Pingvin Share vs transfer.sh
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
Self-hosted file sharing alternative to WeTransfer
VS
transfer.sh
Easy file sharing from the command line
| Feature | Pingvin Share | transfer.sh |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,684 | ★ 15,881 |
| First released | 2022 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer |
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 transfer.sh if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 15.9k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Pingvin Share or transfer.sh better?
Neither is universally better. transfer.sh has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pingvin Share and transfer.sh free and open-source?
Yes. Pingvin Share is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and transfer.sh under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pingvin Share and transfer.sh with Docker?
Pingvin Share: yes. transfer.sh: yes.