head to head · open source
LocalSend vs xplorer
LocalSend has 92,496 GitHub stars, 5,160 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. xplorer has 5,674 stars, 379 forks, 49 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 1,530% (92,496 vs 5,674 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; xplorer is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, xplorer 7%. 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 | xplorer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 92K | ★ 5.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-06-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 379 |
| 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 xplorer if
- You want the xplorer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and xplorer 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 xplorer
Xplorer is a cross platform, AI integrated desktop file manager built as a Tauri 2 application with a Rust backend and a React frontend, aimed at developers, researchers, students, and power users who want more from their files than the manager their operating system ships with.
read the full xplorer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or xplorer more popular?
LocalSend has 92,496 GitHub stars and xplorer has 5,674. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and xplorer free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and xplorer under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and xplorer?
LocalSend is written in Dart and xplorer in TypeScript. 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 xplorer?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (92,496 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose xplorer if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.