SHSelfHostIndex

ShareDrop 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?
SH ShareDrop Peer-to-peer file transfer in the browser VS TR transfer.sh Easy file sharing from the command line
FeatureShareDroptransfer.sh
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score30 · At risk76 · Good
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseMITMIT
LanguageJavaScriptGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM64 MB64 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 10,753★ 15,897
First released20142014
ReplacesAirDrop, WeTransferWeTransfer

What are ShareDrop and transfer.sh?

ShareDrop

ShareDrop is a browser-based peer-to-peer file sharing app using WebRTC. It lets devices on the same network exchange files directly without uploading to a server.

  • WebRTC peer-to-peer transfer
  • No server-side storage
  • Works across local networks

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 →

ShareDrop vs transfer.sh: key differences

ShareDrop is written in JavaScript, while transfer.sh is built with Go.

Why pick each one

Choose ShareDrop if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 10.8k GitHub stars
ShareDrop 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 ShareDrop 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 ShareDrop and transfer.sh free and open-source?

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

Can I run ShareDrop and transfer.sh with Docker?

ShareDrop: yes. transfer.sh: yes.

Related comparisons