Open-source file sync and storage tools

Self-hosted ways to keep your files within reach without Dropbox or Google Drive: sync folders between your own devices, or serve them from a machine you control.

18 open-source projects, checked against GitHub on 12 November 2026.

All 18 file storage & sync projects

Showing all 18, ordered by health score.

  1. 90 Active
    Nextcloud

    Nextcloud server, a safe home for all your data

    AGPL-3.0
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    37.5k
    Release
    15 October 2026
  2. 86 Active
    ownCloud Infinite Scale

    ownCloud Infinite Scale

    Apache-2.0
    Setup
    4 of 5
    Stars
    2.2k
    Release
    6 November 2026
  3. 85 Active
    Puter

    The Internet Computer! Free, Open-Source, and Self-Hostable.

    AGPL-3.0
    Setup
    4 of 5
    Stars
    44.2k
    Release
    2 November 2026
  4. 84 Active
    Sync-in

    Sync-in · Sovereign platform for file storage, sharing, synchronization, and collaboration.

    AGPL-3.0 CLA
    Setup
    2 of 5
    Stars
    2k
    Release
    9 November 2026
  5. 79 Active
    ownCloud

    ownCloud web server core (Files, DAV, etc.)

    AGPL-3.0
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    8.8k
    Release
    3 November 2026
  6. 79 Active
    OpenCloud

    OpenCloud is the open source platform for file management, sharing and collaboration. Simple and sovereign.

    Apache-2.0 CLA
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    6.3k
    Release
    11 November 2026
  7. 75 Active
    copyparty

    Portable file server with accelerated resumable uploads, dedup, WebDAV, SFTP, FTP, TFTP, zeroconf, media indexer, thumbnails++ all in one file

    MIT
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    47.3k
    Release
    14 October 2026
  8. 70 Active
    Pydio

    Future-proof content collaboration platform

    AGPL-3.0 CLA
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    2.3k
    Release
    2 November 2026
  9. 69 Active
    Syncthing

    Open Source Continuous File Synchronization

    MPL-2.0 relicensed 2015
    Setup
    Docker
    Stars
    90.4k
    Release
    21 October 2026
  10. 67 Active
    FileGator

    Powerful Multi-User File Manager

    MIT
    Setup
    1 of 5
    Stars
    3.1k
    Release
    4 November 2026
  11. 64 Active
    Peergos

    A p2p, secure file storage, social network and application protocol

    AGPL-3.0 relicensed 2015
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    2.6k
    Release
    None
  12. 64 Active
    Directory Lister

    Directory Lister is the easiest way to expose the contents of any web-accessible folder for browsing and sharing.

    MIT
    Setup
    3 of 5
    Stars
    2.5k
    Release
    30 October 2026
  13. 54 Active
    Cloudreve

    Self-hosted file management and sharing system, supports multiple storage providers

    GPL-3.0 CLA
    Setup
    2 of 5
    Stars
    29k
    Release
    18 September 2026
  14. 52 Active
    Filestash

    Universal File Management Platform (for humans and agents)

    AGPL-3.0
    Setup
    2 of 5
    Stars
    14.9k
    Release
    None
  15. 47 Active
    Unison

    Unison file synchronizer

    GPL-3.0
    Setup
    Builds
    Stars
    5.6k
    Release
    1 May 2026
  16. 39 Active
    miniserve

    For when you really just want to serve some files over HTTP right now!

    MIT
    Setup
    Builds
    Stars
    8.1k
    Release
    8 April 2026
  17. 38 Active
    Seafile

    Beyond file syncing and sharing, a new way to organize your files with extensible file properties and flexible views

    GPL-2.0 relicensed 2015
    Setup
    From source
    Stars
    15.5k
    Release
    27 February 2024
  18. 21 Slowing
    Tiny File Manager

    Single-file PHP file manager, browser and manage your files efficiently and easily with tinyfilemanager

    GPL-3.0
    Setup
    1 of 5
    Stars
    6k
    Release
    5 November 2024

Our picks by use case

  • Folders mirrored across your devices

    Syncthing connects computers directly and copies changes in the background, so files never sit on a third-party server.

  • Sharing a folder from any machine

    copyparty runs as one Python script and serves files through the browser, WebDAV, SFTP, FTP and SMB, with resumable uploads.

  • A personal cloud workspace in the browser

    Puter puts files, small built-in apps and an App Store into a desktop-like environment that opens in any browser.

  • Music and e-books on a home server

    copyparty plays audio in the browser with an equalizer, shows thumbnails and offers OPDS feeds that e-readers can browse.

How to choose a file sync or storage tool

The tools differ in where files live. A sync tool keeps a full copy on every device and needs no central server, while a file server holds one copy and lets people reach it through a browser or network protocols.

Sync or serve

Syncthing keeps an identical copy of each folder on every paired device, so each one needs room for the whole folder. copyparty and Puter keep files in one place and hand them out on request, which suits sharing with people who should not install anything.

Who gets access

copyparty sets permissions per folder and per user and can create temporary share links. Syncthing is built for syncing devices rather than handing files to other people. Puter targets a personal workspace and also gives developers storage, a database and AI features for small web apps.

Setup weight

Syncthing has ready-made builds and a Docker image, and building it needs only the Go toolchain. copyparty needs nothing but Python, with every dependency optional. Puter's Docker Compose file defines 10 services, among them Redis and MySQL, so it wants a proper server.

Exposure to the internet

The copyparty README calls its SMB server unsafe and slow and advises against using it over the internet. Syncthing ranks protection against data loss first and security against eavesdropping and tampering second, and its release binaries are GPG-signed.

License and maintainers

Syncthing is MPL-2.0 after moving from GPL-3.0 in 2015, copyparty is MIT and Puter is AGPL-3.0, with no paid parts in any of them. One developer writes about nine in ten copyparty commits, and the HeyPuter organization behind Puter also runs puter.com.

Drafted with AI from the projects’ READMEs and our data, then checked against that data on 7 November 2026. Report a correction

Which of these are really open source?

Fully open source (18)OSI-approved license, no paid parts in the repository
Syncthing, copyparty, Puter, Nextcloud, Cloudreve, Seafile, Filestash, ownCloud, miniserve, OpenCloud, Tiny File Manager, Unison, FileGator, Peergos, Directory Lister, Pydio, ownCloud Infinite Scale, Sync-in
Open source with paid parts (0)OSI license, but some features are under commercial terms
None
Not OSI open source (0)Code is public, use is restricted
None
License changesNewest first
Peergos: GPL-3.0 → AGPL-3.0, 2015; Seafile: GPL-3.0 → GPL-2.0, 2015; Syncthing: GPL-3.0 → MPL-2.0, 2015

Read automatically from each repository’s license files every day. How we read licenses

Questions about open-source file storage & sync

What are the most popular open-source file storage & sync projects?

By GitHub stars: Syncthing (90.4k), copyparty (47.3k), Puter (44.2k). By our health score, the most actively maintained are Nextcloud (90), ownCloud Infinite Scale (86), Puter (85).

Which file storage & sync projects are fully open source?

18 of the 18 use an OSI-approved license with no paid parts in the repository, including Syncthing, copyparty, Puter.

Which are the easiest to self-host?

Judged by the services in their compose files, Cloudreve, Filestash, Tiny File Manager, FileGator need the least setup.

Which projects have changed their license?

Syncthing (to MPL-2.0 in 2015), Seafile (to GPL-2.0 in 2015), Peergos (to AGPL-3.0 in 2015). Each project page links to the commit that made the change.

Other categories