Pydio Cells Sync vs Syncthing

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?
FeaturePydio Cells SyncSyncthing
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0MPL-2.0
LanguageCGo
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarydocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 44★ 87,439
First released20192014
ReplacesDropbox, OneDriveDropbox, Resilio Sync

Why pick each one

Choose Pydio Cells Sync if…

  • Tight Cells integration
  • Cross-platform desktop app
Pydio Cells Sync details

Choose Syncthing if…

  • No central server needed
  • Very private by design
  • Lightweight and reliable
Syncthing details

Frequently asked questions

Is Pydio Cells Sync or Syncthing better?

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

Are Pydio Cells Sync and Syncthing free and open-source?

Yes. Pydio Cells Sync is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Syncthing under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Pydio Cells Sync and Syncthing with Docker?

Pydio Cells Sync: check the project docs for container support. Syncthing: yes.

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