head to head · open source
syncthing vs Seafile
syncthing has 89,712 GitHub stars, 5,539 forks, 388 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Seafile has 15,382 stars, 1,675 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. syncthing leads on adoption by 483% (89,712 vs 15,382 stars). syncthing is written in Go under MPL-2.0; Seafile is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. syncthing has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Seafile 11%. syncthing 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
| syncthing | Seafile | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 15K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-24 | 2026-10-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick syncthing if
- You weight community size — 90K stars and counting
- You want the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- 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 syncthing
[![Syncthing][14]][15] Goals Syncthing is a continuous file synchronization program . It synchronizes files between two or more computers. We strive to fulfill the goals below. The goals are listed in order of importance, the most important ones first. This is the summary version of the goal list for more commentary, see the full [Goals document][13]. Syncthing should be: 1. Safe From Data Loss Protecting the user's data is paramount. We take every reasonable precaution to avoid corrupting the user's files. 2. Secure Against Attackers Again, protecting the user's data is paramount. Regardless of our other goals…
read the full syncthing overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is syncthing or Seafile more popular?
syncthing has 89,712 GitHub stars and Seafile has 15,382. syncthing has the larger community by that measure.
Are syncthing and Seafile free?
Both are open source. syncthing is licensed under MPL-2.0, and Seafile has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between syncthing and Seafile?
syncthing is written in Go 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, syncthing or Seafile?
Choose syncthing if you want the larger community (89,712 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose Seafile if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.