SparkleShare 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 | SparkleShare | elFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 71 · Good | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | C# | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,981 | ★ 4,804 |
| First released | 2010 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Dropbox | Google Drive, Dropbox |
What are SparkleShare and elFinder?
SparkleShare
SparkleShare is a file synchronization tool that uses Git repositories as the storage backend, giving every change a full version history. It is well suited to syncing collaborative projects and small text-heavy files across machines.
- Git-backed versioning
- Automatic conflict handling
- End-to-end encryption option
- Self-hosted on any SSH host
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
SparkleShare vs elFinder: key differences
SparkleShare is written in C#, while elFinder is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for SparkleShare versus BSD-3-Clause for elFinder.
Why pick each one
Choose SparkleShare if…
- Full history of every change
- Works over plain SSH
Watch out for
- Poor with large binary files
- Slower development pace
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 SparkleShare or elFinder better?
Neither is universally better. SparkleShare has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are SparkleShare and elFinder free and open-source?
Yes. SparkleShare is licensed under GPL-3.0 and elFinder under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SparkleShare and elFinder with Docker?
SparkleShare: check the project docs for container support. elFinder: check the project docs for container support.