FilePizza 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.
FilePizza
Peer-to-peer file transfers in your browser
VS
Updog
Replacement for Python SimpleHTTPServer with uploads
| Feature | FilePizza | Updog |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 54 · Fair |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,189 | ★ 3,412 |
| First released | 2023 | 2019 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer |
What are FilePizza and Updog?
FilePizza
Peer-to-peer file transfers in your browser.
Updog
Updog is a small Python utility that improves upon SimpleHTTPServer by adding upload capability, HTTPS, and optional password protection. It is useful for quick file transfers.
- Upload support over HTTP
- Optional HTTPS and auth
- Simple drop-in replacement
FilePizza vs Updog: key differences
FilePizza is written in TypeScript, while Updog is built with Python. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for FilePizza versus MIT for Updog. Updog is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 50 MB for FilePizza. Updog is the more established project (first released 2019), while FilePizza arrived in 2023. FilePizza has the considerably larger community, at 10,189 GitHub stars versus 3,412.
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 Updog if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is FilePizza or Updog better?
Neither is universally better. FilePizza has the larger community, while Updog is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are FilePizza and Updog free and open-source?
Yes. FilePizza is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Updog under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FilePizza and Updog with Docker?
FilePizza: check the project docs for container support. Updog: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, FilePizza or Updog?
Updog has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 50 MB for FilePizza. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.