head to head · open source
Files vs fileshelter
Files has 45,863 GitHub stars, 2,951 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. fileshelter has 535 stars, 45 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. Files leads on adoption by 8,473% (45,863 vs 535 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; fileshelter is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, fileshelter 8%. 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 | fileshelter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 535 |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-10-08 | 2026-03-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 45 |
| 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 fileshelter if
- You want the fileshelter 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 fileshelter 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 fileshelter
FileShelter is a self hosted, "one click" file sharing web application that lets you upload files and get back a download URL, built for individuals and small teams who want to share files over the Internet without depending on a third party service.
read the full fileshelter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or fileshelter more popular?
Files has 45,863 GitHub stars and fileshelter has 535. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and fileshelter free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and fileshelter under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and fileshelter?
Files is written in C# and fileshelter 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, Files or fileshelter?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,863 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose fileshelter if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.