head to head · open source
copyparty vs lf
copyparty has 46,749 GitHub stars, 1,906 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. lf has 9,518 stars, 375 forks, 85 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. copyparty leads on adoption by 391% (46,749 vs 9,518 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%. copyparty 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 | ★ 9.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 375 |
| 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 is a portable file server that turns almost any device into a file server with resumable uploads and downloads through any web browser, built for self hosters, homelab operators, NAS owners and anyone who wants to share files directly from their own hardware.
read the full copyparty overview →
About lf
lf is a terminal file manager written in Go for command line users who want fast, keyboard driven browsing of the filesystem without leaving the terminal.
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Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or lf more popular?
copyparty has 46,749 GitHub stars and lf has 9,518. 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 (46,749 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lf if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.