FilePizza vs PairDrop

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?
FeatureFilePizzaPairDrop
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseBSD-3-ClauseGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM50 MB64 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 10,129★ 11,133
First released20232022
ReplacesWeTransferAirDrop, WeTransfer

Why pick each one

Choose FilePizza if…

  • Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
  • Mature project with 10.1k GitHub stars
  • Written in TypeScript
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
FilePizza details

Choose PairDrop if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 11.1k GitHub stars
PairDrop details

Frequently asked questions

Is FilePizza or PairDrop better?

PairDrop is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider FilePizza if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are FilePizza and PairDrop free and open-source?

Yes. FilePizza is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and PairDrop under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run FilePizza and PairDrop with Docker?

FilePizza: check the project docs for container support. PairDrop: yes.

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