head to head · open source
LocalSend vs explorerplusplus
LocalSend has 92,936 GitHub stars, 5,194 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. explorerplusplus has 3,301 stars, 426 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,715% (92,936 vs 3,301 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; explorerplusplus is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, explorerplusplus 13%. explorerplusplus 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 | explorerplusplus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-27 | 2026-09-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 426 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 93K 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 explorerplusplus if
- You want the explorerplusplus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and explorerplusplus 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 explorerplusplus
Explorer++ is a lightweight, fast and completely portable open source file manager for Windows, written in C++ and licensed under GPL 3.0, aimed at Windows users who want tabbed browsing and more advanced file operations than the built in File Explorer provides.
read the full explorerplusplus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or explorerplusplus more popular?
LocalSend has 92,936 GitHub stars and explorerplusplus has 3,301. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and explorerplusplus free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and explorerplusplus under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and explorerplusplus?
LocalSend is written in Dart and explorerplusplus in C++. 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 explorerplusplus?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (92,936 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose explorerplusplus if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.