Couchdrop

Best Self-hosted Alternatives to Couchdrop

A curated collection of the 2 best self hosted alternatives to Couchdrop.

Cloud file transfer service offering managed SFTP/FTP/WebDAV endpoints, shared folders, and connectors to move files between users and cloud storage providers (S3, Azure, Google Drive). Provides access control, protocol bridging, and automation features.

Alternatives List

#1
Palmr.

Palmr.

Palmr. is an open-source file-sharing platform for uploading, organizing, and securely sharing files with custom links, passwords, and access control.

Palmr. screenshot

Palmr. is an open-source file sharing and transfer platform designed as a self-hosted alternative to services like WeTransfer. It focuses on privacy and security, providing a web interface and API to upload, manage, and share files without tracking.

Key Features

  • Upload, manage, and share files via a modern web interface
  • Share links with access control features such as password protection
  • Custom share links for easier distribution
  • Folder organization to group and share content
  • User management and account features (including password recovery)
  • Storage options including local filesystem storage and optional S3-compatible object storage
  • Lightweight setup using SQLite for metadata storage

Use Cases

  • Securely share large files with clients or teammates using password-protected links
  • Replace third-party file transfer services for internal or privacy-sensitive workflows
  • Provide a simple upload portal to receive files from external users

Limitations and Considerations

  • The project is labeled as beta and is not recommended for production environments yet

Palmr. is a practical choice for teams and individuals who want full control over file transfers, with straightforward deployment and optional scalable storage when needed.

2.4kstars
96forks
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#2
QuickDrop

QuickDrop

QuickDrop is a Spring Boot app for anonymous, chunked file uploads with optional encryption, per-file passwords, token share links, previews and an admin console.

QuickDrop is a self-hosted file sharing application that enables anonymous uploads with chunked transfers, configurable lifetimes, and per-file access controls. It provides an admin dashboard for managing storage, cleanup schedules, notifications, and privacy settings.

Key Features

  • Anonymous uploads with chunked transfer support for reliable large-file uploads
  • Folder uploads with preserved structure and manifest handling
  • Per-file controls: passwords, hidden (link-only) files, keep indefinitely, and visibility toggles
  • Token-based share links with expiration dates and download limits; QR code generation for links
  • Optional encryption at rest for stored files and server-side session tokens for access control
  • Built-in previews for images and text, plus extended previews for PDF/CSV/JSON with syntax highlighting
  • Admin single-page UI for file list/history, search, pagination, extend/delete actions, and runtime settings
  • Notifications via SMTP and Discord webhooks with batching and test actions
  • Scheduled cleanup tasks for expired files, tokens, and DB maintenance

Use Cases

  • Share large files temporarily without requiring user accounts for ad-hoc transfers
  • Host a private file-drop service for teams to collect uploads with optional password protection and expiries
  • Maintain a small-scale public file sharing endpoint with admin-managed retention and audit logging

Limitations and Considerations

  • Default deployment uses SQLite which is convenient for small or single-node setups but can limit concurrency and horizontal scaling
  • Designed primarily as a single-instance service; no built-in clustering or object-storage integration by default

QuickDrop is focused on simple, privacy-minded file sharing with granular per-file controls and an easy admin experience. It is well suited for small teams, labs, or personal self-hosted environments that need temporary file exchange and retention policies.

408stars
17forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running