SFTPGo vs Unison
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
SFTPGo
Full-featured SFTP, FTP and WebDAV server
VS
Unison
Bidirectional file synchronizer with conflict detection
| Feature | SFTPGo | Unison |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | OCaml |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,570 | ★ 5,493 |
| First released | 2019 | 1999 |
| Replaces | Dropbox | Dropbox |
What are SFTPGo and Unison?
SFTPGo
SFTPGo is a configurable file transfer server supporting SFTP, FTP/S, WebDAV, and HTTP access with cloud storage backends. It suits administrators who need secure, multi-protocol file access. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.
- SFTP, FTP, WebDAV and HTTP support
- Cloud storage backends
- Per-user quotas and rules
- Web admin and REST API
Unison
Unison is a mature bidirectional file synchronization tool that reconciles changes made independently on two replicas. It detects conflicts, preserves both versions, and works over SSH for secure remote syncing.
- True bidirectional sync
- Conflict detection
- Works over SSH
- Cross-platform replicas
SFTPGo vs Unison: key differences
SFTPGo is written in Go, while Unison is built with OCaml. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for SFTPGo versus GPL-3.0 for Unison. Unison is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for SFTPGo. Unison is the more established project (first released 1999), while SFTPGo arrived in 2019. SFTPGo has the considerably larger community, at 12,570 GitHub stars versus 5,493. SFTPGo lists first-class Docker deployment; Unison does not.
Why pick each one
Choose SFTPGo if…
- Multi-protocol in one binary
- Flexible storage backends
- Strong access controls
Watch out for
- No sync client
- Configuration can be complex
Choose Unison if…
- Very reliable
- Fine-grained control
Watch out for
- Dated GTK interface
- Version matching between hosts
Frequently asked questions
Is SFTPGo or Unison better?
Neither is universally better. SFTPGo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are SFTPGo and Unison free and open-source?
Yes. SFTPGo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Unison under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SFTPGo and Unison with Docker?
SFTPGo: yes. Unison: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, SFTPGo or Unison?
Unison has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for SFTPGo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.