Seafile vs Syncthing (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Syncthing grades higher than Seafile: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Seafile grades higher on platforms. Syncthing grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Seafile
Open-source file sync and share, self-hosted or in the cloud
Which one is for you
Pick Seafile if
- Fits if you can run a server and want free sync for 3 users
- Works for a small team that wants to start with Community and move up
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to host: both free editions run on your server
- Tight if you need audit logs, LDAP or full-text search, as Community lacks all three
- Watch out: Plus Cloud needs 3 users, and trial accounts are deactivated after 30 days
- Watch out: remote support is a separate plan at $5,000 a year or $120 an hour
Pick Syncthing if
- Fits if you want folders in step between your own computers with no cloud provider involved
- Works for people with a home server who want a desktop's folders copied to it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want your files on your iPhone, as there are no plans for an official iOS app
- Not for you if you want a cloud copy, since files live only on your own devices
- Not for you if a command-line program with a browser settings page sounds like hard work
- Watch out: devices swap files only when both are online at the same time
- Watch out: there are no sharing links, and help is a community forum unless you pay Kastelo, a separate company
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASeafileFair | 2.6GPASyncthingGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe free editions need your own server, so it counts as a C. Plus Cloud is $8 a user with a 3-user minimum, so $24 a month. | AFree software with no paid plans at all, where the rest of this category charges around $5 a month for ever. The project lives on donations, and if you want somebody to call, a separate company, Kastelo, sells commercial support. |
| Free plan and trial | BCommunity is free and open source, and Professional is free for up to 3 users, though you host it. | AFree outright on every operating system it supports, source code and all, with no paid tier above it holding anything back and no account to make in the first place. |
| Features | CFile sync and sharing, but Community lacks audit logs, LDAP sync and full-text search. | CIt does its one job completely: continuous sync of as many folders as you like, over encrypted and authenticated connections, at home or across the internet. But that one job is smaller than this category's. There's no cloud copy, no sharing links, and devices swap files only when both are online. |
| Ease of use | DThe free editions need self-hosting. No store rating on record. | DWhat you download is a command-line daemon you configure through a page in your browser, on every machine, with tray icons and file-browser integration as separate downloads. Devices do pair by ID with no network fiddling, but this is not install and go. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps, and 6 integrations. | CComputers only: Mac, Windows, Linux and several BSD systems. No phone apps are listed and the team says it has no plans to support iOS officially, so your photos and your phone are out of the picture. |
| Best for | self-hosted file sync with a free edition | syncing your own computers with no cloud |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Seafile and Syncthing. How we grade
Price against what you get
Seafile starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Syncthing has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Seafile scores higher, and starts $8 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 17 score higher than Seafile for less, and none scores higher than Syncthing for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Seafile is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Seafile also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Seafile | Syncthing | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $8 per user / month (Plus Cloud Team plan) | Free |
| Free plan | Community edition is free and open source; Professional runs free for up to 3 users; the cloud trial gives 1 GB for up to 3 users. | Syncthing is free software with no paid plans. The project's servers and development grants are funded by donations. |
| Free trial | Plus Cloud trial plan is free for 30 days; Professional trial licenses are sent on request | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Seafile Ltd. | The Syncthing Foundation |
| Price read from | seafile.com | syncthing.net |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Seafile
- The Community edition lacks the Professional features such as audit logs, LDAP sync and full-text search.
- Professional pricing is per year; above 1,000 users it is by quote.
- Phone-style remote support sits in a separate paid plan at $5,000 per year, or $120 per hour.
- Plus Cloud needs at least 3 users, and trial accounts are deactivated after 30 days.
Syncthing
- There is no cloud storage: files live only on your devices, and devices exchange data only when they are online at the same time.
- The Syncthing team says it has no plans to officially support iOS; a separate open source iOS app incorporates Syncthing.
- The base download is a command-line daemon with a web interface. Tray icons and file browser integration come from separate downloads.
- Support is through the community forum; commercial support is sold by a separate company, Kastelo.
Key features
Seafile
- File sync and sharing
- Libraries sync across desktop and mobile clients and can be shared with users and groups, with public links and version history.
- Online editing
- Office documents can be viewed and edited in the browser, with OnlyOffice and Collabora Online integrations in the Professional edition.
- Custom file properties
- Libraries can carry extra properties such as owner and status, shown in table, Kanban, gallery and map views.
- AI chat and search
- Full-text and semantic search, plus an AI chat that answers questions about the files in a library.
- Directory and security controls
- The Professional edition adds LDAP and AD sync, single sign-on, two-factor authentication, audit logs and remote wipe.
Syncthing
- Continuous synchronization
- Folders are kept in sync between two or more computers in real time. You can sync as many folders as you need, with other people or only between your own devices.
- No central server
- Data is never stored anywhere other than on your own computers, so there is no cloud account or third-party server holding the files.
- Encrypted, authenticated connections
- All communication is secured with TLS and perfect forward secrecy. Each device has a cryptographic certificate, and only devices you explicitly allow can connect.
- Browser-based interface
- Syncthing is configured and monitored through a responsive web interface served by the program and opened in a browser.
- Works over LAN and Internet
- Devices find each other by ID without IP addresses or advanced configuration. UPnP is used where available, and relays carry traffic when no direct connection is possible.
- Open protocol and source
- The sync protocol is a documented specification and all source code is public, with development and bug reports open for anyone to read.
Plans
Seafile
Community Edition$0
Free and open source, self-hosted, with file sync, sharing, version control and public links.
Pro, up to 3 users$0
Professional edition self-hosted for 3 users with no license file needed.
Pro, 9 users$100
per year in total for 9 users
Special offer for small businesses on the self-hosted Professional edition. Excludes email support.
Pro, 10 to 249 users$48
per user / year
Self-hosted Professional with email support. Price per user drops to $44 at 250 users and $35 at 750.
Plus Cloud Team$8
per user / month, from 3 users
Hosted by Seafile: 500 GB expandable storage and 3 months of file version retention.
Syncthing
SyncthingFree
The full program for every supported operating system, with source code available on GitHub.
Ways to pay less
Seafile
- Education
Half-price Professional licenses for education
The educational price column lists $24 per user per year at 10 to 249 users, and a 25% discount is given to public institutions.
Syncthing
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Seafile or Syncthing?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Syncthing is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8 a month for each person for Seafile. Seafile starts at $8 per user / month (Plus Cloud Team plan), and Syncthing is free.
Which has a free plan, Seafile or Syncthing?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Seafile and Syncthing have a free plan.
Which platforms do Seafile and Syncthing run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Seafile lists a web app and iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.