Pydio Cells vs elFinder
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Pydio Cells | elFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,252 | ★ 4,804 |
| First released | 2018 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Box, Google Drive | Google Drive, Dropbox |
What are Pydio Cells and elFinder?
Pydio Cells
Pydio Cells is a content collaboration platform for organizations, offering file sharing, workspaces, and access controls. It is designed for teams and enterprises needing governed document collaboration. It is deployed via Docker or native binaries.
- Workspace-based collaboration
- Granular access control
- Built-in search and metadata
- Mobile and desktop clients
elFinder
elFinder is an open-source web file manager with a user interface inspired by the macOS Finder. It supports multiple storage backends, drag and drop, and image editing.
- macOS Finder-style UI
- Multiple storage backends
- Built-in image editor
Pydio Cells vs elFinder: key differences
Pydio Cells is written in Go, while elFinder is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Pydio Cells versus BSD-3-Clause for elFinder. ElFinder is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Pydio Cells. ElFinder is the more established project (first released 2010), while Pydio Cells arrived in 2018. ElFinder has the considerably larger community, at 4,804 GitHub stars versus 2,252. Pydio Cells lists first-class Docker deployment; elFinder does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Pydio Cells if…
- Strong enterprise features
- Modern Go codebase
- Good access governance
Watch out for
- Heavier than simple tools
- Smaller community
Choose elFinder if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Pydio Cells or elFinder better?
Neither is universally better. elFinder has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pydio Cells and elFinder free and open-source?
Yes. Pydio Cells is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and elFinder under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pydio Cells and elFinder with Docker?
Pydio Cells: yes. elFinder: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Pydio Cells or elFinder?
elFinder has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Pydio Cells. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.