AirDrop Alternatives
AirDrop is described as 'With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send documents, photos, videos, websites, map locations, and more to a nearby iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac' and is an app in the file sharing category. There are more than 100 alternatives to AirDrop for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Android, Linux, Mac and Web-based apps. The best AirDrop alternative is LocalSend, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like AirDrop are Syncthing, KDE Connect, PairDrop and Send.
- Free • Proprietary
- 89 LocalSend alternatives
LocalSend is a free, open-source, cross-platform file-sharing tool designed to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over your local network without needing an internet connection. Here are some of its key features:
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- AppImageHub
- F-Droid
- Flathub
- Snapcraft
- Chocolatey
Comments about LocalSend as an Alternative to AirDrop
AdrienVRVery easy to use, very fast
- 126 Syncthing alternatives
Open-source, peer-to-peer service offering encrypted file synchronization, ensuring data privacy and user-autonomy without relying on cloud storage or central servers, suitable for various uses.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Sweden
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Self-Hosted
- Cloudron
- Termux
- Terminal
- 70 KDE Connect alternatives
Empowers seamless interaction between devices, offering notifications, SMS replies, music control, file sharing, volume control, secure connections, and cross-platform compatibility.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- KDE Plasma
- F-Droid
- Sailfish OS
- Plasma Mobile
- Chocolatey
Comments about KDE Connect as an Alternative to AirDrop
Shaz ShahKDE Connect is a brilliant application, but I wouldn't consider this a direct AirDrop alternative. The use case for this is to register a device to get a Apple-like experience between your computer and smartphone (see messages, share clipboard, share documents). You cannot share files with other people's devices (with a different OS).
- 57 PairDrop alternatives
Local file sharing in your browser. Inspired by Apple's AirDrop. Fork of Snapdrop.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Online
- Self-Hosted
Comments about PairDrop as an Alternative to AirDrop
SitricReally powerful and easy to use. Just need a browser to use it. Open source and perfect for just getting files from one device to another on your local network. Supports transferring files over the internet as well (public rooms). Overall really really useful piece of software that I use at home and at work all the time.
- 86 Send alternatives
Send lets you share files with end-to-end encryption and a link that automatically expires. So you can keep what you share private and make sure your stuff doesn’t stay online forever.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Online
- Self-Hosted
- 56 OnionShare alternatives
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- F-Droid
- Flathub
- 126 RetroShare alternatives
RetroShare is a open source cross-platform, private and secure decentralized communication system. It lets you to securely chat, share photos, videos, and more, using OpenPGP to authenticate peers and .
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- BSD
- OpenSSL
- OpenPGP
- 99 Wormhole alternatives
Simple, private file sharing
Wormhole lets you share files up to 10GB with end-to-end encryption and a link that automatically expires. So you can keep what you share private and make sure your stuff doesn't stay online forever.
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application type
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Windows
- Online
- WebApps
- 237 WeTransfer alternatives
Effortlessly share files up to 2 GB for free with secure, straightforward transfers for photos, videos, and more. Upgrade to WeTransfer Plus for $12/month to send up to 20 GB with enhanced security, extended access, and password protection, making it ideal for professionals and frequent users.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application type
Country of Origin
Netherlands
EU
Platforms
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
WeTransfer Features
- 97 SwissTransfer alternatives
SwissTransfer is a data transfer service that lets you send up to 50 GB. It’s free of charge, free of ads and it respects your privacy.
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Application type
Country of Origin
Switzerland
Platforms
- Online
- Google Chrome
- Firefox
SwissTransfer Features
- 201 Send Anywhere alternatives
A cross-platform file sharing service which allows users to easily share digital content peer-to-peer, in real-time, without cloud storage.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application type
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- Windows Phone
- iPad
- Google Chrome
- Kindle Fire
Send Anywhere Features
- 92 Croc alternatives
croc is a tool I built to easily and securely transfer stuff from one computer to another.
The only tool that is easily installed and used on any platform, and has secure peer-to-peer transferring, and has the capability to resume broken transfers.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Termux
I did try SnapDrop, but that was a hit and miss. Probably because it's a PWA (Progressive Web App).
Found this in F-Droid and I have to say this is the best FOSS alternative to AirDrop. I do use it to share files with family as well as between my devices.
One bit I really like is that you have to go into the app and be ready to receive a file, so that no-one can randomly send something to you.