AList vs Zipline
| Tagline | File list program supporting multiple storages, with WebDAV and web UI | Fast file sharing server with ShareX support and a React web UI |
| Category | File Storage & Sync | File Storage & Sync |
| Replaces | Google Drive, Dropbox | Dropbox, Google Drive |
| GitHub stars | 50k | 3.2k |
| Language | Go | Docker |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Manual | Docker Docker Compose |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 13 days ago | 4 days 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
Zipline
- No desktop or mobile sync clients; upload is via browser or ShareX only
- No folder hierarchy or file organisation beyond a flat uploads list
- Limited collaboration features; designed as a personal uploader tool
- No versioning or deleted-file recovery
Bottom line
Choose AList if you want the lower-effort setup; choose AList for the larger community and ecosystem. Zipline has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.