head to head · open source
Files vs File-Manager
Files has 45,824 GitHub stars, 2,952 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped today. File-Manager has 1,791 stars, 129 forks, 98 open issues and last shipped today. Files leads on adoption by 2,459% (45,824 vs 1,791 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; File-Manager is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, File-Manager 7%. Files was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (file-manager), 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
| Files | File-Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 129 |
| 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 File-Manager if
- You want the File-Manager feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and File-Manager 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 File-Manager
Fossify File Manager is an open source, ad free Android file manager for users who want to browse, organise, lock and clean up their device's storage without handing their file access to an advertising funded app.
read the full File-Manager overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or File-Manager more popular?
Files has 45,824 GitHub stars and File-Manager has 1,791. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and File-Manager free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and File-Manager under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and File-Manager?
Files is written in C# and File-Manager in Kotlin. 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 File-Manager?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,824 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose File-Manager if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.