Filestash vs elFinder
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Filestash
Web-based file manager and document gateway
VS
elFinder
Web file manager with a desktop-style interface
| Feature | Filestash | elFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Document Management | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,451 | ★ 4,800 |
| First released | 2017 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, SharePoint | Google Drive, Dropbox |
Why pick each one
Choose elFinder if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Filestash or elFinder better?
Filestash is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider elFinder if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Filestash and elFinder free and open-source?
Yes. Filestash is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and elFinder under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Filestash and elFinder with Docker?
Filestash: yes. elFinder: check the project docs for container support.