LocalSend

Best for: anyone who needs to move files between a phone and a laptop without routing them through a cloud service.

LocalSend is an open-source, cross-platform alternative to AirDrop. It transfers files directly between devices over your local network using an encrypted connection, with no account, no internet dependency and no server in the middle. Built with Flutter and Dart, it runs on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows and Linux.

What makes it useful: it works across the platform boundaries AirDrop refuses to cross. Android to Mac, Windows to iPhone, Linux to anything — the cases that usually mean emailing yourself a file. Because transfers stay on the local network, large files move at LAN speed rather than upload speed, and nothing touches a third-party service.

Where it falls short: both devices must be on the same local network, so it is no help sending a file to someone in another city. Both ends also need the app installed, which makes it awkward for one-off transfers to people who do not already use it. Some restrictive corporate or public Wi-Fi blocks the device discovery it relies on.

Details: Dart and Flutter, Apache 2.0 licensed.