LocalSend

Sending a folder between two Windows laptops on the same Wi-Fi should take five seconds. LocalSend nails that when both devices sit on the same subnet and the discovery broadcast lands. The moment a guest network isolates the machines, a firewall blocks the port, or a phone joins a mesh SSID that segments clients, discovery quietly fails and the app looks broken. If that is where you are stuck, these LocalSend alternatives cover the same “no cloud, no cable, no account” job on Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus a few that add a browser-only path or a resumable transfer when the network drops mid-copy.

Quick comparison

App Best for Free plan Starting price/mo Standout feature
PairDrop Browser-only sends between devices Unlimited Free Runs in any modern browser, no install
Warpinator Linux-first LAN transfers to Windows and macOS Unlimited Free Native Cinnamon integration, ships with Linux Mint
Send Anywhere Cross-network transfers with a 6-digit key 10 GB per link About 6 USD Works across subnets and over the internet
Feem Family LAN transfers with chat Unlimited transfers, ads About 3 USD Persistent device list, no discovery guessing
Croc Scripted or CLI-driven transfers Unlimited Free Resumable, end-to-end encrypted from a terminal
NitroShare Simple LAN sends on legacy Linux desktops Unlimited Free Zero-config Zeroconf discovery on old distros
Syncthing Continuous folder sync between machines Unlimited Free Keeps folders in step, not just one-shot sends

Why people leave LocalSend

Three complaints show up in every LocalSend GitHub issue thread and every r/selfhosted post about the app.

Discovery breaks on segmented networks.

LocalSend uses multicast for peer discovery. Guest networks, mesh routers with client isolation, corporate VLANs, and some hotel Wi-Fi drop those packets. The app either shows no devices or shows one device and refuses to connect. Users on the LocalSend issue tracker have logged this against half a dozen router models.

No browser fallback.

LocalSend needs its client installed on both ends. When the other machine is a Chromebook you cannot install software on, a locked-down work laptop, or a guest PC, you are stuck. Users on Reddit’s r/opensource ask for a web UI at least once a quarter.

Transfers stall on flaky Wi-Fi and cannot resume.

If Wi-Fi drops halfway through a 20 GB folder, LocalSend restarts the file. Not the folder, the file. Users on the project’s Discord say this is the single reason they switch to Syncthing for large jobs.

The alternatives

PairDrop, best for browser-only sends

PairDrop is the actively maintained fork of Snapdrop. Open the site in a browser on both machines, wait for the discovery ping, drop a file. It works on any OS with a modern browser and a shared network. There is a self-hosted Docker image if you want to run it on your own LAN.

Where it falls short. Files pass through WebRTC, so very large transfers depend on browser memory and can crash on 32-bit or memory-limited devices. There is no persistent history.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Nothing to import. Bookmark pairdrop.net on both machines. If you want a private instance, docker run -d -p 3000:3000 lscr.io/linuxserver/pairdrop gets you one in under a minute.

Download: PairDrop or GitHub source

Bottom line: Pick PairDrop when at least one device cannot install software or you want a self-hostable browser drop zone.

Warpinator, best for Linux-first LANs

Warpinator started as Linux Mint’s answer to Nearby Share and now has a Windows client and community macOS builds. It uses gRPC over TLS with a group code, so two machines with the same code and the same subnet see each other immediately, no accounts, no multicast discovery to fail.

Where it falls short. The Windows client is community-maintained and lags a release behind the Linux one. Discovery still requires the same subnet.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Install Warpinator on each Linux box from your distro’s repository or Flathub. On Windows, grab the community build from the WinpinatorReloaded GitHub. Set the same group code on both ends.

Download: Flathub (Linux), Windows build

Bottom line: Pick Warpinator if you live in Linux and need a reliable Windows target for the occasional handoff.

Send Anywhere, best for cross-network transfers

Send Anywhere solves the subnet problem by punching through with a relay. Generate a 6-digit key, punch it into the other machine, and the file transfers, LAN when it can, cloud relay when it cannot. Desktop apps exist for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus a browser upload path.

Where it falls short. Free transfers cap at 10 GB per link and the Plus plan is a subscription. Cloud-relayed files pass through Send Anywhere’s servers, which some teams do not want.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Install the desktop app on each machine. There is no migration, only a change of habit: generate a key on the sender, type it on the receiver.

Download: Send Anywhere

Bottom line: Pick Send Anywhere when you need to hand a file to a remote colleague or a phone on cellular data without touching Dropbox.

Feem, best for a family LAN

Feem treats your LAN like a persistent chat room. Every device shows up in a list by name, files and messages flow between them, and the app remembers the roster after a reboot. Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS clients all speak the same protocol.

Where it falls short. The free desktop tier shows ads. The mobile pro upgrade is separate from the desktop upgrade, so you may end up paying twice.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Install Feem on each machine, name each device, and they appear in the shared list on first launch.

Download: Feem

Bottom line: Pick Feem when the same three or four devices trade files every day and you want them named and always present.

Croc, best for CLI and scripts

Croc is a command-line file transfer with end-to-end encryption and resumable transfers. croc send file.zip prints a code, croc <code> on the other machine grabs it, and if the network drops, croc <code> again resumes from the last byte. It works cross-network via a relay you can self-host.

Where it falls short. It is a CLI, so relatives will not use it. The bundled public relay routes through the project’s server unless you point it at your own.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Install croc from Homebrew, Scoop, or your distro’s package manager. Nothing to import.

Download: Croc on GitHub

Bottom line: Pick Croc when the sender is a headless server or you want to script transfers instead of dragging files.

NitroShare, best for old Linux desktops

NitroShare predates most modern LAN transfer apps. It uses Zeroconf/mDNS discovery, ships a KDE/Qt UI, and runs on ancient distros where newer tools refuse to install. Windows and macOS builds exist but see less attention than the Linux one.

Where it falls short. Development is slow. Windows Defender occasionally flags the installer as untrusted. No encryption on transfers by default.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Install NitroShare on each machine, launch it, and other NitroShare peers on the same subnet appear.

Download: NitroShare

Bottom line: Pick NitroShare when a Linux box is too old for LocalSend’s Flutter runtime and you still want a click-and-send GUI.

Syncthing, best for continuous folder sync

Syncthing is not a one-shot sender, it is a continuous peer-to-peer file syncer. Point it at a folder on machine A and machine B, and every change on either side propagates. It runs as a system service with a web UI on port 8384. Windows, macOS, Linux, plus community Android and iOS ports.

Where it falls short. It is heavier than a send-and-forget tool, and the first sync of a large folder takes real time. There is no built-in file browser for one-off picks, you drop files into a shared folder instead.

Pricing.

Migrating from LocalSend. Install Syncthing on each machine. Create a shared folder on the first, accept it on the second when it appears in the pending list. New files land automatically from then on.

Download: Syncthing

Bottom line: Pick Syncthing when you keep sending the same folder every day and want the sync to happen while you sleep.

How to choose

Pick PairDrop if either device cannot install software or you want a browser-only path. Pick Warpinator if your fleet is mostly Linux and the Windows target is a once-a-week thing. Pick Send Anywhere if the two machines are not on the same network, and accept the 10 GB free cap or pay for Plus. Pick Feem if the same devices trade files every day and you want them named in a list you can see at a glance. Pick Croc if you script your transfers or one end is a headless server. Pick NitroShare if you are stuck on a Linux box too old for Flutter runtimes. Pick Syncthing if the answer to “send this again” is “yes, every day, forever.”

Stay on LocalSend if the discovery on your network already works and every device has the app installed. Nothing else beats it for the tap-to-send use case when it works.

FAQ

Is PairDrop safer than LocalSend?

Both are open-source and send files directly between devices. PairDrop encrypts with WebRTC’s DTLS, LocalSend uses TLS with a self-signed cert. Neither routes files through a server on a same-LAN transfer, so the practical security is close.

Can I use these tools to send files to a phone?

Yes for most. LocalSend, PairDrop, Feem, and Send Anywhere all have mobile apps or work in mobile browsers. Warpinator, Croc, and NitroShare are desktop-only in their official builds, though community Android ports exist for Warpinator and croc.

What is the fastest LocalSend alternative on the same LAN?

Warpinator and NitroShare match LocalSend’s speed on gigabit LAN because all three saturate the link. PairDrop is a touch slower because WebRTC has overhead. Syncthing is the fastest for the second copy of the same folder because it only sends changes.

Do any of these need an account?

Send Anywhere requires a free account for its Plus tier. The other six work without signing up.

Which one works when both machines are on cellular data?

Send Anywhere and croc both relay when direct connections fail. Croc lets you self-host the relay if you do not want the default public one.