head to head · open source
LocalSend vs lf
LocalSend has 97,362 GitHub stars, 5,528 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. lf has 9,588 stars, 392 forks, 85 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 915% (97,362 vs 9,588 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; lf is written in Go under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, lf 4%. lf 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 | lf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 392 |
| 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 lf if
- You want the lf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and lf 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 lf
LF Doc Wiki lf:matrix.org (with IRC bridge) lf (as in "list files") is a terminal file manager written in Go with a heavy inspiration from ranger file manager. See faq for more information and tutorial for a gentle introduction with screencasts. Features Cross platform (Linux, macOS, BSDs, Windows) Single binary without any runtime dependencies Fast startup and low memory footprint due to native code and static binaries Asynchronous IO operations to avoid UI locking Server/client architecture and remote commands to manage multiple instances Extendable and configurable with shell commands Customizable keybindings…
More in Productivity & Utilities
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or lf more popular?
LocalSend has 97,362 GitHub stars and lf has 9,588. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and lf free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and lf under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and lf?
LocalSend is written in Dart and lf in Go. 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 lf?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,362 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose lf if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.