head to head · open source
ranger vs PairDrop
ranger has 17,447 GitHub stars, 939 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. PairDrop has 11,740 stars, 720 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. ranger leads on adoption by 49% (17,447 vs 11,740 stars). ranger is written in Python under GPL-3.0; PairDrop is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. ranger has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, PairDrop 6%. ranger 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
| ranger | PairDrop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 12K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-04-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 939 | ⑂ 720 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ranger if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick PairDrop if
- You want the PairDrop feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and PairDrop fits your workflow better
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 →
About PairDrop
Send it , with PairDrop Local file sharing in your web browser . Inspired by Apple's AirDrop. Fork of Snapdrop. Report a bug Request feature Features File sharing on your local network that works on all platforms. A multi platform AirDrop like solution that works. Send images, documents or text via peer to peer connection to devices on the same local network. Internet transfers Join temporary public rooms to transfer files easily over the Internet. Web app Works on all devices with a modern web browser. Send a file from your phone to your laptop? Share photos in original quality with friends using Android and…
read the full PairDrop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ranger or PairDrop more popular?
ranger has 17,447 GitHub stars and PairDrop has 11,740. ranger has the larger community by that measure.
Are ranger and PairDrop free?
Both are open source. ranger is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PairDrop under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ranger and PairDrop?
ranger is written in Python and PairDrop in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, ranger or PairDrop?
Choose ranger if you want the larger community (17,447 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PairDrop if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.