head to head · open source
LocalSend vs pairdrop-android
LocalSend has 93,380 GitHub stars, 5,224 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pairdrop-android has 1,076 stars, 81 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped today. LocalSend leads on adoption by 8,578% (93,380 vs 1,076 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; pairdrop-android is written in Java under GPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, pairdrop-android 8%. pairdrop-android 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 | pairdrop-android | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-04 | 2026-10-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 81 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 93K 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 pairdrop-android if
- You want the pairdrop-android feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and pairdrop-android 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 pairdrop-android
PairDrop for Android is an open source Android client that lets you quickly send files from your phone to a PC or other devices over a local network using the PairDrop and self hosted Snapdrop services.
read the full pairdrop-android overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or pairdrop-android more popular?
LocalSend has 93,380 GitHub stars and pairdrop-android has 1,076. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and pairdrop-android free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pairdrop-android under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and pairdrop-android?
LocalSend is written in Dart and pairdrop-android in Java. 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 pairdrop-android?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (93,380 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pairdrop-android if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.