head to head · open source
PairDrop vs Firefiles
PairDrop has 11,422 GitHub stars, 691 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. Firefiles has 371 stars, 57 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 11 months ago. PairDrop leads on adoption by 2,979% (11,422 vs 371 stars). PairDrop is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0; Firefiles is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. PairDrop has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Firefiles 15%. PairDrop 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
| PairDrop | Firefiles | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 11K | ★ 371 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-04-22 | 2025-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 691 | ⑂ 57 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PairDrop if
- You weight community size — 11K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Firefiles if
- You want the Firefiles feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Firefiles fits your workflow better
About PairDrop
PairDrop is open source JavaScript web app for file sharing. It lives in browser PWA ecosystem, using WebRTC, WebSockets, IndexedDB, Node.js. It is fork of Snapdrop. It is inspired by Apple AirDrop. It is listed as Productivity & Utilities / File Management & Sync. License is GPL 3.0. GitHub metadata lists 11390 stars and 690 forks.
read the full PairDrop overview →
About Firefiles
Firefiles is an open source, self hosted alternative to Dropbox: a TypeScript and Next.js web application that turns your own cloud storage buckets — such as AWS S3, Backblaze, or Firebase Cloud Storage — into a single browser based drive with a familiar file system interface, built for people who want Dropbox style file management while keeping their files in storage they already own.
read the full Firefiles overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PairDrop or Firefiles more popular?
PairDrop has 11,422 GitHub stars and Firefiles has 371. PairDrop has the larger community by that measure.
Are PairDrop and Firefiles free?
Both are open source. PairDrop is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Firefiles under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between PairDrop and Firefiles?
PairDrop is written in JavaScript and Firefiles 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, PairDrop or Firefiles?
Choose PairDrop if you want the larger community (11,422 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Firefiles if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.