head to head · open source
LocalSend vs strata
LocalSend has 94,316 GitHub stars, 5,271 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. strata has 1,084 stars, 87 forks, 88 open issues and last shipped today. LocalSend leads on adoption by 8,601% (94,316 vs 1,084 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; strata is written in Rust under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, strata 8%. strata 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 | strata | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 94K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-10 | 2026-10-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.3K | ⑂ 87 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 94K 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 strata if
- You want the strata feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and strata 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 strata
Strata is a fast, keyboard first file manager for Linux, written in Rust with GTK4, built for Omarchy and compatible Wayland desktops, and intended for people who would rather drive navigation, search and file operations from the keyboard than from a mouse.
read the full strata overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or strata more popular?
LocalSend has 94,316 GitHub stars and strata has 1,084. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and strata free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and strata under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and strata?
LocalSend is written in Dart and strata 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 strata?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (94,316 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose strata if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.