head to head · open source
LocalSend vs vifm
LocalSend has 99,030 GitHub stars, 5,670 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. vifm has 3,288 stars, 150 forks, 146 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,912% (99,030 vs 3,288 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; vifm is written in C under GPL-2.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, vifm 5%. 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 | vifm | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 99K | ★ 3.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | C |
| Last push | 2026-11-11 | 2026-11-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.7K | ⑂ 150 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 99K 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 vifm if
- You want the vifm feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and vifm 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 vifm
Vifm – Vim like file manager [![][AA]][A] [![][FF]][F] [![][UU]][U] [![][SS]][S] Vifm is a curses based Vim like file manager extended with some useful ideas from mutt. If you use Vim, Vifm gives you complete keyboard control over your files without having to learn a new set of commands. It goes not just about Vim like keybindings, but also about modes, options, registers, commands and other things you might already like in Vim. Just like Vim, Vifm tries to adhere to the Unix philosophy. So instead of working solutions which are set in stone user is provided with a set of means for customization of Vifm to one's…
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or vifm more popular?
LocalSend has 99,030 GitHub stars and vifm has 3,288. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and vifm free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and vifm under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and vifm?
LocalSend is written in Dart and vifm in 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 vifm?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (99,030 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose vifm if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.