Plik 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.
Not the right match-up?
Plik
Temporary file upload system (Wetransfer like)
VS
Send
Encrypted file sharing fork of Firefox Send
| Feature | Plik | Send |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,810 | ★ 5,847 |
| First released | 2026 | 2020 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
Why pick each one
Choose Plik if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Choose Send if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Plik or Send better?
Neither is universally better. Send has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Plik and Send free and open-source?
Yes. Plik is licensed under MIT and Send under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Plik and Send with Docker?
Plik: check the project docs for container support. Send: yes.