head to head · open source
syncthing vs lf
syncthing has 90,102 GitHub stars, 5,578 forks, 388 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. lf has 9,588 stars, 392 forks, 85 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. syncthing leads on adoption by 840% (90,102 vs 9,588 stars). syncthing is written in Go under MPL-2.0; lf is written in Go under MIT. syncthing has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, lf 4%. 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 | lf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.6K | ⑂ 392 |
| 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 lf if
- You want the lf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and lf 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 lf
LF Doc Wiki lf:matrix.org (with IRC bridge) lf (as in "list files") is a terminal file manager written in Go with a heavy inspiration from ranger file manager. See faq for more information and tutorial for a gentle introduction with screencasts. Features Cross platform (Linux, macOS, BSDs, Windows) Single binary without any runtime dependencies Fast startup and low memory footprint due to native code and static binaries Asynchronous IO operations to avoid UI locking Server/client architecture and remote commands to manage multiple instances Extendable and configurable with shell commands Customizable keybindings…
More in Productivity & Utilities
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Frequently asked questions
Is syncthing or lf more popular?
syncthing has 90,102 GitHub stars and lf has 9,588. syncthing has the larger community by that measure.
Are syncthing and lf free?
Both are open source. syncthing is licensed under MPL-2.0 and lf under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between syncthing and lf?
syncthing is written in Go and lf in Go. 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 lf?
Choose syncthing if you want the larger community (90,102 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose lf if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.