head to head · open source
LocalSend vs zrok
LocalSend has 97,227 GitHub stars, 5,521 forks, 1,113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. zrok has 4,798 stars, 229 forks, 125 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. LocalSend leads on adoption by 1,926% (97,227 vs 4,798 stars). LocalSend is written in Dart under Apache-2.0; zrok is written in Go under Apache-2.0. LocalSend has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, zrok 5%. 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 | zrok | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 97K | ★ 4.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Dart | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 229 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick LocalSend if
- You weight community size — 97K 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 zrok if
- You want the zrok feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and zrok 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 zrok
zrok Secure internet sharing made simple Share anything, anywhere, instantly. Enterprise reliability. No firewall changes. No port forwarding. No hassle. zrok lets you securely share web services, files, and network resources with anyone—whether they're across the internet or your private network. Built on zero trust networking, it works through firewalls and NAT without requiring any network configuration changes. Quick start Get sharing in under 2 minutes: 1. Install zrok for your platform 2. Get an account : zrok invite (use the free zrok.io service) 3. Enable sharing : zrok enable That's it! Now you can…
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Frequently asked questions
Is LocalSend or zrok more popular?
LocalSend has 97,227 GitHub stars and zrok has 4,798. LocalSend has the larger community by that measure.
Are LocalSend and zrok free?
Both are open source. LocalSend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and zrok under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between LocalSend and zrok?
LocalSend is written in Dart and zrok in Go. 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 zrok?
Choose LocalSend if you want the larger community (97,227 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose zrok if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.