copyparty vs CryptPad
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
copyparty
Portable file server with accelerated resumable uploads
VS
CryptPad
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite
| Feature | copyparty | CryptPad |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,765 | ★ 7,946 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Google Drive, Microsoft 365 |
What are copyparty and CryptPad?
copyparty
copyparty is a portable file server with features including resumable uploads, deduplication, WebDAV, FTP, and media indexing. It runs from a single Python file with no dependencies.
- Accelerated resumable uploads
- WebDAV, FTP, and TFTP support
- Single-file Python deployment
CryptPad
CryptPad is an end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite with documents, spreadsheets, and a personal drive, where the server cannot read user data. It suits privacy-focused individuals and teams. It is deployed via Docker or a Node.js installation.
- Zero-knowledge end-to-end encryption
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Documents, sheets and forms
- Personal encrypted drive
copyparty vs CryptPad: key differences
Copyparty is written in Python, while CryptPad is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for copyparty versus AGPL-3.0 for CryptPad. Copyparty is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for CryptPad. CryptPad is the more established project (first released 2015), while copyparty arrived in 2019. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,765 GitHub stars versus 7,946.
Why pick each one
Choose copyparty if…
- Single-file deployment
- Fast resumable uploads
- WebDAV and FTP built in
Watch out for
- Unconventional interface
- Many flags to learn
Choose CryptPad if…
- Strong privacy guarantees
- Real-time collaboration
- No account needed to start
Watch out for
- Encryption limits server-side search
- Heavier client than plain editors
Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or CryptPad better?
copyparty is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider CryptPad if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are copyparty and CryptPad free and open-source?
Yes. copyparty is licensed under MIT and CryptPad under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run copyparty and CryptPad with Docker?
copyparty: yes. CryptPad: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, copyparty or CryptPad?
copyparty has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for CryptPad. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.