head to head · open source
Files vs cyberduck
Files has 46,461 GitHub stars, 3,012 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cyberduck has 4,892 stars, 385 forks, 506 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Files leads on adoption by 850% (46,461 vs 4,892 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; cyberduck is written in Java under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, cyberduck 8%. cyberduck 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
| Files | cyberduck | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 4.9K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 385 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Files if
- You weight community size — 46K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cyberduck if
- You want the cyberduck feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and cyberduck fits your workflow better
About Files
Files is a modern file manager that helps users organize their files and folders. Our mission with Files is to build the best file manager for Windows, and we’re proud to be building it out in the open so everyone can participate. User feedback helps shape the features we work on, & the bug reports on GitHub help to make Files more reliable. Built and maintained by the open source community, Files features robust multitasking experiences, file tags, deep integrations, and an intuitive design. Installing and running Files Files is a community driven project that depends on your support to grow and improve. Please…
read the full Files overview →
About cyberduck
Cyberduck This is the development home for Cyberduck, a libre file transfer client for macOS and Windows. Command line interface (CLI) for Linux, macOS and Windows. The core libraries are used in Mountain Duck. Mailing Lists There is a Google Groups Cyberduck discussion mailing list. The following additional mailing lists are hosted: News Announcements of new releases Localization Notifications about changes to the translations needed Source Source code is available licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 3. Pull requests welcome! Localizations Translations to new languages are welcome. We use…
read the full cyberduck overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or cyberduck more popular?
Files has 46,461 GitHub stars and cyberduck has 4,892. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and cyberduck free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and cyberduck under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and cyberduck?
Files is written in C# and cyberduck in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Files or cyberduck?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (46,461 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose cyberduck if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.