head to head · open source
LocalSend vs zipline
LocalSend has 92,564 GitHub stars, 5,164 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped yesterday. zipline has 3,430 stars, 256 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 2,599% (92,564 vs 3,430 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; zipline is written in TypeScript under MIT. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, zipline 7%. 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 | zipline | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 3.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.2K | ⑂ 256 |
| 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 zipline if
- You want the zipline feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and zipline 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 zipline
Zipline is a self hosted ShareX and general file upload server, written in TypeScript and released under the MIT licence, for individuals and teams who want their own destination for screenshots, files and shortened links instead of uploading to somebody else's service.
read the full zipline overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or zipline more popular?
LocalSend has 92,564 GitHub stars and zipline has 3,430. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and zipline free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and zipline under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and zipline?
LocalSend is written in Dart and zipline 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 zipline?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (92,564 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose zipline if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.