head to head · open source
LocalSend vs nova
LocalSend has 93,628 GitHub stars, 5,227 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. nova has 1,198 stars, 52 forks, 21 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalSend leads on adoption by 7,715% (93,628 vs 1,198 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; nova is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, nova 4%. 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 | nova | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 94K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-07 | 2026-10-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 52 |
| 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 nova if
- You want the nova feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and nova 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 nova
Yazelix Nova is a Nix packaged terminal workspace for developers who want a batteries included development environment built from focused, first party components rather than assembling their own.
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or nova more popular?
LocalSend has 93,628 GitHub stars and nova has 1,198. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and nova free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and nova under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and nova?
LocalSend is written in Dart and nova 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 nova?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (93,628 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose nova if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.