Filestash vs ST Explorer

Filestash is an open source platform for file sharing, document management, managed file transfer, and archiving. Its browser interface connects to storage and services such as FTP, WebDAV, SFTP, S3, SMB, Git, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Storj, so users can browse, organize, and share files across those systems. It can expose storage through SFTP, MCP, FTP, WebDAV, S3, or AS2 gateways. An event-driven workflow engine chains actions and can be extended with plugins. Authentication options include corporate SSO through LDAP, SAML, and OIDC, alongside role-based access controls. Filestash describes its audit logs as immutable and traceable; its plugin catalog lists options including FIPS-compliant ciphers, IP blocking, and ClamAV scanning. Listed AI features include semantic search, smart folders, and OCR, including local models via Ollama. It supports web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The installation guide calls for a Linux server with Docker, Docker Compose, and curl. Hobby supports up to three users. Self Served costs $50 a month with three seats; Enterprise Solutions costs $290 a month with unlimited users.

ST Explorer is a free native SFTP client for browsing and transferring remote files on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It offers icons, list, and column views, plus an integrated SSH terminal that supports multiple tabs on the same connection. Transfers include drag-and-drop uploads, clipboard uploads, server-side remote-to-remote copies, and a live progress panel. On Windows, files copied in Explorer can be pasted into ST Explorer using native clipboard integration. The site says host key pinning uses known_hosts with TOFU, and describes the app as having no telemetry or phone-home behavior. ST Explorer is open source under the MIT license and is approximately 12 MB as a single executable without an installer. The listed Free plan costs nothing; it specifies Windows 10/11 with WebView2, while macOS and Linux builds are available from source. SSH key authentication is supported. Stivetec makes the app and links to GitHub for issue reports.