head to head · open source
copyparty vs hfs
copyparty has 47,267 GitHub stars, 1,921 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. hfs has 3,984 stars, 376 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. copyparty leads on adoption by 1,086% (47,267 vs 3,984 stars). copyparty is written in Python under MIT; hfs is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. copyparty has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, hfs 9%. hfs was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (file-server, file-sharing), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| copyparty | hfs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 4.0K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-21 | 2026-11-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 376 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick copyparty if
- You weight community size — 47K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick hfs if
- You want the hfs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and hfs fits your workflow better
About copyparty
💾🎉 copyparty turn almost any device into a file server with resumable uploads/downloads using any web browser server only needs Python (2 or 3), all dependencies optional 🔌 protocols: http(s) // webdav // sftp // ftp(s) // tftp // smb/cifs 📱 android app // iPhone shortcuts 👉 Get started! or visit the read only demo server 👀 running on a nuc in my basement 📷 screenshots: browser // upload // unpost // thumbnails // search // fsearch // zip DL // md viewer 🎬 videos: upload // cli upload // race the beam // 👉 feature showcase (youtube) built in Norway 🇳🇴 with contributions from not norway readme toc top…
read the full copyparty overview →
About hfs
HFS: HTTP File Server Index Introduction How does it work Features Installation Configuration Internationalization Hidden features Contribute More Introduction Turn your computer into a file sharing server in seconds. Unlimited space and bandwidth — no cloud upload, files come directly from your disk Instant ZIP downloads , even for huge folders Virtual file system to organize what you share Real time activity monitoring Bandwidth throttling to control transfer speed Plugin system to extend functionality Runs on: Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Android How does it work run HFS on your computer; an administration…
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Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or hfs more popular?
copyparty has 47,267 GitHub stars and hfs has 3,984. copyparty has the larger community by that measure.
Are copyparty and hfs free?
Both are open source. copyparty is licensed under MIT and hfs under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between copyparty and hfs?
copyparty is written in Python and hfs in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, copyparty or hfs?
Choose copyparty if you want the larger community (47,267 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose hfs if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.