head to head · open source
copyparty vs PairDrop
copyparty has 47,235 GitHub stars, 1,918 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. PairDrop has 11,740 stars, 720 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. copyparty leads on adoption by 302% (47,235 vs 11,740 stars). copyparty is written in Python under MIT; PairDrop is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. copyparty has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, PairDrop 6%. copyparty was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | PairDrop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 12K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-21 | 2026-04-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 720 |
| 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 PairDrop if
- You want the PairDrop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and PairDrop 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 PairDrop
Send it , with PairDrop Local file sharing in your web browser . Inspired by Apple's AirDrop. Fork of Snapdrop. Report a bug Request feature Features File sharing on your local network that works on all platforms. A multi platform AirDrop like solution that works. Send images, documents or text via peer to peer connection to devices on the same local network. Internet transfers Join temporary public rooms to transfer files easily over the Internet. Web app Works on all devices with a modern web browser. Send a file from your phone to your laptop? Share photos in original quality with friends using Android and…
read the full PairDrop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or PairDrop more popular?
copyparty has 47,235 GitHub stars and PairDrop has 11,740. copyparty has the larger community by that measure.
Are copyparty and PairDrop free?
Both are open source. copyparty is licensed under MIT and PairDrop under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between copyparty and PairDrop?
copyparty is written in Python and PairDrop in JavaScript. 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 PairDrop?
Choose copyparty if you want the larger community (47,235 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose PairDrop if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.