LocalSend alternatives for sharing beyond your Wi-Fi

By Hamza · October 11, 2026

LocalSend is one of the best free ways to move files between your own devices. It’s open source, runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, needs no account, and encrypts transfers with HTTPS.^[1] If your devices share a Wi-Fi network, it may be all you need.

People look for alternatives when they hit the edge of its design. LocalSend works over your local network, not the internet, so both devices need to be on the same local network.^[1] Here’s what to use when that isn’t your situation.

Alternatives by what you need

Tool	Choose it when	Keep in mind
Blip	You send large files or folders to devices on other networks	Needs an account; free for non-commercial use only
PairDrop	You want nothing to install, or need to reach a device on another network	Transfers are live: both browsers need to be open
Quick Share	You move files between Android and Windows, or a supported Android and Apple devices	Devices need to be near each other
KDE Connect	You want deeper phone integration and can set up a VPN for remote use	More setup than a one-tap sender
Phone Link	You want texts, calls and notifications on a Windows PC	iPhone file sharing is still in Windows Insider testing
fwd	You send links, text and small files across networks and want a history	Files up to 25 MB; private beta

Blip: large files over the internet

Blip is a free app for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad that sends files and folders of any size over the internet, to your other devices or to other Blip users. It resumes after a network interruption, connects directly when both devices are on the same network, and its site says transfers are end-to-end encrypted. It’s free for non-commercial use; work use needs a paid plan.^[2] You sign in with your email and a one-time code.^[3] Of the tools here, it’s the closest to LocalSend with the same-network limit removed. The trade-offs are an account, and a paid plan if you use it for work.

PairDrop: in the browser, across networks

PairDrop is a browser-based fork of Snapdrop. It sends peer to peer to devices on the same local network, and paired devices (a 6-digit code or QR code) find each other on any network. Temporary public rooms let you share with a device you haven’t paired. Devices outside your local network that are behind NAT connect through PairDrop’s TURN relay server.^[4] Like LocalSend, it’s a live transfer, so the receiving browser has to be open.

Quick Share: built into Android

If your problem is Android to Windows, Google’s Quick Share for Windows does it with nothing extra on the phone. It needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.^[5] Recent Pixels, Galaxy flagships and some other phones can also send to iPhones and Macs over AirDrop.^[6]

KDE Connect: more than file sharing

KDE Connect shares files and links, shows phone notifications on your computer and lets you reply to texts. It’s free and open source, and it supports VPNs for connecting from outside your home network.^[7] Choose it if you want your phone and computer integrated, not just a way to send things.

Phone Link: for Windows

Microsoft Phone Link is aimed at using your phone from a Windows PC. For Android it covers texts, calls, notifications and recent photos; for iPhone, texts, calls and notifications.^[8] File sharing with iPhone has been in Windows Insider testing since December 2024.^[9]

fwd, for devices that aren’t in the same place

I’m building fwd (pronounced “forward”) for the gap LocalSend leaves on purpose. Your devices don’t have to be on the same network or even online at the same time: a push waits, end-to-end encrypted, until the other device reconnects. Every push goes into a history you can search on each device, so the link you sent last week is still findable. It’s built for links, text and everyday files, not for moving large media.

Where it runs: a Chrome extension that also loads in other Chromium browsers (so Windows, Mac and Linux desktops through Chrome), an app for Android 8.0 and later, and a menu bar app for macOS 14 and later that receives while the browser is closed, as long as it is running and the Mac is awake and online. There is no iPhone or iPad app.
What it sends: links, text and files up to 25 MB, to one device or to all your other devices, whether or not they are on the same network. A device that is offline gets the push when it reconnects.
History: sent and received pushes sync across your devices and are searchable on each one.
Privacy: content, file names and device names are encrypted end to end. The service stores and relays only ciphertext, and sees operational metadata such as your email, which device sent to which and when, and item sizes. How the encryption works.
Availability: a free private beta with up to 5 devices and 1 GB of account storage. Invitations haven’t started yet; there’s a waitlist.

Should you switch?

If your devices are usually on the same Wi-Fi and you move big files, stay with LocalSend. It’s excellent at that, and free. For big files across networks, add Blip; for the occasional transfer with nothing to install, PairDrop. If what you send is mostly links and text between a phone and a computer that are rarely in the same place, fwd is built for that; join the waitlist.

Related guides

Sources

Checked on October 11, 2026.

LocalSend: Share files to nearby devices. LocalSend.
Blip: The fastest way to send files. Blip Studio.
After trying this free app, I’m never using AirDrop or Quick Share again. Pocket-lint, May 28, 2025.
schlagmichdoch/PairDrop. GitHub.
Quick Share app: Android to Windows PC file transfer. Google.
These Android phones can use AirDrop with iPhone, Mac. 9to5Google, June 3, 2026.
KDE Connect. KDE.
Phone Link requirements and setup. Microsoft Support.
Sharing files between your iPhone and Windows PC rolling out to Windows Insiders. Windows Insider Blog, December 11, 2024.