head to head · open source
LocalSend vs Spacedrive
LocalSend has 97,058 GitHub stars, 5,516 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Spacedrive has 39,386 stars, 1,370 forks, 57 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 146% (97,058 vs 39,386 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; Spacedrive is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Spacedrive 3%. LocalSend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | Spacedrive | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 39K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 97K 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 Spacedrive if
- You want the Spacedrive feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Spacedrive 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 Spacedrive
Spacedrive One file manager for all your devices and clouds. Powered by a Virtual Distributed File System, complete with apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android v2.spacedrive.com • Discord • Getting Started What is Spacedrive? Spacedrive is a cross device data platform. Index files, emails, notes, and external sources. Search everything. Sync via P2P. Keep AI agents safe with built in screening. Content identity — every file gets a BLAKE3 content hash. Same file on two devices produces the same hash. Spacedrive tracks redundancy and deduplication across all your machines. Cross device — see all…
read the full Spacedrive overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or Spacedrive more popular?
LocalSend has 97,058 GitHub stars and Spacedrive has 39,386. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and Spacedrive free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Spacedrive under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and Spacedrive?
LocalSend is written in Dart and Spacedrive 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 Spacedrive?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,058 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Spacedrive if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.