Pingvin Share vs Send
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
Send
Encrypted file sharing fork of Firefox Send
| Feature | Pingvin Share | Send |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 37 · At risk |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,668 | ★ 5,914 |
| First released | 2022 | 2020 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
What are Pingvin Share and Send?
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
Send
Send is a community-maintained fork of the discontinued Firefox Send. It provides end-to-end encrypted file sharing with links that expire after a download limit or time period.
- End-to-end encryption
- Expiring share links
- No account required
Pingvin Share vs Send: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Pingvin Share's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Send is actively maintained. Pingvin Share is written in TypeScript, while Send is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Pingvin Share versus MPL-2.0 for Send. Send is the more established project (first released 2020), while Pingvin Share arrived in 2022.
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 Send if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Pingvin Share or Send better?
Neither is universally better. Send has the larger community, while Pingvin Share is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Pingvin Share and Send free and open-source?
Yes. Pingvin Share is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Send under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pingvin Share and Send with Docker?
Pingvin Share: yes. Send: yes.