head to head · open source
filepond vs Darktable
filepond has 16,391 GitHub stars, 852 forks, 142 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. Darktable has 13,394 stars, 1,509 forks, 678 open issues and last shipped yesterday. filepond leads on adoption by 22% (16,391 vs 13,394 stars). filepond is written in JavaScript under MIT; Darktable is written in C under GPL-3.0. filepond has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Darktable 11%. Darktable 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
| filepond | Darktable | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 13K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 852 | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick filepond if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Darktable if
- You want the Darktable feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and Darktable fits your workflow better
About filepond
A JavaScript library that can upload anything you throw at it, optimizes images for faster uploads, and offers a great, accessible, silky smooth user experience. FilePond adapters are available for React , Vue , Angular , Svelte , and jQuery FilePond v5 Alpha version now available for testing Documentation • Discord • Examples Buy me a Coffee • Use FilePond with Pintura • Dev updates Core Features Accepts directories , files , blobs, local URLs, remote URLs and Data URIs. Drop files , select on filesystem, copy and paste files , or add files using the API. Async uploads with AJAX, supports chunk uploads , can…
read the full filepond overview →
About Darktable
darktable ========= darktable is an open source photography workflow application and non destructive raw developer a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable lighttable and enables you to develop raw images, enhance them and export them to local or remote storage. darktable is not a free Adobe® Lightroom® replacement. Table of Contents 1. Documentation 2. Website 3. Requirements Supported platforms Hardware AI features (optional) 4. Installing Latest release Development snapshot 5. Updating from older versions 6…
read the full Darktable overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is filepond or Darktable more popular?
filepond has 16,391 GitHub stars and Darktable has 13,394. filepond has the larger community by that measure.
Are filepond and Darktable free?
Both are open source. filepond is licensed under MIT and Darktable under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between filepond and Darktable?
filepond is written in JavaScript and Darktable 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, filepond or Darktable?
Choose filepond if you want the larger community (16,391 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Darktable if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.