head to head · open source
ranger vs ffsend
ranger has 17,405 GitHub stars, 942 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. ffsend has 7,414 stars, 205 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. ranger leads on adoption by 135% (17,405 vs 7,414 stars). ranger is written in Python under GPL-3.0; ffsend is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. ranger has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, ffsend 3%. ranger 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
| ranger | ffsend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2025-11-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 942 | ⑂ 205 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ranger if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ffsend if
- You want the ffsend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and ffsend fits your workflow better
About ranger
Ranger is a console file manager with VI key bindings, written in Python and released under the GNU General Public License version 3, for terminal users who want to browse, preview, and manipulate files without leaving a Unix shell.
read the full ranger overview →
About ffsend
ffsend is a command line client for the Send file sharing service that uploads and downloads encrypted files and directories through a single terminal command, built for developers, system administrators and anyone who prefers a scriptable, privacy respecting alternative to a web upload form.
read the full ffsend overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ranger or ffsend more popular?
ranger has 17,405 GitHub stars and ffsend has 7,414. ranger has the larger community by that measure.
Are ranger and ffsend free?
Both are open source. ranger is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ffsend under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ranger and ffsend?
ranger is written in Python and ffsend in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ranger or ffsend?
Choose ranger if you want the larger community (17,405 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ffsend if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.