Puter vs Stalwart

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?
FeaturePuterStalwart
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseAGPL-3.0free
LanguageTypeScriptRust
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, one-click
GitHub stars★ 43,003★ 14,059
First released20262022
Replaces

Why pick each one

Choose Puter if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 43k GitHub stars
  • Written in TypeScript
Puter details

Choose Stalwart if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Mature project with 14.1k GitHub stars
Stalwart details

Frequently asked questions

Is Puter or Stalwart better?

Neither is universally better. Puter has the larger community, while Stalwart is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Puter and Stalwart free and open-source?

Yes. Puter is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Stalwart under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Puter and Stalwart with Docker?

Puter: yes. Stalwart: yes.

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