AList vs Dufs
| Tagline | File list program supporting multiple storages, with WebDAV and web UI | Distinctive utility file server with WebDAV, upload, and sharing support |
| Category | File Storage & Sync | File Storage & Sync |
| Replaces | Google Drive, Dropbox | Dropbox, Google Drive |
| GitHub stars | 50k | 7k |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 1/5 Effortless |
| Deploy options | Docker Manual | Docker Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 22 days ago | 1 month ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
AList
- Primarily a read/list and aggregation layer; not a true two-way sync engine like Dropbox
- No native desktop/mobile sync clients (relies on WebDAV)
- Limited collaboration, versioning, and team permission features
- Documentation is partly Chinese-first and can lag for some backends
Dufs
- No user management beyond a single shared password
- No file sync client; WebDAV must be mounted manually
- No thumbnail preview for images or media
Bottom line
Choose Dufs if you want the lower-effort setup; choose AList for the larger community and ecosystem. AList has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.