head to head · open source
Files vs lf
Files has 45,578 GitHub stars, 2,927 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. lf has 9,518 stars, 375 forks, 85 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. Files leads on adoption by 379% (45,578 vs 9,518 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; lf is written in Go under MIT. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, lf 4%. 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 | lf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 9.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C# | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 375 |
| 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 lf if
- You want the lf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and lf 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 lf
lf is a terminal file manager written in Go for command line users who want fast, keyboard driven browsing of the filesystem without leaving the terminal.
More in Productivity & Utilities
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or lf more popular?
Files has 45,578 GitHub stars and lf has 9,518. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and lf free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and lf under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and lf?
Files is written in C# and lf in Go. 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 lf?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,578 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lf if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.