head to head · open source
LocalSend vs syncthing-macos
LocalSend has 97,463 GitHub stars, 5,538 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. syncthing-macos has 4,005 stars, 206 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 16 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,334% (97,463 vs 4,005 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; syncthing-macos is written in Objective-C under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, syncthing-macos 5%. 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 | syncthing-macos | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 4.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Objective-C |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 206 |
| 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 syncthing-macos if
- You want the syncthing-macos feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Objective-C
- You evaluated both and syncthing-macos 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 syncthing-macos
Syncthing for macOS [!NOTE] Syncthing v2 is the supported version since 23 february 2026. It needs at least macOS 12. Syncthing v1 is deprecated and will not get any updates or bugfixes. For version compatibility see README.md macos version support. Introduction syncthing macos project is a frugal native) macOS Syncthing tray application bundle. It bundles its own Syncthing instance and wraps Syncthing background process, making it behave more like a native macOS application and less like a command line utility with a web browser interface. Features include: Open the Syncthing WebGUI from the tray in your system…
read the full syncthing-macos overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or syncthing-macos more popular?
LocalSend has 97,463 GitHub stars and syncthing-macos has 4,005. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and syncthing-macos free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and syncthing-macos under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and syncthing-macos?
LocalSend is written in Dart and syncthing-macos in Objective-C. 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 syncthing-macos?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,463 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose syncthing-macos if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.