head to head · open source
Seafile vs alto
Seafile has 15,414 GitHub stars, 1,674 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. alto has 1,616 stars, 60 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Seafile leads on adoption by 854% (15,414 vs 1,616 stars). Seafile is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence; alto is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. Seafile has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, alto 4%. alto was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (cloud-storage), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| Seafile | alto | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 1.6K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-16 | 2026-10-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 60 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Seafile if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick alto if
- You want the alto feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and alto fits your workflow better
About Seafile
Introduction Seafile is an open source cloud storage system with privacy protection and teamwork features. Collections of files are called libraries. Each library can be synced separately. A library can also be encrypted with a user chosen password. Seafile also allows users to create groups and easily sharing files into groups. Beyond sync and share, Seafile provides advanced metadata management features and handy collaboration features. Feature Summary Seafile has the following features: File syncing 1. Selective sync for any folder. 2. Correctly handles file conflicts based on history instead of timestamp. 3…
read the full Seafile overview →
About alto
Alto Alto keeps folders on your computer in sync with your cloud storage, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Proton Drive and more. It's built to look and feel native on your desktop, with current support for Linux (GNOME specifically, with apps for macOS, Windows, and Android in the works). [!NOTE] Looking for the old Celeste code? It's on the celeste rs branch. Features True two way sync. New files, edits and deletions go both ways. All your clouds in one place. Connect as many accounts as you like, across different providers, and sync folders from all of them at once. Safe across several computers. Before…
More in Productivity & Utilities
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Frequently asked questions
Is Seafile or alto more popular?
Seafile has 15,414 GitHub stars and alto has 1,616. Seafile has the larger community by that measure.
Are Seafile and alto free?
Both are open source. Seafile has no licence declared in this registry, and alto is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Seafile and alto?
Seafile is written in C and alto 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, Seafile or alto?
Choose Seafile if you want the larger community (15,414 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose alto if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.