SHSelfHostIndex

Pomf 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?
PO Pomf Simple file uploading and sharing platform VS TR transfer.sh Easy file sharing from the command line
FeaturePomftransfer.sh
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectUnder-an-hour setup
Health score13 · At risk76 · Good
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB64 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 923★ 15,897
First released20152014
ReplacesWeTransfer, ImgurWeTransfer

What are Pomf and transfer.sh?

Pomf

Pomf is a lightweight file uploading and sharing platform written in PHP. It powers many community file hosts and is easy to deploy on shared hosting.

  • Runs on shared hosting
  • Drag-and-drop uploads
  • Simple API

transfer.sh

transfer.sh is a service that lets you upload and share files directly from the command line using curl. It supports encryption, S3 and Google Cloud Storage backends, and maximum download counts.

  • Command-line uploads with curl
  • Multiple storage backends
  • Optional encryption

Read the full transfer.sh guide →

Pomf vs transfer.sh: key differences

Pomf is written in PHP, while transfer.sh is built with Go. Transfer.sh has the considerably larger community, at 15,897 GitHub stars versus 923. Transfer.sh lists first-class Docker deployment; Pomf does not.

Why pick each one

Choose Pomf if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in PHP
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Pomf details

Choose transfer.sh if…

  • Curl-friendly uploads
  • S3 backend support
  • Download limits and encryption

Watch out for

  • Sparse recent development
  • Minimal web interface
transfer.sh details

Frequently asked questions

Is Pomf 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 Pomf and transfer.sh free and open-source?

Yes. Pomf is licensed under MIT and transfer.sh under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Pomf and transfer.sh with Docker?

Pomf: check the project docs for container support. transfer.sh: yes.

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