Open source alternatives to AirDrop

4 projects on starwire do the same job. Ranked by how much of what AirDrop does each one covers, read from its README and website. Ties go to the most active.

What AirDrop does

Send files to nearby devicescore
No setup or internet neededcore
Share photos and links
Discover nearby people
Fast peer-to-peer transfer

Each dot in the table is one job, in this order. Square dots are core jobs and count double. Full means yes, half means partly. "See the evidence" under a project shows the line behind each one. Coverage is what a project documents, not how well it works or how hard it is to move to. How we score this

Project	Covers	Stars	Commits, 12 weeks	Last release	Closed vs opened	Setup	License
localsendCross-platform app for sending files to nearby devices over the local network	Replaces it100%	99k+1.1k	99	3 months ago	100%	Install like an app	Apache-2.0
Covers everything on the checklist.See the evidence Send files to nearby devicescoreYessecurely share files and messages with nearby devices No setup or internet neededcoreYeswithout needing an internet connection Share photos and linksYesChoose photos, videos, documents, or text. Discover nearby peopleYesTap the nearby device. Fast peer-to-peer transferYesTransfer files at the maximum speed of your WiFi network.
PairDropBrowser-based file transfer between devices on the same network	Replaces it100%	12k+37	0	21 months ago	15%	Needs a server	GPL-3.0
Covers everything on the checklist.See the evidence Send files to nearby devicescoreYesdevices on the same local network No setup or internet neededcoreYesNo Setup, No Signup. Share photos and linksYesSend images, documents or text via peer-to-peer connection Discover nearby peopleYesDevices from the local network, in the same public room Fast peer-to-peer transferYesvia peer-to-peer connection
FileSyncSelf hosted real time file transfer from one device to many via WebRTC	Same job, different way57%	1.9k+6	39	5 days ago	Too few	Needs a server	MIT
Covers 0 of 2 core jobs. Partly: Send files to nearby devices; No setup or internet needed. Not shown: Discover nearby people.See the evidence Send files to nearby devicescorePartlyfrom another device on the same network No setup or internet neededcorePartlyNo installs or accounts Share photos and linksYespaste from the clipboard, chat with the room Discover nearby peopleNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it. Fast peer-to-peer transferYesFiles travel directly between browsers over WebRTC
owlyRust tool for sending files between Apple and non-Apple devices over AWDL	Same job, different way49%	3.4k+53	122	3 days ago	84%	Uses the terminal	MIT
Covers 1 of 2 core jobs. Partly: Share photos and links; Fast peer-to-peer transfer. Not shown: No setup or internet needed.See the evidence Send files to nearby devicescoreYesAirDrop between iPhones and Linux devices No setup or internet neededcoreNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it. Share photos and linksPartlyowly send --to "Jane's iPhone" photo.jpg Discover nearby peopleYesfind nearby AirDrop receivers Fast peer-to-peer transferPartlysending files between Apple and non-Apple devices over AWDL

Vital signs from GitHub, checked weekly. How we read these · How setup is read

These also replace

WeTransfer2

All repos

Sort

Form Platform Works with Theme License Setup Language

New repos every two days, stars refreshed daily. Visits are counted without cookies, and the numbers are public. How it works Data RSS Newsletter