copyparty vs FileGator
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
FileGator
Multi-user file manager with role-based access
| Feature | copyparty | FileGator |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,774 | ★ 3,078 |
| First released | 2019 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Google Drive, Dropbox |
What are copyparty and FileGator?
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
FileGator
FileGator is a self-hosted multi-user file manager supporting various storage adapters such as local disk, FTP, and Amazon S3. It offers role-based permissions and a modern interface.
- Multiple storage adapters
- Role-based permissions
- Zip and unzip support
copyparty vs FileGator: key differences
Copyparty is written in Python, while FileGator is built with PHP. Copyparty is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for FileGator. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,774 GitHub stars versus 3,078.
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 FileGator if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or FileGator better?
Neither is universally better. copyparty has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are copyparty and FileGator free and open-source?
Yes. copyparty is licensed under MIT and FileGator under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run copyparty and FileGator with Docker?
copyparty: yes. FileGator: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, copyparty or FileGator?
copyparty has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for FileGator. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.