Comparison
LocalSend is one of the best open-source tools for sending files to nearby devices. It is fast, private, cross-platform, and refreshingly simple: install it on two devices on the same local network, pick a file or message, and send it without uploading through a cloud service.
But if you are comparing LocalSend with UniClipboard, the real question is not “which app is better?” It is: do you want to send something once, or do you want your clipboard to stay in sync? LocalSend is excellent for intentional local transfer. UniClipboard is built for continuous cross-device clipboard sync: copy on one machine, paste on another, with encrypted history, search, and automatic sync across macOS, Windows, and Linux.
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TL;DR
01
LocalSend is designed around explicit transfer. You open the app, select files, photos, documents, or text, choose a nearby device, and send. That model is great because it is obvious and controlled. Nothing magical happens in the background unless you ask for it. UniClipboard is designed around a different mental model: the clipboard itself becomes cross-platform. You copy a command on your Mac and paste it into a Windows machine. You copy a URL on Linux and search for it later on macOS. You copy an image or file and let it sync to paired desktop devices without manually opening a file-transfer flow every time.
02
LocalSend has earned its reputation. As of this draft, the project is open source, Apache-2.0 licensed, built with Flutter/Dart, and has more than 80k GitHub stars. Its website describes the product as open-source, cross-platform file sharing that works without cloud infrastructure, with support for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Fire OS. That makes LocalSend a strong fit when: For local file transfer, LocalSend is probably the benchmark. Trying to pretend otherwise would be silly.
Side by side
| Feature | UniClipboard | LocalSend |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Continuous clipboard sync | Nearby file/message transfer |
| Best mental model | “Copy here, paste there” | “Pick this item and send it” |
| Source availability | Open source | Open source |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main desktop platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Mobile platforms | iOS public beta (TestFlight) + native Android app | Android, iOS, Fire OS |
| Works without internet | Yes on local/direct paths | Yes, LAN-first |
| Same-Wi-Fi transfer | Direct P2P | Local network transfer |
| Cross-network sync | Yes, via P2P/NAT traversal and encrypted relay fallback | Not the primary model |
| Account required | No UniClipboard cloud account | No account |
| Encryption model | End-to-end encrypted clipboard payloads; relay sees ciphertext | HTTPS with device-generated certificates for local transfer |
| Automatic clipboard sync | Yes | No, primarily manual send |
| Clipboard history | Yes, encrypted local history | Not the core product |
| Full-text search | Yes, encrypted local index | Not the core product |
| File transfer | Yes, through clipboard/file sync | Yes, core feature |
| CLI / headless workflow | Yes, uniclip | Not the main workflow |
| Best fit | Desktop users who copy/paste constantly across machines | Anyone who wants simple nearby device transfer |
LocalSend details are based on the official LocalSend website and README.
Best fit
Verdict
If you want an open-source AirDrop alternative, choose LocalSend. It is mature, popular, mobile-friendly, and excellent for local file sharing. If you want your clipboard to work across Mac, Windows, and Linux as if those machines belonged to one workspace, choose UniClipboard. It is built for automatic sync, encrypted history, full-text search, cross-network desktop workflows, and no-account device pairing. The short version: LocalSend helps you send files. UniClipboard helps you stop thinking about sending clipboard items at all.
FAQ
Not exactly. UniClipboard can sync text, images, and files through the clipboard, but it is not primarily a nearby file-sharing app. It is a cross-device clipboard sync tool with history and search.
LocalSend's mobile apps are more established for file transfer. UniClipboard now ships mobile too — an iOS public beta on TestFlight and a native Android app — but its focus is clipboard sync rather than nearby file sharing.
Yes. LocalSend’s core pitch is local-network sharing without internet or cloud servers.
Yes. UniClipboard is designed for direct local connections when possible, NAT traversal across networks, and encrypted relay fallback when direct connection fails.
For nearby local transfer, LocalSend’s no-cloud local-network model is hard to beat. For cross-network clipboard sync, UniClipboard’s end-to-end encryption and untrusted-relay model is the better fit. Privacy is not one checkbox; it depends on the network and workflow.
AGPL-3.0 keeps modified networked versions open as well. For privacy software, that matters: users should be able to inspect changes that affect trust boundaries.
Try it
Open-source encrypted clipboard sync across Mac, Windows, and Linux — with history, search, and no cloud account.