Seafile vs WebDAV Server Go

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? Compare Seafile with Compare WebDAV Server Go with

Seafile High-performance file sync and share with block storage VS WE WebDAV Server Go Lightweight standalone WebDAV file server

Feature	Seafile	WebDAV Server Go
Deploy effort	Under-an-hour setup	Under-an-hour setup
Health score	76 · Good	90 · Excellent
Category	File Sync & Storage	File Sync & Storage
License	AGPL-3.0	MIT
Language	C	Go
Setup difficulty	Medium	Easy
Min. RAM	512 MB	64 MB
Deployment	docker, bare-metal	docker, binary
GitHub stars	★ 15,273	★ 5,877
First released	2012	2017
Replaces	Dropbox, Google Drive	Dropbox

What are Seafile and WebDAV Server Go?

Seafile

Seafile is a file sync and share platform built around a reliable, high-performance file storage engine. It is well suited for users and organizations that prioritize fast, reliable sync of large libraries. It is typically deployed via Docker Compose or on bare metal.

Fast block-level sync engine
Client-side encrypted libraries
Reliable handling of large file sets
Desktop, mobile and web clients

Read the full Seafile guide →

WebDAV Server Go

A lightweight standalone WebDAV server that exposes a directory tree for syncing with WebDAV-capable clients. It is useful as a minimal sync backend for many file managers and apps.

Standalone WebDAV
Per-user permissions
Minimal backend
Cross-platform clients

Seafile vs WebDAV Server Go: key differences

Seafile is written in C, while WebDAV Server Go is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Seafile versus MIT for WebDAV Server Go. WebDAV Server Go is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Seafile. Seafile is the more established project (first released 2012), while WebDAV Server Go arrived in 2017. Seafile has the considerably larger community, at 15,273 GitHub stars versus 5,877.

Why pick each one

Choose Seafile if…

Excellent sync performance
Stable and battle-tested
Good for large libraries

Watch out for

Fewer collaboration features than Nextcloud
Setup more involved than simple tools

Seafile details

Choose WebDAV Server Go if…

Released under the MIT license
Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
First-class Docker support for quick deployment
Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars

WebDAV Server Go details

Frequently asked questions

Is Seafile or WebDAV Server Go better?

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

Are Seafile and WebDAV Server Go free and open-source?

Yes. Seafile is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WebDAV Server Go under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Seafile and WebDAV Server Go with Docker?

Seafile: yes. WebDAV Server Go: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Seafile or WebDAV Server Go?

WebDAV Server Go has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Seafile. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.