head to head · open source
Files vs Palmr
Files has 45,707 GitHub stars, 2,942 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Palmr has 2,396 stars, 107 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Files leads on adoption by 1,808% (45,707 vs 2,396 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; Palmr is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Palmr 4%. Palmr 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 | Palmr | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C# | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 107 |
| 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 Palmr if
- You want the Palmr feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Palmr 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 Palmr
Palmr is an open source, self hostable file sharing platform built in TypeScript under the Apache 2.0 licence, aimed at people and teams who want to upload, manage, and share files with password protection, custom links, and access control on infrastructure they control.
read the full Palmr overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or Palmr more popular?
Files has 45,707 GitHub stars and Palmr has 2,396. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and Palmr free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and Palmr under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and Palmr?
Files is written in C# and Palmr in TypeScript. 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 Palmr?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,707 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Palmr if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.