copyparty vs Pydio Cells
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
Pydio Cells
Document sharing and collaboration for organizations
| Feature | copyparty | Pydio Cells |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,774 | ★ 2,252 |
| First released | 2019 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Dropbox, Box, Google Drive |
What are copyparty and Pydio Cells?
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
Pydio Cells
Pydio Cells is a content collaboration platform for organizations, offering file sharing, workspaces, and access controls. It is designed for teams and enterprises needing governed document collaboration. It is deployed via Docker or native binaries.
- Workspace-based collaboration
- Granular access control
- Built-in search and metadata
- Mobile and desktop clients
copyparty vs Pydio Cells: key differences
Copyparty is written in Python, while Pydio Cells is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for copyparty versus AGPL-3.0 for Pydio Cells. Copyparty is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Pydio Cells. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,774 GitHub stars versus 2,252.
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 Pydio Cells if…
- Strong enterprise features
- Modern Go codebase
- Good access governance
Watch out for
- Heavier than simple tools
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or Pydio Cells better?
copyparty is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pydio Cells if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are copyparty and Pydio Cells free and open-source?
Yes. copyparty is licensed under MIT and Pydio Cells under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run copyparty and Pydio Cells with Docker?
copyparty: yes. Pydio Cells: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, copyparty or Pydio Cells?
copyparty has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Pydio Cells. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.