Filebin vs Lufi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Filebin | Lufi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 282 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
What are Filebin and Lufi?
Filebin
Filebin is a self-hosted file-sharing service where users drop files into shareable bins that expire automatically. It requires no registration and is convenient for quick transfers.
- Auto-expiring bins
- No registration
- Drag-and-drop upload
- Simple deployment
Lufi
Lufi is a file hosting application where files are encrypted in the browser before being uploaded, so the server never sees their contents. Files can be set to delete after a chosen expiration period.
- Client-side encryption
- Automatic file expiration
- Part of the Framasoft suite
Filebin vs Lufi: key differences
Filebin is written in Go, while Lufi is built with Perl. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Filebin versus AGPL-3.0 for Lufi.
Why pick each one
Choose Filebin if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Choose Lufi if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Filebin or Lufi better?
Neither is universally better. Lufi has the larger community, while Filebin is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Filebin and Lufi free and open-source?
Yes. Filebin is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Lufi under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Filebin and Lufi with Docker?
Filebin: yes. Lufi: yes.