head to head · open source
Files vs MaterialFiles
Files has 45,602 GitHub stars, 2,931 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped today. MaterialFiles has 9,022 stars, 738 forks, 611 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Files leads on adoption by 405% (45,602 vs 9,022 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; MaterialFiles is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, MaterialFiles 8%. 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 | MaterialFiles | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 9.0K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-09-22 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 738 |
| 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 MaterialFiles if
- You want the MaterialFiles 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 MaterialFiles 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 MaterialFiles
Material Files is a free, open source Material Design file manager for Android 5.0 and later, aimed at Android users who want to browse, manage and modify files — including files that require root access — without handing full device access to a closed source app.
read the full MaterialFiles overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or MaterialFiles more popular?
Files has 45,602 GitHub stars and MaterialFiles has 9,022. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and MaterialFiles free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and MaterialFiles under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and MaterialFiles?
Files is written in C# and MaterialFiles 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 MaterialFiles?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,602 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose MaterialFiles if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.