LocalSend Has a Free File Sharing App — AirDrop That Works Across All Platforms

#tools #opensource #filesharing #crossplatform

LocalSend is a cross-platform file sharing app that works over local WiFi — no internet needed.

What You Get for Free

All platforms — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
No internet required — works over local WiFi/LAN
No account needed — zero setup, zero registration
End-to-end encrypted — TLS for secure transfers
Fast — direct device-to-device, no cloud relay
Any file type — photos, videos, documents, folders
Multiple files — send batches of files at once
Auto-discovery — devices appear automatically on the network
Open source — no tracking, no ads, no data collection

Quick Start

# Install on any platform
# macOS: brew install localsend
# Linux: flatpak install flathub org.localsend.localsend_app
# Windows/iOS/Android: download from localsend.org

# Usage:
# 1. Open LocalSend on both devices (same WiFi)
# 2. Select files
# 3. Tap the receiving device
# 4. Accept on receiving device → done

Why People Love It

AirDrop is Apple-only. Nearby Share is Google-only. Bluetooth is slow:

Truly cross-platform — iPhone to Linux? Windows to Android? Works.
No internet — works on airplane WiFi, conference networks, home LAN
No account — no Apple ID, no Google account, no sign-up
Fast — WiFi speeds, not Bluetooth's 3 Mbps

A team with mixed devices (MacBooks, Windows PCs, Android phones) used to email files to themselves. LocalSend replaced that absurdity — drag, tap, done. 2GB video transfer in 30 seconds across platforms.