FilePizza vs Pingvin Share
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
FilePizza
Peer-to-peer file transfers in your browser
VS
Pingvin Share
Archived
Self-hosted file sharing alternative to WeTransfer
| Feature | FilePizza | Pingvin Share |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,189 | ★ 4,668 |
| First released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
What are FilePizza and Pingvin Share?
FilePizza
Peer-to-peer file transfers in your browser.
Pingvin Share
Pingvin Share is a self-hosted file sharing platform with a clean interface, designed as an alternative to WeTransfer and Firefox Send. It supports expiring shares and password protection.
- Expiring share links
- OAuth and LDAP login
- Password-protected shares
FilePizza vs Pingvin Share: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Pingvin Share's repository is archived and no longer developed, while FilePizza is actively maintained. Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for FilePizza versus BSD-2-Clause for Pingvin Share. FilePizza is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pingvin Share. FilePizza has the considerably larger community, at 10,189 GitHub stars versus 4,668. Pingvin Share lists first-class Docker deployment; FilePizza does not.
Why pick each one
Choose FilePizza if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Mature project with 10.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Choose Pingvin Share if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.7k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is FilePizza or Pingvin Share better?
Neither is universally better. FilePizza has the larger community, while Pingvin Share is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are FilePizza and Pingvin Share free and open-source?
Yes. FilePizza is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Pingvin Share under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FilePizza and Pingvin Share with Docker?
FilePizza: check the project docs for container support. Pingvin Share: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, FilePizza or Pingvin Share?
FilePizza has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pingvin Share. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.