head to head · open source
Files vs pairdrop-android
Files has 45,824 GitHub stars, 2,952 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped today. pairdrop-android has 1,076 stars, 81 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped today. Files leads on adoption by 4,159% (45,824 vs 1,076 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; pairdrop-android is written in Java under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, pairdrop-android 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Files | pairdrop-android | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 81 |
| 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-android if
- You want the pairdrop-android feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and pairdrop-android 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-android
PairDrop for Android is an open source Android client that lets you quickly send files from your phone to a PC or other devices over a local network using the PairDrop and self hosted Snapdrop services.
read the full pairdrop-android 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-android more popular?
Files has 45,824 GitHub stars and pairdrop-android has 1,076. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and pairdrop-android free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and pairdrop-android under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and pairdrop-android?
Files is written in C# and pairdrop-android in Java. 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-android?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,824 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose pairdrop-android if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.