File Browser vs Updog

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureFile BrowserUpdog
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseApache-2.0MIT
LanguageGoPython
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB32 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarybinary
GitHub stars★ 35,800★ 3,386
First released20172019
ReplacesDropboxWeTransfer

Why pick each one

Choose File Browser if…

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Trivial to deploy
  • Good for quick file access
File Browser details

Choose Updog if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Python
Updog details

Frequently asked questions

Is File Browser or Updog better?

Neither is universally better. File Browser has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are File Browser and Updog free and open-source?

Yes. File Browser is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Updog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run File Browser and Updog with Docker?

File Browser: yes. Updog: check the project docs for container support.

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