 10.8k Easy setup MIT

qrcp

File Sync & Storage

Transfer files to and from phones by scanning a QR code

Replaces AirDrop, Snapdrop

★ 10.5k Easy setup MIT

Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare

File Sync & Storage

Anonymous file sharing over the Tor network

Replaces WeTransfer, Dropbox

★ 7.2k Medium setup GPL-3.0

Upspin

File Sync & Storage

Global name system for secure file sharing

Replaces Dropbox

★ 6.4k Hard setup BSD-3-Clause

Unison

File Sync & Storage

Bidirectional file synchronizer with conflict detection

Replaces Dropbox

★ 5.5k Medium setup GPL-3.0

Flying Carpet

File Sync & Storage

Wireless file transfer between devices with no shared network

Replaces AirDrop, Snapdrop

★ 5.4k Easy setup GPL-3.0

SparkleShare

File Sync & Storage

Git-backed file synchronization with version history

Replaces Dropbox

★ 5k Medium setup GPL-3.0

Kinto

File Sync & Storage

Generic JSON document store with built-in synchronization

Replaces Firebase

★ 4.4k Medium setup Apache-2.0

Nextcloud Desktop Sync

File Sync & Storage

Official desktop sync client for Nextcloud

Replaces Dropbox, OneDrive

★ 3.9k Easy setup GPL-2.0

git-annex

File Sync & Storage

Manage and sync large files with Git without storing contents

Replaces Dropbox

★ 2k Hard setup AGPL-3.0

FreeFileSync

File Sync & Storage

Folder comparison and synchronization tool with a GUI

Replaces Dropbox, rsync

★ 1.7k Easy setup GPL-3.0

At a glance

App	Deploy effort	Difficulty	Min. RAM	License	★ Stars
LocalSend	Read-the-docs project	Easy	128 MB	MIT	94,309
Syncthing	≈5-minute setup	Easy	128 MB	MPL-2.0	89,373
Spacedrive	Read-the-docs project	Medium	512 MB	AGPL-3.0	39,161
Kubo (IPFS)	Under-an-hour setup	Hard	512 MB	MIT	17,152
ShareDrop	Under-an-hour setup	Easy	64 MB	MIT	10,764
qrcp	Read-the-docs project	Easy	64 MB	MIT	10,518
Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare	Read-the-docs project	Medium	256 MB	GPL-3.0	7,150
Upspin	Read-the-docs project	Hard	128 MB	BSD-3-Clause	6,404
Unison	Read-the-docs project	Medium	64 MB	GPL-3.0	5,528
Flying Carpet	Read-the-docs project	Easy	128 MB	GPL-3.0	5,352

Quick picks

Most adopted: LocalSend (94,309 GitHub stars).
Lightest footprint: ShareDrop (from 64 MB RAM, against 512 MB for the heaviest here).
Fastest to deploy: Syncthing (verified single-container compose).
Licensing: 5 of 15 use GPL-3.0; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.

Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Offline-First within the file sync & storage category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.

Keep exploring

All File Sync & Storage Easiest File Sync & Storage to self-host How to choose file sync tool: the File Sync & Storage buyer's guide

Head-to-head: Offline-First file sync & storage