You may have heard about Apple’s AirDrop, the proprietary ad-hoc service that allows you to transfer files among supported Macintosh computers and iOS devices by means of close-range wireless communication.
LocalSend is a free and open-source alternative to AirDrop that allows you to securely transfer files between a wide range of devices, both desktop (Windows, macOS, and Linux) and mobile devices (iOS and Android).
LocalSend allows you to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over a local network (without the need for an active Internet connection or third-party servers).
We say securely because LocalSend uses two important components to ensure that your data is safe: the REST API (a secure communication protocol) and HTTPS encryption. To be more precise, all data is securely sent over HTTPS, and TLS and SSL certificates are generated instantaneously on each device. More information about LocalSend’s protocol is available in the dedicated GitHub section.
One of the best aspects of LocalSend is that it looks and feels like a modern app should. Its GUI is not particularly fancy, which is a good thing, especially for users who desire efficiency and simplicity above all else.
Another plus point is the fact that the app’s design is very cohesive on all platforms (apart from the different icons and various other small elements, all GUIs on all platforms look very similar, which is a good thing).
As far as the user experience is concerned, there’s really nothing wrong with LocalSend. The desktop app for Linux is as easy to use as the iOS or Android one. The app has three main, self-explanatory sections: Receive, Send, and Settings.
In terms of customization, LocalSend offers its users a decent amount of configuration options. You can choose between a couple of GUI themes and colors, and various popular languages, as well as change the destination location (when receiving files). There’s also a Quick Save option which can help you save some time when dealing with multiple file transfers.
Taking everything into account, LocalSend is a great little application with a great development community behind it. It’s one of those apps that looks, feels, and works exactly as you might want it to.
It’s also very easy to use, it looks modern, it’s snappy, and as a bonus, it comes with dedicated binaries (including an AUR PPA and Flathub support) for a wide range of Linux distributions.
