Pingvin Share vs ShareDrop
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
ShareDrop
Peer-to-peer file transfer in the browser
| Feature | Pingvin Share | ShareDrop |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 30 · At risk |
| 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 | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,668 | ★ 10,753 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | AirDrop, WeTransfer |
What are Pingvin Share and ShareDrop?
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
ShareDrop
ShareDrop is a browser-based peer-to-peer file sharing app using WebRTC. It lets devices on the same network exchange files directly without uploading to a server.
- WebRTC peer-to-peer transfer
- No server-side storage
- Works across local networks
Pingvin Share vs ShareDrop: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Pingvin Share's repository is archived and no longer developed, while ShareDrop is actively maintained. Pingvin Share is written in TypeScript, while ShareDrop is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Pingvin Share versus MIT for ShareDrop. ShareDrop is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pingvin Share. ShareDrop is the more established project (first released 2014), while Pingvin Share arrived in 2022. ShareDrop has the considerably larger community, at 10,753 GitHub stars versus 4,668.
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 ShareDrop if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 10.8k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Pingvin Share or ShareDrop better?
Neither is universally better. ShareDrop has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pingvin Share and ShareDrop free and open-source?
Yes. Pingvin Share is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and ShareDrop under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pingvin Share and ShareDrop with Docker?
Pingvin Share: yes. ShareDrop: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pingvin Share or ShareDrop?
ShareDrop 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.