Plik vs XBackBone
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
XBackBone
Lightweight file manager with full ShareX support
| Feature | Plik | XBackBone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,810 | ★ 1,161 |
| First released | 2026 | 2023 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer |
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 XBackBone if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Plik or XBackBone better?
Neither is universally better. Plik has the larger community, while XBackBone is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Plik and XBackBone free and open-source?
Yes. Plik is licensed under MIT and XBackBone under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Plik and XBackBone with Docker?
Plik: check the project docs for container support. XBackBone: check the project docs for container support.