head to head · open source
syncthing vs explorerplusplus
syncthing has 90,422 GitHub stars, 5,595 forks, 388 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. explorerplusplus has 3,344 stars, 437 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. syncthing leads on adoption by 2,604% (90,422 vs 3,344 stars). syncthing is written in Go under MPL-2.0; explorerplusplus is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. syncthing has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, explorerplusplus 13%. explorerplusplus 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 | explorerplusplus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-10 | 2026-11-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.6K | ⑂ 437 |
| 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 explorerplusplus if
- You want the explorerplusplus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and explorerplusplus 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 explorerplusplus
Explorer++ Explorer++ is a lightweight and fast file manager for Windows. Features With the option to save to the registry or a configuration file, Explorer++ is completely portable Tabbed browsing for easy management of multiple folders Display window shows previews of files as they are selected Easy to remember keyboard shortcuts for quick navigation Customizable user interface Full drag and drop support with other applications, including Windows Explorer Advanced file operations such as merging and splitting supported Change file dates and attributes Save a directory listing Bookmark tabs Search for files…
read the full explorerplusplus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is syncthing or explorerplusplus more popular?
syncthing has 90,422 GitHub stars and explorerplusplus has 3,344. syncthing has the larger community by that measure.
Are syncthing and explorerplusplus free?
Both are open source. syncthing is licensed under MPL-2.0 and explorerplusplus under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between syncthing and explorerplusplus?
syncthing is written in Go and explorerplusplus 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 explorerplusplus?
Choose syncthing if you want the larger community (90,422 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose explorerplusplus if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.