head to head · open source
LocalSend vs MaterialFiles
LocalSend has 97,463 GitHub stars, 5,538 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. MaterialFiles has 9,404 stars, 786 forks, 611 open issues and last shipped 22 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 936% (97,463 vs 9,404 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; MaterialFiles is written in Kotlin under GPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, MaterialFiles 8%. 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 | MaterialFiles | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 9.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Kotlin |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 786 |
| 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 MaterialFiles if
- You want the MaterialFiles feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Kotlin
- You evaluated both and MaterialFiles 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 MaterialFiles
Material Files 本文中文版 An open source Material Design file manager, for Android 5.0+. Help translation on Transifex (Search Android & GNOME translations, Microsoft language resources, MIME type translations) Preview Features Open source: Lightweight, clean and secure. Material Design: Follows Material Design guidelines, with attention into details. Breadcrumbs: Navigate in the filesystem with ease. Root support: View and manage files with root access. Archive support: View, extract and create common compressed files. NAS support: View and manage files on FTP, SFTP, SMB and WebDAV servers. Themes: Customizable UI…
read the full MaterialFiles overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or MaterialFiles more popular?
LocalSend has 97,463 GitHub stars and MaterialFiles has 9,404. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and MaterialFiles free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and MaterialFiles under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and MaterialFiles?
LocalSend is written in Dart and MaterialFiles in Kotlin. 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 MaterialFiles?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,463 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose MaterialFiles if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.