Chibisafe vs Pomf
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Chibisafe | Pomf |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 68 · Good | 13 · At risk |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,772 | ★ 923 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Imgur, Dropbox | WeTransfer, Imgur |
What are Chibisafe and Pomf?
Chibisafe
Chibisafe is a beautiful self-hosted file and image uploader with a sleek interface. It offers album organization, a browser extension, and a ShareX-compatible API.
- ShareX-compatible uploads
- Album organization
- Browser extension
Pomf
Pomf is a lightweight file uploading and sharing platform written in PHP. It powers many community file hosts and is easy to deploy on shared hosting.
- Runs on shared hosting
- Drag-and-drop uploads
- Simple API
Chibisafe vs Pomf: key differences
Chibisafe is written in TypeScript, while Pomf is built with PHP. Pomf is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Chibisafe. Pomf is the more established project (first released 2015), while Chibisafe arrived in 2019. Chibisafe has the considerably larger community, at 2,772 GitHub stars versus 923. Chibisafe lists first-class Docker deployment; Pomf does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Chibisafe if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Pomf if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Chibisafe or Pomf better?
Neither is universally better. Chibisafe has the larger community, while Pomf is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Chibisafe and Pomf free and open-source?
Yes. Chibisafe is licensed under MIT and Pomf under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Chibisafe and Pomf with Docker?
Chibisafe: yes. Pomf: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Chibisafe or Pomf?
Pomf has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Chibisafe. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.