head to head · open source
LocalSend vs projectsend
LocalSend has 98,886 GitHub stars, 5,655 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. projectsend has 2,056 stars, 363 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LocalSend leads on adoption by 4,710% (98,886 vs 2,056 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; projectsend is written in PHP under GPL-2.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, projectsend 18%. projectsend 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 | projectsend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 99K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-11 | 2026-11-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.7K | ⑂ 363 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 99K 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 projectsend if
- You want the projectsend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and projectsend 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 projectsend
ProjectSend Share files with your clients, from your own server. ProjectSend is a self hosted application for getting files to the people you work with. You upload what you want to send, choose exactly who can see it, and each client signs in to their own private page to download it. No public link passed around by email, no third party service holding your clients' documents, no per seat pricing. It runs on your server, and the files stay there. Prefer not to run the server yourself? ProjectSend Cloud is the official hosted version of ProjectSend, run by the same team — every subscription funds this free…
read the full projectsend overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or projectsend more popular?
LocalSend has 98,886 GitHub stars and projectsend has 2,056. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and projectsend free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and projectsend under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and projectsend?
LocalSend is written in Dart and projectsend in PHP. 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 projectsend?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (98,886 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose projectsend if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.