head to head · open source
LocalSend vs psitransfer
LocalSend has 93,081 GitHub stars, 5,203 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. psitransfer has 1,953 stars, 247 forks, 109 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 4,666% (93,081 vs 1,953 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; psitransfer is written in JavaScript under BSD-2-Clause. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, psitransfer 13%. LocalSend 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 | psitransfer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Written in | Dart | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-29 | 2026-06-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 247 |
| 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 psitransfer if
- You want the psitransfer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and psitransfer 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 psitransfer
PsiTransfer is a simple, open source, self hosted file sharing service written in JavaScript under the BSD 2 Clause licence, intended for individuals and teams that want to send large files without accounts, logins or a paid provider.
read the full psitransfer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or psitransfer more popular?
LocalSend has 93,081 GitHub stars and psitransfer has 1,953. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and psitransfer free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and psitransfer under BSD-2-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and psitransfer?
LocalSend is written in Dart and psitransfer in JavaScript. 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 psitransfer?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (93,081 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose psitransfer if its feature set, stack or BSD-2-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.