head to head · open source
copyparty vs lf
copyparty has 47,257 GitHub stars, 1,920 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. lf has 9,590 stars, 392 forks, 85 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. copyparty leads on adoption by 393% (47,257 vs 9,590 stars). copyparty is written in Python under MIT; lf is written in Go under MIT. copyparty has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, lf 4%. lf was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | lf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-10-21 | 2026-11-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 392 |
| 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 lf if
- You want the lf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and lf 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 lf
LF Doc Wiki lf:matrix.org (with IRC bridge) lf (as in "list files") is a terminal file manager written in Go with a heavy inspiration from ranger file manager. See faq for more information and tutorial for a gentle introduction with screencasts. Features Cross platform (Linux, macOS, BSDs, Windows) Single binary without any runtime dependencies Fast startup and low memory footprint due to native code and static binaries Asynchronous IO operations to avoid UI locking Server/client architecture and remote commands to manage multiple instances Extendable and configurable with shell commands Customizable keybindings…
More in Productivity & Utilities
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Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or lf more popular?
copyparty has 47,257 GitHub stars and lf has 9,590. copyparty has the larger community by that measure.
Are copyparty and lf free?
Both are open source. copyparty is licensed under MIT and lf under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between copyparty and lf?
copyparty is written in Python and lf in Go. 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 lf?
Choose copyparty if you want the larger community (47,257 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lf if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.