head to head · open source
LocalSend vs cryfs
LocalSend has 97,227 GitHub stars, 5,521 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. cryfs has 2,330 stars, 174 forks, 154 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 4,073% (97,227 vs 2,330 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; cryfs is written in Rust under LGPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, cryfs 7%. LocalSend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | cryfs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 174 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 97K 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 cryfs if
- You want the cryfs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and cryfs fits your workflow better
About LocalSend
LocalSend [![CI status][ci badge]][ci workflow] [![Translations][translate badge]][translate link] [![Packaging status][packaging badge]][packaging link] [ci badge]: [ci workflow]: [translate badge]: [translate link]: [packaging badge]: [packaging link]: [Homepage][homepage] • [Discord][discord] • [GitHub][github] • [Codeberg][codeberg] English (Default) • 中文 [homepage]: [discord]: [github]: [codeberg]: LocalSend is a free, open source app that allows you to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over your local network without needing an internet connection. About Sponsors Screenshots Download…
read the full LocalSend overview →
About cryfs
CryFS 2.0 (Alpha) ⚠️ ALPHA VERSION WARNING ⚠️ CryFS 2.0 alpha is experimental software. You WILL lose your data. Do not use it for anything important. For stable CryFS, please use CryFS 1.0. You can find installation instructions for the stable version here. CryFS 2.0 is in an alpha stage that has not undergone extensive testing. Use it only for testing purposes and please report any issues in the GitHub issue tracker. What is CryFS? CryFS encrypts your files so you can safely store them in cloud storage services like Dropbox, iCloud, or OneDrive. Unlike other encryption tools that encrypt files individually…
read the full cryfs overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or cryfs more popular?
LocalSend has 97,227 GitHub stars and cryfs has 2,330. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and cryfs free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and cryfs under LGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and cryfs?
LocalSend is written in Dart and cryfs in Rust. 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 cryfs?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,227 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose cryfs if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.