copyparty vs Tiny File Manager
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
Tiny File Manager
Single-file PHP file manager and browser
| Feature | copyparty | Tiny File Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,774 | ★ 5,978 |
| First released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Google Drive |
What are copyparty and Tiny File Manager?
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
Tiny File Manager
Tiny File Manager is a web-based file manager contained in a single PHP file. It provides multi-user support, file editing, archive handling, and a clean responsive interface.
- Single-file deployment
- Built-in code editor
- Multi-user access control
copyparty vs Tiny File Manager: key differences
Copyparty is written in Python, while Tiny File Manager is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for copyparty versus GPL-3.0 for Tiny File Manager. Tiny File Manager is the more established project (first released 2016), while copyparty arrived in 2019. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,774 GitHub stars versus 5,978.
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 Tiny File Manager if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or Tiny File Manager 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 Tiny File Manager free and open-source?
Yes. copyparty is licensed under MIT and Tiny File Manager under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run copyparty and Tiny File Manager with Docker?
copyparty: yes. Tiny File Manager: yes.