OnionShare
Securely and anonymously share a file of any size.
OnionShare vs transfer.sh
Two self-hosted File Transfer - Single-click & Drag-n-drop Upload apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| OnionShare | transfer.sh | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Securely and anonymously share a file of any size. | Easy file sharing from the command line. |
| GitHub stars | 7,218 | 15,911 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 346 | 20 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-07 | 2026-10-31 |
| Latest release | v2.7.2 (2026-11-07) | v1.6.1 (2023-12-04) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language / platform | Python, deb | Go |
| Docker Hub image | – | dutchcoders/transfer.sh |
| Docker pulls | – | 9574.3k |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $3.5/mo |
| Categories | File Transfer - Single-click & Drag-n-drop Upload | File Transfer - Single-click & Drag-n-drop Upload |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- transfer.sh is more popular on GitHub: 15.9k stars vs 7.2k for OnionShare.
- OnionShare had more commits in the last 12 months (346 vs 20).
- OnionShare published a release more recently (v2.7.2 on 2026-11-07; transfer.sh's latest is v1.6.1 on 2023-12-04).
- OnionShare is licensed under GPL-3.0, transfer.sh under MIT. transfer.sh's license is permissive; OnionShare's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- OnionShare is written in Python; transfer.sh in Go.
- Deployment options listed upstream: OnionShare: deb; transfer.sh: none listed.
- Only transfer.sh has a Docker Hub image that we detected (dutchcoders/transfer.sh).
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for transfer.sh (~512 MB server) than OnionShare (~1 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: OnionShare leads on commit activity; transfer.sh leads on GitHub popularity and Docker Hub availability. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-15. It does not rate features or quality.
Get the Docker images
transfer.sh
docker pull dutchcoders/transfer.shImage on Docker Hub. Ports, volumes and environment variables differ per app; follow the official docs.
Frequently asked questions
Is OnionShare or transfer.sh more popular?
transfer.sh has more GitHub stars (15,911 vs 7,218 for OnionShare, as of 2026-11-15). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, OnionShare or transfer.sh?
OnionShare had more commits over the last 12 months (346 vs 20). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-07 for OnionShare and 2026-10-31 for transfer.sh. Releases in the past year: OnionShare 5, transfer.sh 0. Our health labels: OnionShare is “Active”, transfer.sh is “Active”.
What licenses do OnionShare and transfer.sh use?
OnionShare: GPL-3.0. transfer.sh: MIT. transfer.sh's license is permissive; OnionShare's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run OnionShare and transfer.sh with Docker?
transfer.sh has a Docker Hub image (dutchcoders/transfer.sh). We did not find one for OnionShare; check its documentation for install options.
Read more
transfer.sh
Easy file sharing from the command line.
Browse all self-hosted File Transfer - Single-click & Drag-n-drop Upload apps.