PairDrop 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?
PairDrop
Local and internet file sharing inspired by Snapdrop
VS
SFTPGo
Full-featured SFTP, FTP and WebDAV server
| Feature | PairDrop | SFTPGo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,133 | ★ 12,371 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | AirDrop, WeTransfer | Dropbox |
Why pick each one
Choose PairDrop if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.1k GitHub stars
Choose SFTPGo if…
- Multi-protocol in one binary
- Flexible storage backends
- Strong access controls
Frequently asked questions
Is PairDrop or SFTPGo better?
Neither is universally better. SFTPGo has the larger community, while PairDrop is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are PairDrop and SFTPGo free and open-source?
Yes. PairDrop is licensed under GPL-3.0 and SFTPGo under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PairDrop and SFTPGo with Docker?
PairDrop: yes. SFTPGo: yes.