OpenDrop vs LocalSend: Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Step 1: Install Both and See What You Get

LocalSend and OpenDrop both move files between your own devices without a cloud drive in the middle. They differ on platforms, on what happens when your devices are on different networks, and on price model. The quickest way to see it is to install both on a phone and a computer and walk through the steps below.

LocalSend runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, free, and needs no account. Open it on two devices on the same network and each one shows the other in its list. That is most of the app, and the simplicity is the point.

OpenDrop runs on Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android. macOS is coming soon but not released yet. It is closed source. The Free plan needs no account: you pair a phone with your computer by scanning a QR code, and each phone pairs with one computer. Pro adds sign-in (Google, Apple, Microsoft or email), connects every phone, tablet and computer on your account automatically, and adds phone to phone transfers, computer to computer transfers, shared folders and photo and video conversion. Neither plan shows ads.

So on platform count, LocalSend is ahead today: it has a macOS app and OpenDrop does not. OpenDrop also does more than send: you can browse your computer's files from your phone (subfolders need Pro) and restore deleted files from Recently Deleted.

Step 2: Try a Same-Network Transfer

Put the phone and the computer on the same Wi-Fi and send a video from the phone to the computer.

LocalSend: Open the app on both devices. The computer shows up in the phone's list of nearby devices. Tap it, pick the video and send. Depending on its settings, the receiver may be asked to accept the transfer first. Any device on the network running LocalSend can show up in your list, which makes it handy for sending to other people's devices.

OpenDrop: Scan the QR code shown in the desktop app with the phone. After pairing, the phone finds the computer on your Wi-Fi with mDNS. Pick the video and send it. On the same Wi-Fi the file streams directly at full speed with no chunking, on Free and on Pro. OpenDrop only talks to devices you paired, or on Pro, devices signed in to your account.

Both encrypt the transfer on the local network. OpenDrop encrypts file contents with ChaCha20-Poly1305 on the sending device before they leave it, and authenticates requests between your devices with HMAC-SHA256. The OpenDrop mobile apps also pin your computer's certificate on the local network, so they only talk to the computer you paired with.

Both send directly between the two devices on your network, so the transfer time depends on your Wi-Fi and hardware more than on the app.

Step 3: Try a Remote Transfer (Different Networks)

This is where the two apps split. Turn off Wi-Fi on the phone so it is on cellular data, then try the same send.

LocalSend: The computer drops out of the list. LocalSend works on the same network only, and its FAQ says plainly that it does not work over the internet.

OpenDrop: The transfer still goes through. OpenDrop picks the route for you: a direct peer-to-peer link or its own encrypted relay. Both devices dial out, so there is no port forwarding and nothing extra to install. The relay carries file contents only in encrypted form. It can see transfer details such as file names, file sizes and device names, which it needs to route the transfer.

• Free tries peer-to-peer first, then the shared free relay. Remote transfers are speed-limited, move in resumable 5 MB pieces, and share a weekly fair-use allowance.
• Pro starts on the faster Pro relay, which has automatic backup, and keeps peer-to-peer as another option. It streams the whole file at full speed with no weekly limit.

On either plan, a dropped connection picks up where it left off. If your devices are always on the same network, none of this matters to you. If you want to grab a file from your phone onto your home PC while you are out, LocalSend can't do that and OpenDrop can.

Step 4: Test Large File Handling

Now send a file of several gigabytes on the same network.

LocalSend: Sends it directly over your network. How long it takes depends on your Wi-Fi.

OpenDrop: Same idea. There is no file size cap, and on the same Wi-Fi the file streams directly at full speed on both plans.

On a local network, both handle big files fine. The difference is again remote transfers, which LocalSend doesn't do. OpenDrop has no file size cap over the relay either, on Free or Pro. A large file on Free goes through in 5 MB pieces at a limited speed and counts toward the weekly allowance. Pro streams it whole at full speed.

Step 5: Try the Command Line

Open a terminal and send a file without the GUI.

LocalSend: LocalSend added a command-line interface in v1.18.0 (August 2026). Its README lists the current commands.

OpenDrop: The desktop install includes an opendrop command. opendrop serve runs OpenDrop without the desktop app (add --background to detach). opendrop upload file.txt adds a file to this computer's OpenDrop folder, and opendrop upload file.txt -d "Device Name" sends it to another device. opendrop devices lists your online devices. Commands that reach another device (devices and anything with -d) need Pro. Other commands include ls, download and status.

The CLI finds whichever OpenDrop is running on the same computer, the desktop app or a headless serve, so it works on a Linux box with no display. Exit codes are fixed for scripts and cron jobs: 0 ok, 1 bad arguments, 2 server not found, 3 network error, 4 update required.

The Verdict: Which One to Keep

Choose LocalSend if: you only send files between devices on the same network, you need a macOS app today, or open source matters to you. It is free, needs no account, and does one job with very little setup.

Choose OpenDrop if: you need transfers between different networks, you want to browse your computer's files from your phone, or you want Pro features like shared folders, phone to phone transfers and photo and video conversion. Free covers same-network transfers and speed-limited remote transfers without an account.

Keep both if: you send to other people's devices on the same network and also move files between your own devices. They are separate apps and can run on the same machine. LocalSend suits quick shares with friends nearby, and OpenDrop covers your own devices, at home or away.

If same-network transfers are all you need, both work well and it comes down to platforms and preference. If remote transfers matter, OpenDrop is the one of the two that does them.