head to head · open source
LocalSend vs rustypaste
LocalSend has 93,380 GitHub stars, 5,224 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rustypaste has 1,211 stars, 90 forks, 20 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 7,611% (93,380 vs 1,211 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; rustypaste is written in Rust under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, rustypaste 7%. 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 | rustypaste | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-04 | 2026-09-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 90 |
| 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 rustypaste if
- You want the rustypaste feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and rustypaste 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 rustypaste
Rustypaste is a minimal, self hosted file upload and pastebin service written in Rust, meant for individuals and small teams who want to share files and text over their own endpoint rather than through a third party paste site.
read the full rustypaste overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or rustypaste more popular?
LocalSend has 93,380 GitHub stars and rustypaste has 1,211. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and rustypaste free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and rustypaste under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and rustypaste?
LocalSend is written in Dart and rustypaste 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 rustypaste?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (93,380 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose rustypaste if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.