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.
| Feature | Plik | Send |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 37 · At risk |
| 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 | ★ 1,821 | ★ 5,914 |
| First released | None | 2020 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
What are Plik and Send?
Plik
Temporary file upload system (Wetransfer like).
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
Plik vs Send: key differences
Plik is written in Go, while Send is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Plik versus MPL-2.0 for Send. Plik is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Send. Send has the considerably larger community, at 5,914 GitHub stars versus 1,821. Send lists first-class Docker deployment; Plik does not.
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 5.9k 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.
Which is lighter on resources, Plik or Send?
Plik has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Send. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.