head to head · open source
copyparty vs Seafile
copyparty has 46,729 GitHub stars, 1,905 forks, 252 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Seafile has 15,256 stars, 1,677 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped yesterday. copyparty leads on adoption by 206% (46,729 vs 15,256 stars). copyparty is written in Python under MIT; Seafile is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. copyparty has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, Seafile 11%. 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 | Seafile | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.9K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| 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 Seafile if
- You want the Seafile feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and Seafile 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 Seafile
Seafile is an open source cloud storage system written in C and positioned as a self hosted alternative to Dropbox and Google Drive. It organizes files into libraries, each of which can be synced separately, encrypted with a user chosen password, and shared between users or groups. The project lives in the self hosted file sync and document management ecosystem, where it combines storage, collaboration, knowledge management, and metadata features.
read the full Seafile overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or Seafile more popular?
copyparty has 46,729 GitHub stars and Seafile has 15,256. copyparty has the larger community by that measure.
Are copyparty and Seafile free?
Both are open source. copyparty is licensed under MIT, and Seafile has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between copyparty and Seafile?
copyparty is written in Python and Seafile in C. 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 Seafile?
Choose copyparty if you want the larger community (46,729 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Seafile if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.