head to head · open source
LocalSend vs ownCloud
LocalSend has 91,903 GitHub stars, 5,130 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. ownCloud has 2,122 stars, 274 forks, 628 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalSend leads on adoption by 4,231% (91,903 vs 2,122 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; ownCloud is written in Go under Apache-2.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, ownCloud 13%. ownCloud 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 | ownCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 274 |
| 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 ownCloud if
- You want the ownCloud feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and ownCloud 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 ownCloud
ownCloud Infinite Scale (oCIS) is a self hosted file sync and share server written in Go under the Apache 2.0 license. It lives in the ownCloud ecosystem and uses reva as a scalable backend with open APIs such as WebDAV and CS3. It presents itself as the foundation for a data management platform and as an open alternative to Google Workspace and Google Drive.
read the full ownCloud overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or ownCloud more popular?
LocalSend has 91,903 GitHub stars and ownCloud has 2,122. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and ownCloud free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ownCloud under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and ownCloud?
LocalSend is written in Dart and ownCloud 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 ownCloud?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (91,903 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose ownCloud if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.