Lufi vs Plik
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Lufi | Plik |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 1,821 |
| First released | 2015 | None |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer |
What are Lufi and Plik?
Lufi
Lufi is a file hosting application where files are encrypted in the browser before being uploaded, so the server never sees their contents. Files can be set to delete after a chosen expiration period.
- Client-side encryption
- Automatic file expiration
- Part of the Framasoft suite
Plik
Temporary file upload system (Wetransfer like).
Lufi vs Plik: key differences
Lufi is written in Perl, while Plik is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Lufi versus MIT for Plik. Plik is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Lufi. Plik has the considerably larger community, at 1,821 GitHub stars versus 300. Lufi lists first-class Docker deployment; Plik does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Lufi if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Plik if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Lufi or Plik better?
Neither is universally better. Plik has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Lufi and Plik free and open-source?
Yes. Lufi is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Plik under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lufi and Plik with Docker?
Lufi: yes. Plik: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Lufi or Plik?
Plik has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Lufi. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.