⚖️ Comparison · Updated 10 Nov 2026
Syncthing vs LocalSend: Syncing vs Sending Files, Compared
Syncthing keeps folders in sync between your devices forever; LocalSend sends a file to a nearby device right now. Both skip the cloud — here is how to choose.
Same family, different jobs
Syncthing and LocalSend both move files between your devices without uploading them to anyone's cloud, and both are free and open-source. But they answer different questions. LocalSend answers 'how do I get this file onto that device, right now?' Syncthing answers 'how do I make sure this folder is always the same on all my devices?' Choosing between them is mostly about which question you are asking.
LocalSend: send something right now
LocalSend works like a cross-platform version of AirDrop. Devices on the same Wi-Fi network discover each other automatically; you pick a file or folder, tap the receiving device, they accept, and the transfer happens at local network speed. It runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, needs no account and no internet, and when you close it, it is gone — nothing runs in the background, nothing is configured. It is the right tool for one-off jobs: a video to a friend's phone, a document to your laptop, photos off a tablet.
Syncthing: keep folders in sync forever
Syncthing pairs your devices once, then continuously synchronises chosen folders between them — automatically, in the background, and encrypted end to end. Change a file on your laptop and it appears on your phone; take photos on your phone and they are quietly copied to your computer, which is why many people use it as a private, automatic photo backup. It also works over the internet, not just local Wi-Fi, and offers extras like file versioning and one-way 'send only' folders for backups. The trade-off is setup: pairing devices and choosing folders takes a few deliberate minutes, and it is meant to keep running.
Security and privacy
With Syncthing, transfers are encrypted and go directly between devices you have explicitly paired by device ID — no third-party server ever holds your files. LocalSend encrypts transfers on the local network too, and since nothing leaves your Wi-Fi and nothing is stored anywhere, its privacy story is equally simple. With both, the honest summary is the same: your files travel between your devices and nowhere else.
Which one do you need?
Need to move something once, to any device nearby, including someone else's? LocalSend. Want phone photos, documents or a music library to stay backed up and identical across your own phone and computer without thinking about it? Syncthing. They are not rivals and plenty of people install both — Syncthing quietly running their digital life in the background, LocalSend for everything spontaneous. Both are in our catalogue with their version histories and official sources.