Magic Wormhole vs SFTPGo
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?
Magic Wormhole
Get things from one computer to another, safely
VS
SFTPGo
Full-featured SFTP, FTP and WebDAV server
| Feature | Magic Wormhole | SFTPGo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,792 | ★ 12,371 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, AirDrop | Dropbox |
Why pick each one
Choose Magic Wormhole if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 22.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose SFTPGo if…
- Multi-protocol in one binary
- Flexible storage backends
- Strong access controls
Frequently asked questions
Is Magic Wormhole or SFTPGo better?
Magic Wormhole is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider SFTPGo if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Magic Wormhole and SFTPGo free and open-source?
Yes. Magic Wormhole is licensed under MIT and SFTPGo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Magic Wormhole and SFTPGo with Docker?
Magic Wormhole: check the project docs for container support. SFTPGo: yes.