head to head · open source
LocalSend vs fanbox
LocalSend has 93,697 GitHub stars, 5,228 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. fanbox has 1,021 stars, 148 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 9,077% (93,697 vs 1,021 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; fanbox is written in JavaScript under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, fanbox 14%. 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 | fanbox | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 94K | ★ 1.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-09-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 148 |
| 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 fanbox if
- You want the fanbox feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and fanbox 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 fanbox
FanBox is a local first macOS cockpit for running coding agents like Claude Code and Codex alongside your files, aimed at developers whose AI generated projects have scattered across their disk.
read the full fanbox overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or fanbox more popular?
LocalSend has 93,697 GitHub stars and fanbox has 1,021. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and fanbox free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and fanbox under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and fanbox?
LocalSend is written in Dart and fanbox in JavaScript. 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 fanbox?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (93,697 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose fanbox if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.