# FileBrowser

8 Hacker News commenters recommended FileBrowser and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Free, lightweight self-hosted file browser that people use as a simple Dropbox alternative. Critics note it has fewer features than similar tools.

## Why people recommend it

- Replaces Dropbox-style file sharing (2 comments): "found Syncthing + Filebrowser to be a sufficient substitute for Dropbox" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801135)) "minimal self-hosted Dropbox clone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45800736))
- Gets the job done day to day (2 comments): "I've been daily-driving it on my setup and it gets the job done" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49679764)) "it has been serving me well for similar quick usecase" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45799968))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [copyparty](https://hackerapproved.com/p/copyparty.md): 39 recommend
- [Filestash](https://hackerapproved.com/p/filestash.md): 15 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "FileBrowser", https://hackerapproved.com/p/filebrowser/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).