Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneApache-2.0
LocalSend is a free app that lets you send files and messages to nearby devices over your own local network, without needing the internet. It is for people who want to share files between their own or nearby computers and phones quickly and privately.
Has 3 of 5 · Sends beyond your Wi-Fi ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · In your browserGPL-3.0
PairDrop lets you send files, photos, documents and text between your devices through your web browser, similar to Apple's AirDrop. It is for anyone who wants to move files between phones, computers and tablets, especially on the same Wi-Fi network.
Has 1 of 5 · Phone app ✗ +1
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
croc is a free command-line tool, and also a browser version, that lets two computers send files and folders to each other directly and encrypted. It is for people and programmers who want a simple way to transfer files between any two machines.
Has 3 of 5
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Apple AirDrop. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- LocalSend: LocalSend is a free app that lets you send files and messages to nearby devices over your own local network, without needing the internet. It is for people who want to share files between their own or nearby computers and phones quickly and privately. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone; replaces fully; Apache-2.0; https://github.com/localsend/localsend]
- PairDrop: PairDrop lets you send files, photos, documents and text between your devices through your web browser, similar to Apple's AirDrop. It is for anyone who wants to move files between phones, computers and tablets, especially on the same Wi-Fi network. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · In your browser; replaces fully; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/schlagmichdoch/pairdrop]
- croc: croc is a free command-line tool, and also a browser version, that lets two computers send files and folders to each other directly and encrypted. It is for people and programmers who want a simple way to transfer files between any two machines. [Advanced setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android; replaces partly; MIT; https://github.com/schollz/croc]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/nearby-sharing.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/nearby-sharing.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea:
