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10 top picks · 1 audience ranking

Best open source file sharing apps

The best open source file sharing app is qBittorrent (GPL-2.0, 41,180 GitHub stars). Transmission stands out for the most recent release (4.1.4, October 2026), and slskd stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (1,249).

This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: qBittorrent leads for freelancers.

Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    qBittorrent

    qbittorrent/qBittorrent

    Free cross-platform bittorrent client with a feature rich Web UI for remote access.

    Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026

    File SharingC++

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. qBittorrent has 41,180 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 510 commits in the last year.

  2. Rank 2:

    Transmission

    transmission/transmission

    Fast, easy, free Bittorrent client.

    Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026

    File SharingC++

    Stands out for the most recent release (4.1.4, October 2026). Transmission has 15,360 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 579 commits in the last year.

  3. Rank 3:

    slskd

    slskd/slskd

    A modern client-server application for the Soulseek file sharing network.

    Active · last commit Oct 27, 2026

    File SharingC#Docker

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (1,249). slskd has 4,210 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,249 commits in the last year.

At a glance

Open source file sharing apps compared

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 34 apps in the file sharing category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

Top 10 picks compared, data as of Oct 28, 2026
AppStands out forLicenseGitHub starsCommits (12 mo)Last commitDocker image
qBittorrentthe most GitHub starsGPL-2.041,180510Oct 26, 2026No
Transmissionthe most recent release (4.1.4, October 2026)GPL-3.015,360579Oct 27, 2026No
slskdthe most commits in the last 12 months (1,249)AGPL-3.04,2101,249Oct 27, 2026Yes
Yopassa permissive Apache-2.0 licenseApache-2.03,2101,219Oct 28, 2026Yes
OnionShareits Python codebaseGPL-3.07,191287Oct 16, 2026No
Zipline–MIT3,470352Oct 27, 2026Yes
Gokapi–AGPL-3.02,925145Oct 26, 2026Yes
Plik–MIT1,829589Oct 28, 2026Yes
PicoShare–AGPL-3.03,066104Oct 24, 2026Yes
Slink–AGPL-3.01,614657Oct 24, 2026Yes

1 of 2 · 10 picks

Top picks

10 of the 34 apps in the file sharing category.

  1. 1

    qBittorrent

    Free cross-platform bittorrent client with a feature rich Web UI for remote access.

    Stands out for the most GitHub stars. qBittorrent has 41,180 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 510 commits in the last year.

  2. 2

    Transmission

    Fast, easy, free Bittorrent client.

    Stands out for the most recent release (4.1.4, October 2026). Transmission has 15,360 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 579 commits in the last year.

  3. 3

    slskd

    A modern client-server application for the Soulseek file sharing network.

    Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (1,249). slskd has 4,210 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,249 commits in the last year.

  4. 4

    Yopass

    Secure sharing of secrets, passwords and files.

    Stands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. Yopass has 3,210 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,219 commits in the last year.

  5. 5

    OnionShare

    Securely and anonymously share a file of any size.

    Stands out for its Python codebase. OnionShare has 7,191 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 287 commits in the last year.

  6. 6

    Zipline

    A lightweight, fast and reliable file sharing server that is commonly used with ShareX, offering a react-based Web UI and fast API.

    Zipline has 3,470 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 352 commits in the last year; it replaces Imgur.

  7. 7

    Gokapi

    Lightweight server to share files, which expire after a set amount of downloads or days. Similar to the discontinued Firefox Send, with the difference that only the admin is allowed to upload files.

    Gokapi has 2,925 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 145 commits in the last year.

  8. 8

    Plik

    Scalable and friendly temporary file upload system.

    Plik has 1,829 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 589 commits in the last year.

  9. 9

    PicoShare

    Minimalist, easy-to-host service for sharing images and other files.

    PicoShare has 3,066 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 104 commits in the last year.

  10. 10

    Slink

    Image sharing platform designed to give users complete control over their media sharing experience.

    Slink has 1,614 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 657 commits in the last year.

2 of 2 · 5 picks

Which open source file sharing app is best for freelancers?

For freelancers, qBittorrent ranks first (GPL-2.0, 41,180 GitHub stars), followed by slskd and Transmission. Ranked for freelancers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.

  1. 1

    qBittorrent

    Free cross-platform bittorrent client with a feature rich Web UI for remote access.

    qBittorrent has 41,180 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 510 commits in the last year. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  2. 2

    slskd

    A modern client-server application for the Soulseek file sharing network.

    slskd has 4,210 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,249 commits in the last year. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  3. 3

    Transmission

    Fast, easy, free Bittorrent client.

    Transmission has 15,360 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 579 commits in the last year. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  4. 4

    Yopass

    Secure sharing of secrets, passwords and files.

    Yopass has 3,210 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,219 commits in the last year. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

  5. 5

    Zipline

    A lightweight, fast and reliable file sharing server that is commonly used with ShareX, offering a react-based Web UI and fast API.

    Zipline has 3,470 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 352 commits in the last year; it replaces Imgur. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.

FAQ

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is qBittorrent free?

Yes. qBittorrent is open-source software released under the GPL-2.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Can I self-host these file sharing apps with Docker?

Yes, 7 of the 10 picks. slskd, Yopass and Zipline publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.

Are all of these file sharing apps open source?

All 10 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license.

Which of these file sharing apps is the most actively developed?

slskd, with 1,249 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, 0.26.2, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.

How is this list ranked?

Ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 34 apps in the file sharing category. Projects with fewer than 12 commits in the last 12 months rank below every more active project.

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