SHSelfHostIndex

Pingvin Share vs Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare

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?
Pingvin Share Archived Self-hosted file sharing alternative to WeTransfer VS RE Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare Anonymous file sharing over the Tor network
FeaturePingvin ShareResilio Sync alternative Onionshare
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
Health score15 · At risk91 · Excellent
StatusArchivedActively maintained
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseBSD-2-ClauseGPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptPython
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdockerbinary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 4,668★ 7,098
First released20222014
ReplacesWeTransfer, Firefox SendWeTransfer, Dropbox

What are Pingvin Share and Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare?

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

Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare

OnionShare is an open-source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files using the Tor network. It can also host websites and run a chat server accessible only as a Tor onion service.

  • Anonymous sharing over Tor
  • No central server needed
  • Host sites and chat anonymously

Pingvin Share vs Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: Pingvin Share's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare is actively maintained. Pingvin Share is written in TypeScript, while Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare is built with Python. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Pingvin Share versus GPL-3.0 for Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare. Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare is the more established project (first released 2014), while Pingvin Share arrived in 2022. Pingvin Share lists first-class Docker deployment; Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare 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)
Pingvin Share details

Choose Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Mature project with 7.1k GitHub stars
  • Written in Python
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare details

Frequently asked questions

Is Pingvin Share or Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare better?

Neither is universally better. Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare 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 Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare free and open-source?

Yes. Pingvin Share is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Pingvin Share and Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare with Docker?

Pingvin Share: yes. Resilio Sync alternative Onionshare: check the project docs for container support.

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