head to head · open source
Files vs ranger
Files has 46,481 GitHub stars, 3,016 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ranger has 17,448 stars, 940 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Files leads on adoption by 166% (46,481 vs 17,448 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; ranger is written in Python under GPL-3.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, ranger 5%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Files | ranger | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 17K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-09-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 940 |
| 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 ranger if
- You want the ranger feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and ranger fits your workflow better
About Files
Files is a modern file manager that helps users organize their files and folders. Our mission with Files is to build the best file manager for Windows, and we’re proud to be building it out in the open so everyone can participate. User feedback helps shape the features we work on, & the bug reports on GitHub help to make Files more reliable. Built and maintained by the open source community, Files features robust multitasking experiences, file tags, deep integrations, and an intuitive design. Installing and running Files Files is a community driven project that depends on your support to grow and improve. Please…
read the full Files overview →
About ranger
Ranger 1.9.4 ============ Ranger is a console file manager with VI key bindings. It provides a minimalistic and nice curses interface with a view on the directory hierarchy. It ships with rifle , a file launcher that is good at automatically finding out which program to use for what file type. For mc aficionados there's also the multi pane viewmode. This file describes ranger and how to get it to run. For instructions on the usage, please read the man page ( man ranger in a terminal). See HACKING.md for development specific information. For configuration, check the files in ranger/config/ or copy the default…
read the full ranger 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 ranger more popular?
Files has 46,481 GitHub stars and ranger has 17,448. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and ranger free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and ranger under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and ranger?
Files is written in C# and ranger in Python. 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 ranger?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (46,481 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ranger if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.