FileGator vs Puter

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

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FeatureFileGatorPuter
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseMITAGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPTypeScript
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM128 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 3,048★ 43,003
First released20192026
ReplacesGoogle Drive, Dropbox

Why pick each one

Choose FileGator if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (3k GitHub stars)
FileGator details

Choose Puter if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 43k GitHub stars
  • Written in TypeScript
Puter details

Frequently asked questions

Is FileGator or Puter better?

Neither is universally better. Puter has the larger community, while FileGator is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are FileGator and Puter free and open-source?

Yes. FileGator is licensed under MIT and Puter under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FileGator and Puter with Docker?

FileGator: yes. Puter: yes.

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