head to head · open source
filepond vs lightcraft
filepond has 16,392 GitHub stars, 851 forks, 142 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. lightcraft has 15,318 stars, 5,886 forks, 347 open issues and last shipped yesterday. filepond leads on adoption by 7% (16,392 vs 15,318 stars). filepond is written in JavaScript under MIT; lightcraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. filepond has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, lightcraft 38%. lightcraft 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
| filepond | lightcraft | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 851 | ⑂ 5.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick filepond if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick lightcraft if
- You want the lightcraft feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and lightcraft fits your workflow better
About filepond
A JavaScript library that can upload anything you throw at it, optimizes images for faster uploads, and offers a great, accessible, silky smooth user experience. FilePond adapters are available for React , Vue , Angular , Svelte , and jQuery FilePond v5 Alpha version now available for testing Documentation • Discord • Examples Buy me a Coffee • Use FilePond with Pintura • Dev updates Core Features Accepts directories , files , blobs, local URLs, remote URLs and Data URIs. Drop files , select on filesystem, copy and paste files , or add files using the API. Async uploads with AJAX, supports chunk uploads , can…
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About lightcraft
LightCraft Your photos. Your pixels. Your machine. English · 简体中文 Photo library and raw development; an open source, clean room reimplementation of Adobe Lightroom, rebuilt in pure Rust. Native on macOS, Windows and Linux. In the browser via WebAssembly. Drivable end to end by AI agents over MCP. LightCraft on getartcraft.com · ArtCraft · All Crafting Apps Ansel Adams, "The Tetons and the Snake River" (1942). Public domain, U.S. National Archives. Developed in LightCraft. [!NOTE] ArtCraft is a community of artists from all walks of life. Digital, generative, music, games — if you make things, you're one of…
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Frequently asked questions
Is filepond or lightcraft more popular?
filepond has 16,392 GitHub stars and lightcraft has 15,318. filepond has the larger community by that measure.
Are filepond and lightcraft free?
Both are open source. filepond is licensed under MIT and lightcraft under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between filepond and lightcraft?
filepond is written in JavaScript and lightcraft in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, filepond or lightcraft?
Choose filepond if you want the larger community (16,392 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lightcraft if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.