AirDroid Personal bundles several jobs: file transfer, file management, remote control of an Android phone, screen mirroring, and SMS and notification management from a computer.[1] The mobile app has more than 50 million downloads on Google Play.[2] People look for an AirDroid alternative when they hit the free plan’s limits, don’t want an account, or only need one of those jobs. This guide matches each job to a tool, with limits taken from official pages checked on October 15, 2026.
What AirDroid Personal includes and costs
AirDroid Personal has apps for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, plus a web client.[1] Its pricing page lists these plans:[3]
| Free | Paid | |
|---|---|---|
| Android devices | Up to 2 | 3, up to 10 with a fee |
| Files over the local network | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Files over remote networks | Up to 30 MB per file | Up to 1 GB per file |
| Remote data | Up to 200 MB | Unlimited |
Paid plans are $3.99 a month, $9.69 a quarter or $29.99 a year, with VAT included in the prices shown.[3] Extra Android device slots, up to 10, cost $1 per device per month.[4] The Android app’s Google Play listing says it contains ads and in-app purchases.[2] AirDroid’s pricing page describes transfers as secured with SSL encryption.[3] You sign in to an AirDroid account on each device.[1]
If you use remote control and mirroring regularly, AirDroid is built for that. The sections below are for when you don’t.
AirDroid alternatives by job
| Job | Option | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror and control an Android phone from a computer | scrcpy | Needs USB debugging; focused on display and control |
| Notifications and texts on a Windows PC | Phone Link | Windows only; some features need a compatible phone |
| Notifications, texts and files with open source | KDE Connect | Normally the same network |
| Android sharing and SMS over the internet | Join | Google sign-in; 30-day trial, then a one-time payment |
| Files on one Wi-Fi network | LocalSend | No internet delivery |
| Large files across networks | Blip | Files only; work use needs a paid plan |
| Links, text and small files across networks, with history | fwd | Invite-only beta; no remote control |
scrcpy: mirror and control Android for free
scrcpy mirrors an Android device’s screen and audio over USB or TCP/IP and lets you control it with your computer’s keyboard and mouse. It is free and open source, runs on Linux, Windows and macOS, needs no account, no internet and no app installed on the phone, and requires USB debugging on the device.[5] Its README describes display and control; it doesn’t list SMS or notification features.
KDE Connect and Phone Link: notifications and texts
KDE Connect is free and open source. It shares files and links, syncs phone notifications and lets you reply to texts from your computer; its apps cover Android, Linux, Windows, macOS and iOS.[6][7] Devices normally find each other on the same network.[8] Microsoft’s Phone Link covers texts, photos, apps, calls and notifications for Android 10 or later on a Windows 10 or 11 PC, with the phone and PC on the same Wi-Fi.[9] Phone Link’s phone screen and drag and drop need a compatible Microsoft Duo, Samsung or HONOR phone.[10]
Join: Android sharing over the internet
Join uses your Google account rather than a local network. Its Google Play listing describes SMS, notifications and clipboard sharing, with a 30-day trial and then a one-time $4.99 payment; it also says the app contains ads and in-app purchases.[11] Its site lists an Android app, a Chrome extension, desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux, and a web version.[12]
LocalSend and Blip: file transfer
LocalSend is free and open source, with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It needs no account and no internet, and encrypts transfers with HTTPS; both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network.[13] Blip sends files and folders of any size over the internet, and its site describes the transfers as end-to-end encrypted. It’s free for non-commercial use.[14]
Where fwd fits
I’m building fwd (pronounced “forward”) for one slice of what AirDroid does: sending links, text and files between your own devices, wherever they are, with a searchable history. It doesn’t control or mirror your phone and it doesn’t mirror notifications, so it isn’t an AirDroid replacement. Here is what it does today.
- Where it runs: a Chrome extension (Chrome 121 or later; it also works in other Chromium browsers such as Comet, Dia, Arc, Edge and Brave), an Android app for Android 8 or later, and a macOS menu bar app for macOS 14 or later (Apple silicon and Intel, signed and notarized) that receives while the browser is closed, as long as it is running and the Mac is awake and online. The Android app is in closed testing on Google Play: you join a Google Group, opt in as a tester, then install from Play. Downloads.
- What it sends: links, text and files in any direction between your own devices, to one device or to all of them. It works over the internet, so the devices don’t need to share a Wi-Fi network or be online at the same time; the server holds only ciphertext until delivery.
- Privacy: content is encrypted on your device and the server can’t read it. The service still sees operational data such as your email address. How the encryption works.
- Sign-in and new devices: your email plus a one-time code, with no Google account needed to sign in (the Android install currently goes through Google Play). You add a device by scanning a QR code or matching emojis on a device that’s already signed in.
- Availability and price: a private beta, so new accounts need an invite code; invitations go to the waitlist in batches starting October 16, 2026. It’s free during the beta and the free plan continues afterwards: 25 MB per file, 1 GB of storage and 5 devices. The first 100 accounts to finish setup become founding members, with 100 MB files, 5 GB and 10 devices, free for as long as fwd runs.
- Not included yet: an iPhone app, a native Windows or Linux app, a Firefox extension, notification mirroring, sending SMS from your computer, automatic clipboard sync, a public API and importing Pushbullet history. Clipboard text can be sent manually. On Windows and Linux, the Chrome extension is the option, with the browser running.
On limits, fwd’s free plan is 25 MB per file, 1 GB of storage and 5 devices. Join the waitlist if sending links and files is the part you need.
Which one should you pick?
- Control or mirror Android, including remotely: stay with AirDroid Personal, or use scrcpy over USB for free.
- Notifications and texts on a Windows PC: Phone Link, or KDE Connect for open source.
- Files: LocalSend on one network, Blip across networks.
- Encrypted links, text and small files across Chrome, Android and Mac, with a history: fwd.
Related guides
- KDE Connect alternatives: options beyond the same network
- Pushbullet alternatives in 2026: what still works
- LocalSend alternatives for sharing beyond your Wi-Fi
- Intel Unison alternatives after the shutdown
- How to transfer files from Android to Mac in 2026
Sources
Checked on October 16, 2026.
- All-in-1 Android Device Manager | AirDroid Personal. AirDroid.
- AirDroid: File & Remote Access - Apps on Google Play. Google Play.
- AirDroid Personal Pricing Plan | Online Purchase. AirDroid.
- Be More Productive with AirDroid Personal Premium | AirDroid Personal. AirDroid.
- Genymobile/scrcpy. GitHub.
- KDE Connect. KDE.
- Download | KDE Connect. KDE.
- KDEConnect - KDE UserBase Wiki. KDE.
- Phone Link requirements and setup. Microsoft Support.
- Link to Windows - Apps on Google Play. Google Play.
- Join by joaoapps - Apps on Google Play. Google Play.
- Join. joaoapps.
- LocalSend: Share files to nearby devices. LocalSend.
- Blip: The fastest way to send files. Blip Studio.