head to head · open source
Files vs PairDrop
Files has 45,518 GitHub stars, 2,918 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. PairDrop has 11,435 stars, 693 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. Files leads on adoption by 298% (45,518 vs 11,435 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; PairDrop is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, PairDrop 6%. 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.
← all 15422 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Files | PairDrop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-04-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 693 |
| 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 PairDrop if
- You want the PairDrop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and PairDrop 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 PairDrop
PairDrop is open source JavaScript web app for file sharing. It lives in browser PWA ecosystem, using WebRTC, WebSockets, IndexedDB, Node.js. It is fork of Snapdrop. It is inspired by Apple AirDrop. It is listed as Productivity & Utilities / File Management & Sync. License is GPL 3.0. GitHub metadata lists 11390 stars and 690 forks.
read the full PairDrop overview →
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More File Management & Sync projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the File Management & Sync field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Files or PairDrop more popular?
Files has 45,518 GitHub stars and PairDrop has 11,435. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and PairDrop free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and PairDrop under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and PairDrop?
Files is written in C# and PairDrop in JavaScript. 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 PairDrop?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,518 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose PairDrop if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.