head to head · open source
LocalSend vs syncthing-macos
LocalSend has 92,380 GitHub stars, 5,151 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. syncthing-macos has 3,933 stars, 202 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,249% (92,380 vs 3,933 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%. syncthing-macos 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 | ★ 92K | ★ 3.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Objective-C |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 202 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 92K 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 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 syncthing-macos
Syncthing for macOS is the official frugal, native macOS tray application bundle for Syncthing, aimed at Mac users who want peer to peer file synchronisation to behave like a native application instead of a command line utility with a web browser interface.
read the full syncthing-macos overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or syncthing-macos more popular?
LocalSend has 92,380 GitHub stars and syncthing-macos has 3,933. 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 (92,380 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.