head to head · open source
Spacedrive vs PairDrop
Spacedrive has 39,386 GitHub stars, 1,370 forks, 57 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. PairDrop has 11,740 stars, 720 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. Spacedrive leads on adoption by 235% (39,386 vs 11,740 stars). Spacedrive is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; PairDrop is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. Spacedrive has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, PairDrop 6%. Spacedrive 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
| Spacedrive | PairDrop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 39K | ★ 12K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-04-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 720 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Spacedrive if
- You weight community size — 39K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- 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 Spacedrive
Spacedrive One file manager for all your devices and clouds. Powered by a Virtual Distributed File System, complete with apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android v2.spacedrive.com • Discord • Getting Started What is Spacedrive? Spacedrive is a cross device data platform. Index files, emails, notes, and external sources. Search everything. Sync via P2P. Keep AI agents safe with built in screening. Content identity — every file gets a BLAKE3 content hash. Same file on two devices produces the same hash. Spacedrive tracks redundancy and deduplication across all your machines. Cross device — see all…
read the full Spacedrive overview →
About PairDrop
Send it , with PairDrop Local file sharing in your web browser . Inspired by Apple's AirDrop. Fork of Snapdrop. Report a bug Request feature Features File sharing on your local network that works on all platforms. A multi platform AirDrop like solution that works. Send images, documents or text via peer to peer connection to devices on the same local network. Internet transfers Join temporary public rooms to transfer files easily over the Internet. Web app Works on all devices with a modern web browser. Send a file from your phone to your laptop? Share photos in original quality with friends using Android and…
read the full PairDrop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Spacedrive or PairDrop more popular?
Spacedrive has 39,386 GitHub stars and PairDrop has 11,740. Spacedrive has the larger community by that measure.
Are Spacedrive and PairDrop free?
Both are open source. Spacedrive is licensed under Apache-2.0 and PairDrop under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Spacedrive and PairDrop?
Spacedrive is written in Rust 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, Spacedrive or PairDrop?
Choose Spacedrive if you want the larger community (39,386 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose PairDrop if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.