head to head · open source
ranger vs Seafile
ranger has 17,405 GitHub stars, 942 forks, 896 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. Seafile has 15,257 stars, 1,677 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ranger leads on adoption by 14% (17,405 vs 15,257 stars). ranger is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Seafile is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. ranger has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Seafile 11%. Seafile 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 | Seafile | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 15K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 942 | ⑂ 1.7K |
| 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 Seafile if
- You want the Seafile feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and Seafile 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 Seafile
Seafile is an open source cloud storage system written in C and positioned as a self hosted alternative to Dropbox and Google Drive. It organizes files into libraries, each of which can be synced separately, encrypted with a user chosen password, and shared between users or groups. The project lives in the self hosted file sync and document management ecosystem, where it combines storage, collaboration, knowledge management, and metadata features.
read the full Seafile overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ranger or Seafile more popular?
ranger has 17,405 GitHub stars and Seafile has 15,257. ranger has the larger community by that measure.
Are ranger and Seafile free?
Both are open source. ranger is licensed under GPL-3.0, and Seafile has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between ranger and Seafile?
ranger is written in Python and Seafile in C. 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 Seafile?
Choose ranger if you want the larger community (17,405 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Seafile if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.