head to head · open source
ranger vs PairDrop
ranger has 17,405 GitHub stars, 942 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. PairDrop has 11,439 stars, 693 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. ranger leads on adoption by 52% (17,405 vs 11,439 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 | ★ 11K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-04-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 942 | ⑂ 693 |
| 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 is a console file manager with VI key bindings, written in Python and released under the GNU General Public License version 3, for terminal users who want to browse, preview, and manipulate files without leaving a Unix shell.
read the full ranger overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ranger or PairDrop more popular?
ranger has 17,405 GitHub stars and PairDrop has 11,439. 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 (17,405 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.