head to head · open source
LocalSend vs airdash
LocalSend has 93,628 GitHub stars, 5,227 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. airdash has 668 stars, 126 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 13,916% (93,628 vs 668 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; airdash is written in Dart under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, airdash 19%. LocalSend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (file-sharing, flutter, flutter-apps), 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 | airdash | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 94K | ★ 668 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-08-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 126 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 94K 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 airdash if
- You want the airdash feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and airdash 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 airdash
AirDash is a free, open source file sharing app built with Flutter that lets you transfer photos and files directly between any devices — iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux and Android — from anywhere, for anyone who wants private device to device transfers without paying for cloud storage.
read the full airdash overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or airdash more popular?
LocalSend has 93,628 GitHub stars and airdash has 668. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and airdash free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and airdash under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and airdash?
LocalSend is written in Dart and airdash in Dart. 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 airdash?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (93,628 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose airdash if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.