Explore 17 Free Open-Source File Sharing Tools for Network and Cloud

File and document sharing are required by companies, web agencies, freelancers, and enterprise. It is an essential to for teams to collaborate and share files and documents internally and externally.

While there are dozens of paid commercial web services that offer file sharing, we ought to offer you the best open source alternatives.

In this article, we provide a list of open-source free file sharing tools for the network and the client.

1- PairDrop (Network)

PairDrop is a progressive web app (PAW) open source alternative to AirDrop and Snapdrop file sharing service, it enables you to share your files with devices on the same local network/ Wi-Fi.

It supports paste mode, prevents devices from sleeping on file transfer, supports multiple tab/ files and operations, and offers video/ audio preview.

The app is built using Node.js, WebRTC, WebSockets, HTML5, and IndexedDB.

2- FileShelter (Cloud)

FileShelter is a self-hosted software that allows you to easily share files over the Internet. Just upload one or more files and get a URL back!

It offers a quick temporary file sharing for teams, freelancers, and web agencies.

FileShelter highlights

• Period of validity, from one hour to many years
• Comes with a command-line tool
• Optional password protection (download and/or upload)
• Practically unique links, using UUID
• Private edit links, used to remove the files or to check the download counters
• Terms Of Service support, fully or partially customizable
• Multiple language support
• Low memory requirements: the demo instance runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero W

3- FileStash

• Cloud, Alternative to Dropbox

FileStash is an open source self-hosted file sharing solution with a fancy web user-friendly interface, and many file sharing protocol supports.

FileStash supports FTP, SFTP, FTPS, WebDAV, CardDAV, CalDAV, LDAP, MySQL, Storj, S3, and GitHub/ Gitlab.

Features

It also offers integration and direct file exchange with Google Drive and Dropbox. It comes with dozens of useful features that put commercial paid services to shame:

• Manage your files from a browser
• Authentication middleware to connect to various source of user
• Flexible Share mechanism
• Video player
• Video transcoding (mov, mkv, avi, mpeg, and more)
• Image viewer
• Image transcoding (raw images from Nikon, Canon, and more)
• Photo management
• Audio player
• Shared links are full fledge network drive
• Office documents (docx, xlsx and more)
• Full org mode client
• User-friendly
• Mobile friendly
• Customizable
• Plugins
• Super fast
• Upload files and folders
• Download as zip
• Multiple cloud providers and protocols, easily extensible
• Nyan cat loader
• Quick access: frequently access folders are pin to the homepage
• Emacs, VIM or Sublime keybindings ;)
• Search files, metadata, file types an

4- Quickshare

Quickshare enables you to share your files quickly between different devices. It features a simple user-friendly interface, QR code management, multiple users, simultaneous file uploads, and directory (folder) sharing.

Quickshare is written in the Go language, and uses React/ TypeScript for the user interface. It is released as an open source project under the LGPL-3.0 license.

5- DropIt

DropIt is a file Uploader and sharing self-hosted solution, built with Node.js. You can easily upload any file, get a link, and share your files with anyone easily.

The downside for this project is it requires MongoDB setup, which you can overcome by using Docker.

DropIt is an ideal solution for freelancer, developers, UI/UX designers, and anyone who requires to share files quickly.

6- Airshare

Airshare is a Python-based CLI tool and module that lets you transfer data between two machines in a local network, P2P, using Multicast-DNS. It also opens an HTTP gateway for other non-CLI external interfaces. It works completely offline! Built with aiohttp and zeroconf.

Airshare works seamlessly on Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Airshare features highlight:

• Share your files easily between Android and your PC.
• QR code generation per file.
• Blazing fast content transfer within a local network.
• Lets you transfer plain text, send from or receive into your clipboard.
• Supports transfer of multiple files, directories and large files - content is sent chunk by chunk and never read into memory entirely.
• Lets you send files whose paths have been copied into the clipboard (more details in the docs).
• Cross-platform, works on Linux, Windows, and Mac (CLI and Web Interface), and also supports mobile (Web Interface).
• Uses Multicast-DNS service registration and discovery - so you can access content with human-readable code words.
• Can be used as a module in other Python programs.

7- FFSend

FFSend is a minimal command-line app that enables you to share files privately and securely using Firefox Send client.

FFSend Features

• Fully featured and friendly command line tool
• Upload and download files and directories securely, always encrypted on the client
• Additional password protection, generation and configurable download limits
• File and directory archiving and extraction
• Built-in share URL shortener and QR code generator
• Supports Send v3 (current) and v2
• History tracking your files for easy management
• Ability to use your own Send hosts
• Inspect or delete shared files
• Accurate error reporting
• Streaming encryption and uploading/downloading, very low memory footprint
• Intended for use in scripts without interaction

8- OnionShare

OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. The app is available to download for Windows and macOS platforms.

It also allows you to host websites privately.

9- Slate

Slate is an open source storage system for your data that makes it easy to collect, organize, and share them anywhere on the web.

In the background, Slate is powered by IPFS, Filecoin and Textile. It features a simple clutter-free interface, and dozens of useful productivity booster features.

10- Croc (Network)

croc is a simple yet powerful network file sharing tool that allows any two computers to simply and securely transfer files and folders.

It offers 2-devices data channel transfer using relay, provide a built-in end-to-end (E2E) encryption, and works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Read more about it here.

11- ShareDrop (Network)

ShareDrop is an easy P2P file transfer powered by WebRTC, it is heavy inspired by Apple AirDrop.

The main difference between ShareDrop and AirDrop is that ShareDrop requires an Internet connection to discover other devices, while AirDrop doesn't need one, as it creates an ad-hoc wireless network between them. On the other hand, ShareDrop allows you to share files between mobile (Android and iOS) and desktop devices and even between networks.

It works smoothly on all modern web browsers such as Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

12- Uguu (Cloud)

Uguu is a simple lightweight temporary file hosting and sharing platform, but can also be used as a permanent file host.

Uguu features one-click upload, upload API, works with ShareX, and upload rate limiting.

13- Sharry (Cloud)

Sharry is a free open source web-based solution which allows you to share files quickly, get a QR code and URL links in return.

It features a simple easy-to-use responsive (mobile-friendly) interface, and does not require registration to upload and share files.

14- Sharik (Network)

Sharik is an open-source, cross-platform solution for sharing files via Wi-Fi or Mobile Hotspot. It is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. You can also download it for Android and iOS (iPhone/ iPad) devices.

The best options Sharik offers is that it does not require internet connection, or the app installed at the recipient device.

15- cyrptgeon

cryptgeon is a secure, open source note / file sharing service. The app is written in rust & svelte. It is an open source alternative to PrivNote app.

The app comes with a built-in client-side encryption, and uses in-memory storage, and offers a temporary file preview.

16- Portal

Portal is a zero-config peer-to-peer encrypted live folder syncing tool that respects your .gitignore. Built on top of the Hypercore protocol with emphasis on being zero-config, secure, and decentralized.

17- OpenDrop (Network)

OpenDrop is a command-line tool that allows sharing files between devices directly over Wi-Fi. Its unique feature is that it is protocol-compatible with Apple AirDrop which allows sharing files with Apple devices running iOS and macOS.