head to head · open source
LocalSend vs cryfs
LocalSend has 92,156 GitHub stars, 5,141 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. cryfs has 2,304 stars, 170 forks, 154 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalSend leads on adoption by 3,900% (92,156 vs 2,304 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%. cryfs 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 | ★ 92K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 170 |
| 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 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 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 cryfs
CryFS is a FUSE based cryptographic filesystem written in Rust that encrypts a vault directory so it can be stored safely in cloud services such as Dropbox, iCloud, or OneDrive, and it is intended for Linux users who want their file contents, file sizes, directory structure, and metadata hidden from the storage provider rather than encrypted one file at a time.
read the full cryfs overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or cryfs more popular?
LocalSend has 92,156 GitHub stars and cryfs has 2,304. 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 (92,156 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.