Pingvin Share vs PsiTransfer
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
PsiTransfer
Simple open-source file sharing solution
| Feature | Pingvin Share | PsiTransfer |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 76 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,668 | ★ 1,951 |
| First released | 2022 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer |
What are Pingvin Share and PsiTransfer?
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
PsiTransfer
PsiTransfer is a self-hosted file sharing application with a drag-and-drop web interface. It supports resumable uploads, file expiration, and password protection.
- Resumable uploads
- Password-protected buckets
- Drag-and-drop interface
Pingvin Share vs PsiTransfer: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Pingvin Share's repository is archived and no longer developed, while PsiTransfer is actively maintained. Pingvin Share is written in TypeScript, while PsiTransfer is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Pingvin Share versus MIT for PsiTransfer. PsiTransfer is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pingvin Share. PsiTransfer is the more established project (first released 2017), while Pingvin Share arrived in 2022. Pingvin Share has the considerably larger community, at 4,668 GitHub stars versus 1,951.
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 PsiTransfer if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Pingvin Share or PsiTransfer 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 PsiTransfer free and open-source?
Yes. Pingvin Share is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and PsiTransfer under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pingvin Share and PsiTransfer with Docker?
Pingvin Share: yes. PsiTransfer: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pingvin Share or PsiTransfer?
PsiTransfer has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pingvin Share. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.