head to head · open source
LocalSend vs updog
LocalSend has 92,628 GitHub stars, 5,166 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. updog has 3,412 stars, 341 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,615% (92,628 vs 3,412 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; updog is written in Python under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, updog 10%. 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 | updog | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 3.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2025-11-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 341 |
| 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 updog if
- You want the updog feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and updog 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 updog
Updog is a Python 3.11+ HTTP/S file server that replaces Python's SimpleHTTPServer, adding file uploads alongside downloads, ad hoc SSL certificates and HTTP basic authentication for developers and operators who need to move files between machines without standing up a full file sharing service.
read the full updog overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or updog more popular?
LocalSend has 92,628 GitHub stars and updog has 3,412. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and updog free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and updog under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and updog?
LocalSend is written in Dart and updog in Python. 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 updog?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (92,628 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose updog if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.