copyparty vs ownCloud Web
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | copyparty | ownCloud Web |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,774 | ★ 567 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Dropbox, Google Drive |
What are copyparty and ownCloud Web?
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
ownCloud Web
ownCloud Web is the modern single-page web frontend for ownCloud file storage and sharing. It provides fast file management, sharing, and collaboration in the browser.
- Modern file management UI
- File sharing
- Browser-based collaboration
- Fast single-page app
copyparty vs ownCloud Web: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: ownCloud Web's repository is archived and no longer developed, while copyparty is actively maintained. Copyparty is written in Python, while ownCloud Web is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for copyparty versus AGPL-3.0 for ownCloud Web. Copyparty is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ownCloud Web. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,774 GitHub stars versus 567.
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 ownCloud Web if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or ownCloud Web better?
copyparty is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ownCloud Web if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are copyparty and ownCloud Web free and open-source?
Yes. copyparty is licensed under MIT and ownCloud Web under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run copyparty and ownCloud Web with Docker?
copyparty: yes. ownCloud Web: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, copyparty or ownCloud Web?
copyparty has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ownCloud Web. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.