head to head · open source
ranger vs PasswordPusher
ranger has 17,414 GitHub stars, 943 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. PasswordPusher has 3,202 stars, 460 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ranger leads on adoption by 444% (17,414 vs 3,202 stars). ranger is written in Python under GPL-3.0; PasswordPusher is written in Ruby under Apache-2.0. ranger has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, PasswordPusher 14%. PasswordPusher 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 | PasswordPusher | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-09-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 943 | ⑂ 460 |
| 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 PasswordPusher if
- You want the PasswordPusher feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You evaluated both and PasswordPusher 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 PasswordPusher
PasswordPusher is an Apache 2.0 licensed Ruby web application for sharing passwords, notes, files and URLs as self deleting links that expire after a set number of views or a set duration, with audit logs recording who viewed what, and when.
read the full PasswordPusher overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ranger or PasswordPusher more popular?
ranger has 17,414 GitHub stars and PasswordPusher has 3,202. ranger has the larger community by that measure.
Are ranger and PasswordPusher free?
Both are open source. ranger is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PasswordPusher under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ranger and PasswordPusher?
ranger is written in Python and PasswordPusher in Ruby. 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 PasswordPusher?
Choose ranger if you want the larger community (17,414 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PasswordPusher if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.