head to head · open source
LocalSend vs ffsend
LocalSend has 97,058 GitHub stars, 5,516 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. ffsend has 7,423 stars, 206 forks, 33 open issues and last shipped 12 months ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 1,208% (97,058 vs 7,423 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; ffsend is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, ffsend 3%. LocalSend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (file-sharing), 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 | ffsend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2025-11-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 206 |
| 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 ffsend if
- You want the ffsend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and ffsend 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 ffsend
[![Build status on GitLab CI][gitlab ci master badge]][gitlab ci link] [![Newest release on crates.io][crate version badge]][crate link] [![Project license][crate license badge]](LICENSE) [crate license badge]: [crate link]: [crate version badge]: [gitlab ci link]: [gitlab ci master badge]: Notice: the default Send host is provided by [@timvisee][timvisee] (info). Please consider to [donate] and help keep it running. ffsend Easily and securely share files from the command line. A [Send][send] client. Easily and securely share files and directories from the command line through a safe, private and encrypted link…
read the full ffsend overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or ffsend more popular?
LocalSend has 97,058 GitHub stars and ffsend has 7,423. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and ffsend free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ffsend under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and ffsend?
LocalSend is written in Dart and ffsend 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 ffsend?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,058 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose ffsend if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.