head to head · open source
Files vs ffsend
Files has 45,524 GitHub stars, 2,918 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ffsend has 7,413 stars, 205 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. Files leads on adoption by 514% (45,524 vs 7,413 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; ffsend is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, ffsend 3%. Files 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 | ffsend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2025-11-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 205 |
| 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 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 Files
Files is a modern, MIT licensed file manager for Windows, written in C and maintained by an open source community, for Windows users who want a customizable, actively developed alternative for organising files and folders.
read the full Files 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 Files or ffsend more popular?
Files has 45,524 GitHub stars and ffsend has 7,413. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and ffsend free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and ffsend under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and ffsend?
Files is written in C# 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, Files or ffsend?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,524 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ffsend if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.