Open Source AirDrop Alternatives
A curated collection of the 2 best open source alternatives to AirDrop.
The best open source alternative to AirDrop is LocalSend. If that doesn't suit you, we've compiled a ranked list of other open source AirDrop alternatives to help you find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternative to AirDrop is PairDrop.
AirDrop alternatives are mainly File Management & Sync. Browse these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of AirDrop.
Cross-platform app for sending files and messages to nearby devices over your local network, with no internet and no third-party server.
LocalSend shares files and messages with nearby devices over the local network. Nothing leaves the network you are on: no internet connection is required and no external server sees the transfer, which is the difference from the messaging apps people usually fall back on.
Devices talk to each other through a REST API, and every transfer is encrypted with a TLS certificate generated on the fly on each device. The protocol is documented in its own repository, and the app itself is built with Flutter and Rust.
Getting it working is mostly a matter of installing it and letting the traffic through.
- Every platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and Fire OS builds are published.
- Package managers: Winget, Scoop, Chocolatey, Homebrew, Flathub, Snap, Nixpkgs, the AUR, F-Droid and the app stores.
- Firewall: allow incoming TCP and UDP on port 53317, and disable AP isolation on the router.
- Portable mode: an empty settings.json beside the executable keeps configuration with the app.
- Start hidden: a hidden flag launches the app into the tray only.
Minimum versions are Android 5.0, iOS 12, macOS 11 and Windows 10, with Linux needing the xdg desktop portal packages for your desktop. The app has no auto-update, so installing from a store or a package manager is the recommended route. Building from source needs Flutter and Rust.
A browser-based file sharing tool for sending files between nearby devices, an AirDrop equivalent that works across every platform.
PairDrop moves files between devices with no account, no app install and no cloud upload in between. Open the page on two devices on the same local network, and they see each other; pick a file and it transfers peer to peer. A fork of Snapdrop inspired by AirDrop, it works wherever a modern browser does.
Transfers run over WebRTC with a Node.js backend handling signaling. The frontend is vanilla HTML, JavaScript and CSS delivered as a progressive web app, IndexedDB handles storage, and zip.js packs multiple files into a single archive on the way down.
Several capabilities go beyond what the project it forked from offered.
- Device pairing: pair with a 6-digit code or a QR code, and paired devices keep finding each other afterward.
- Public rooms: a 5-letter code opens a temporary room for devices outside your local network.
- NAT traversal: devices behind a NAT connect automatically through the PairDrop TURN server.
- Share menu integration: send from the context menu on Windows and Ubuntu, the share sheet on iOS and Android, or the command line.
- Transfer handling: files arrive after a request is accepted, download automatically where possible, and arrive as one ZIP when there are several.
Smaller touches address the ways this kind of tool usually irritates people. Devices get editable display names, sleep is prevented mid-transfer, and a warning appears before closing during a send.
Use the public instance, or host your own with Docker or Node.js, even on a Raspberry Pi, setting your own STUN and TURN servers.
