Pingvin Share vs Pomf
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pingvin Share
Archived
Self-hosted file sharing alternative to WeTransfer
VS
Pomf
Simple file uploading and sharing platform
| Feature | Pingvin Share | Pomf |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 13 · At risk |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,668 | ★ 923 |
| First released | 2022 | 2015 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer, Imgur |
What are Pingvin Share and Pomf?
Pingvin Share
Pingvin Share is a self-hosted file sharing platform with a clean interface, designed as an alternative to WeTransfer and Firefox Send. It supports expiring shares and password protection.
- Expiring share links
- OAuth and LDAP login
- Password-protected shares
Pomf
Pomf is a lightweight file uploading and sharing platform written in PHP. It powers many community file hosts and is easy to deploy on shared hosting.
- Runs on shared hosting
- Drag-and-drop uploads
- Simple API
Pingvin Share vs Pomf: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Pingvin Share's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Pomf is actively maintained. Pingvin Share is written in TypeScript, while Pomf is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Pingvin Share versus MIT for Pomf. Pomf is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pingvin Share. Pomf is the more established project (first released 2015), while Pingvin Share arrived in 2022. Pingvin Share has the considerably larger community, at 4,668 GitHub stars versus 923. Pingvin Share lists first-class Docker deployment; Pomf does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Pingvin Share if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.7k GitHub stars)
Choose Pomf if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Pingvin Share or Pomf better?
Neither is universally better. Pingvin Share has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pingvin Share and Pomf free and open-source?
Yes. Pingvin Share is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Pomf under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pingvin Share and Pomf with Docker?
Pingvin Share: yes. Pomf: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Pingvin Share or Pomf?
Pomf has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pingvin Share. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.