head to head · open source
LocalSend vs cloudreve
LocalSend has 92,156 GitHub stars, 5,141 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. cloudreve has 28,737 stars, 3,896 forks, 147 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 221% (92,156 vs 28,737 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; cloudreve is written in Go under GPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, cloudreve 14%. cloudreve was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (file-sharing), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| LocalSend | cloudreve | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 29K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 3.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 92K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick cloudreve if
- You want the cloudreve feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and cloudreve fits your workflow better
About LocalSend
LocalSend is a free, open source, cross platform application that shares files and messages directly between nearby devices over the local network, and it is built for anyone who wants AirDrop style transfers without an internet connection or a third party server.
read the full LocalSend overview →
About cloudreve
Cloudreve is a self hosted file management and sharing system written in Go that gives an organisation its own web file manager, sharing layer, and multi cloud storage gateway running on infrastructure it controls.
read the full cloudreve overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or cloudreve more popular?
LocalSend has 92,156 GitHub stars and cloudreve has 28,737. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and cloudreve free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and cloudreve under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and cloudreve?
LocalSend is written in Dart and cloudreve in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, LocalSend or cloudreve?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (92,156 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose cloudreve if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.