head to head · open source
LocalSend vs hfs
LocalSend has 92,496 GitHub stars, 5,160 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. hfs has 3,915 stars, 371 forks, 17 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,263% (92,496 vs 3,915 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; hfs is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, hfs 9%. hfs 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 | hfs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 3.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 371 |
| 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 hfs if
- You want the hfs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and hfs 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 hfs
HFS is a TypeScript web file server under the GPL 3.0 licence that turns a computer running Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD or Android into a file sharing server whose folders and individual files are reachable from any browser.
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or hfs more popular?
LocalSend has 92,496 GitHub stars and hfs has 3,915. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and hfs free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hfs under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and hfs?
LocalSend is written in Dart and hfs in TypeScript. 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 hfs?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (92,496 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose hfs if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.