head to head · open source
superfile vs PairDrop
superfile has 23,303 GitHub stars, 856 forks, 269 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. PairDrop has 11,439 stars, 693 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. superfile leads on adoption by 104% (23,303 vs 11,439 stars). superfile is written in Go under MIT; PairDrop is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. superfile has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, PairDrop 6%. superfile 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
| superfile | PairDrop | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 23K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-04-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 856 | ⑂ 693 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick superfile if
- You weight community size — 23K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- 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 superfile
superfile is a modern terminal file manager, written in Go, that gives Linux, macOS and Windows users a full screen text user interface for browsing and managing files, aimed at developers and command line users who want more than typed shell commands.
read the full superfile overview →
About PairDrop
PairDrop is open source JavaScript web app for file sharing. It lives in browser PWA ecosystem, using WebRTC, WebSockets, IndexedDB, Node.js. It is fork of Snapdrop. It is inspired by Apple AirDrop. It is listed as Productivity & Utilities / File Management & Sync. License is GPL 3.0. GitHub metadata lists 11390 stars and 690 forks.
read the full PairDrop overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is superfile or PairDrop more popular?
superfile has 23,303 GitHub stars and PairDrop has 11,439. superfile has the larger community by that measure.
Are superfile and PairDrop free?
Both are open source. superfile is licensed under MIT and PairDrop under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between superfile and PairDrop?
superfile is written in Go 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, superfile or PairDrop?
Choose superfile if you want the larger community (23,303 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose PairDrop if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.