head to head · open source
Files vs zipline
Files has 45,642 GitHub stars, 2,936 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. zipline has 3,430 stars, 256 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Files leads on adoption by 1,231% (45,642 vs 3,430 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; zipline is written in TypeScript under MIT. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, zipline 7%. 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.
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Side by side
| Files | zipline | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 3.4K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | C# | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-23 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.9K | ⑂ 256 |
| 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 zipline if
- You want the zipline feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and zipline 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 zipline
Zipline is a self hosted ShareX and general file upload server, written in TypeScript and released under the MIT licence, for individuals and teams who want their own destination for screenshots, files and shortened links instead of uploading to somebody else's service.
read the full zipline overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or zipline more popular?
Files has 45,642 GitHub stars and zipline has 3,430. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and zipline free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and zipline under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and zipline?
Files is written in C# and zipline 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 zipline?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (45,642 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose zipline if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.