git-annex vs Spacedrive

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?
Featuregit-annexSpacedrive
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageHaskellRust
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM128 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binarybinary
GitHub stars★ 2,000★ 38,732
First released20102022
ReplacesDropboxGoogle Drive, Dropbox

Why pick each one

Choose git-annex if…

  • Excellent for large archives
  • Many remote backends
git-annex details

Choose Spacedrive if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Mature project with 38.7k GitHub stars
  • Written in Rust
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Spacedrive details

Frequently asked questions

Is git-annex or Spacedrive better?

Spacedrive is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider git-annex if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are git-annex and Spacedrive free and open-source?

Yes. git-annex is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Spacedrive under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run git-annex and Spacedrive with Docker?

git-annex: check the project docs for container support. Spacedrive: check the project docs for container support.

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