27 Top Best P2P File Transfering Apps, Alternatives to Apple's Airdrop

AirDrop is a file transfer technology by Apple for iOS, macOS that enables users to transfer files quickly between Apple devices. It started from Mac OS X Lion and iOS 7.

Although, it does not work with non Apple devices, Linux, Windows and Android users can install and use dozens of open-source alternatives.

In this post, you will find many open-source and free Airdrop alternative to share files between devices easily.

Note that, some of these apps requires some technical knowledge to setup and use.

1- Sharedrop

Sharedrop is a free and open-source (MIT) web application that allows you to transfer files quickly using WebRTC peer-to-peer technology. It is compatible with Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari 13+.

To install and start using the app, you will need some development skills. Additionally, Firebase is required for presence management.

2- Localsend

LocalSend is a free, open-source app that enables secure file and message sharing between nearby devices over a local network without internet connection.

It uses a REST API and HTTPS encryption for cross-platform communication, eliminating the need for external servers and ensuring fast and reliable local communication.

Download

Windows: Winget, Scoop, Chocolatey, MSIX Installer, EXE installer, Portable
macOS: AppStore, Homebrew, DMG Installer.
Linux: Flathub, AUR (Arch Linux), NixOS, TAR, DEB (Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint), AppImage.
Android: F-Droid, Google Play Store, APK.
iOS
Amazon FireOS.

LocalSend

3- ffsend

This is a free and open-source self-hosted implementation of Mozilla Send. It enables you to send files and directories directly from your terminal.

Send service supports large files up to 1 GB.

Features

Fully featured and friendly command line tool
Upload and download files and directories securely, always encrypted on the client
Additional password protection, generation and configurable download limits
File and directory archiving and extraction
Built-in share URL shortener and QR code generator
Supports Send v3 (current) and v2
History tracking your files for easy management
Ability to use your own Send hosts
Inspect or delete shared files
Accurate error reporting
Streaming encryption and uploading/downloading, very low memory footprint
Intended for use in scripts without interaction
Can run smoothly on Android using Termux.

Platforms

Linux: Flathub, AUR, Snap, Nix, Alpine, Fedora
Windows: Scoop, Chocolatey
macOS; Homebrew, Macports, Nix
FreeBSD
Android
Docker

4- FlyingCarpet

FlyingCarpet is a lightweight app that allows you to send and receive files between popular devices using ad hoc WiFi. It does not rely on a shared network or cellular connection.

It supports Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS.

5- Blaze

Blaze is a file sharing progressive web app (PWA) that allows users to transfer files between multiple devices using web technologies. It supports instant file sharing with multiple devices at once and primarily uses WebTorrent and WebSockets protocol for direct peer-to-peer file transfer without any intermediate server.

Features

Does not require any account
Supports one-to-one and one-to-many multiple file transfers.
Works across multiple networks and devices.
Easy to use and no app installation required.
Easy to deploy to services like Vercel.com
Self-host in your Server using Docker

6- Airshare

Airshare is a Python-based CLI tool and module that enables data transfer between two machines in a local network using Multicast-DNS. It also provides an HTTP gateway for non-CLI external interfaces. The tool works offline and is built with aiohttp and zeroconf.

Systems: Linux, macOS, Windows, Android (Termux).

Features

Blazing fast content transfer within a local network.
Lets you transfer plain text, send from or receive into your clipboard.
Supports transfer of multiple files, directories and large files - content is sent chunk by chunk and never read into memory entirely.
Lets you send files whose paths have been copied into the clipboard (more details in the docs).
Cross-platform, works on Linux, Windows and Mac (CLI and Web Interface), and also supports mobile (Web Interface).
Uses Multicast-DNS service registration and discovery - so you can access content with human-readable code words.
Can be used as a module in other Python programs.

LAN Share is a cross platform local area network file transfer application, built using Qt GUI framework. It can be used to transfer a whole folder, one or more files, large or small immediately without any additional configuration.

Features

Send one or more files
Send folder
Send to multiple receiver at the same time
Cancel, pause and resume operations while transfering

8- Airdash

Airdash is a free and open-source Flutter app that enables you to share files between many devices and many system. It uses WebRTC and Firebase for WebRTC signaling.

Platforms

Windows
iOS
macOS
Android
Linux (Snap)

Key Features

Support for all major platforms and app stores (iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux and Android)
Free forever to send any number of files of any size
Maximum privacy and security by fully encrypting files and transferring them directly between devices
Quickly start transfers using native mobile share sheet and drag and drop on desktop
Send files anywhere (no need to be on the same network or nearby)
Automatically uses the best and fastest connection available (wifi, mobile internet, ethernet etc).

9- FileShare (Android)

FireShare is a free open-source Android app to share files securely via best available method automatically detected from Direct connection (WiFi Direct, BT, etc), Local Network, Internet or Relay Server. Other transport modes are possible to add in the future if beneficial.

10- FileDrop

FileDrop is an open-source peer-to-peer file transfer with end-to-end encryption.

Features

Fully end-to-end encrypted, including metadata and chat.
Peer-to-peer wherever possible (using WebRTC).
Simple chat function with copy and paste.
Minimalist user interface.
Available as a Progressive Web Application.

11- Zitri

Zitri is an open-source application for sharing files. Although it is a server-based app, it does not save the files on server.

12- OpenDrop

OpenDrop is a command-line tool that enables file sharing between devices over Wi-Fi. It is compatible with Apple AirDrop, allowing file sharing with iOS and macOS devices.

The app is written using Python and it can be installed on Windows, Linux systems, macOS, and Android (using Termux).

13- Snapdrop

Snapdrop is a local file sharing tool inspired by Apple's Airdrop. It is built with Vanilla HTML5, ES6, CSS3 for the frontend, WebRTC and WebSockets for communication, NodeJS for the backend, and is a Progressive Web App.

14- WarpShare

WarpShare is an Android app that allows file transfer between Android devices and Mac using AirDrop-like functionality. It utilizes the AWDL protocol for faster transfers.

Features

Utilizes the AWDL protocol, the same technology found in AirDrop, for faster file transfers between Mac and non-Apple devices.
Easily transfer files by setting the AirDrop visibility to "Everyone" on your Mac.
Sends files from Android devices to Mac with a maximum size of approximately 4.2 GB.
Open-source and released under the Apache 2.0 License.

15- Portal

Portal is a command-line file transfer utility for sending files from any computer to another. It is written using Go lang, and can run on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Key Features

End-to-end encryption using PAKE2
Direct transfer of files if possible (e.g. sender and receiver are in the same local network)
Fallback to relay server if sender and receiver cannot connect directly
Parallel gzip compression of files for faster and more efficient transfers
Hosting your own relay (we'd appreciate it if you plan to send a lot of data!)
Configurability and shell completions
A shiny UI ⭐✨ to gaze your eyes upon while you wait for your files

16- Drop

This is a simple yet useful app that allows you to transfer files between different operating systems. It is written using C#, however it can run on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

17- Croc

croc is a CLI file-transfer tool that enables secure and simple transfer of files and folders between any two computers. It supports end-to-end encryption, cross-platform transfers, multiple file transfers, resuming interrupted transfers, and does not require a local server or port-forwarding. It is also IPv6-first with IPv4 fallback and can use proxies like Tor.

croc works for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Wave Share is a proof-of-concept for WebRTC signaling using sound. It allows nearby devices to negotiate a WebRTC connection by exchanging SDP data through audio tones, enabling data exchange via LAN.

19- zrok

zrok is a peer-to-peer sharing platform built on OpenZiti, enabling public and private sharing of resources. It supports sharing tunnels for network resources, file sharing, web content sharing, and custom resource sharing. The platform is extensible and plans to offer super-simple sharing for end users in the future.

20- HFS

HFS is a web-based file access and sharing solution that allows you to share files directly from your disk with unlimited space and bandwidth. It offers fast downloads, easy-to-use interface, real-time activity monitoring, bandwidth control, and the ability to share files without intermediaries.

Features

https
easy certificate generation
unicode
virtual file system
mobile friendly
search
accounts
resumable downloads & uploads
download folders as zip archive
remote delete
simple website serving
plug-ins
real-time monitoring of connections
show some files only
speed throttler
geographic firewall
admin web interface
multi-language front-end
virtual hosting (plug-in)
anti-brute-force (plug-in)
reverse-proxy support
comments in file descript.ion

21- Sharik

Sharik is an open-source, cross-platform solution for sharing files via Wi-Fi or Mobile Hotspot

Features

Cross-platform
You send any files to any device. The only requirement is the same network (for now, wink wink)
Does not require Sharik installed on the recipient device
Does not require an internet connection
Simple minimalistic UI
It is translated into many languages

Platforms

Windows
Linux
macOS
iOS
Android: F-Droid, Google Play Store

22- Quickshare

Quickshare is a free and open-source Quick and simple file sharing between different devices. It is still under active development. It is written using Golang, and it is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS (Intel, M1, M2)

Features

Support uploading, downloading, creating, deleting and moving files and folders
Resumable uploading and downloading
Manage files and folders in browser
Search files and folders with multiple keywords in seconds
Share directories to others, including anonymous
Scan QR codes to visit sharing folders
Upload hundreds of files at once
Steaming uploading: make it work behind CDN or reverse proxy
Files can also be managed from OS
Support multiple users
Each user has a role (user/admin)
User home directory
Per-user download & upload speed limiting
Per-user space quota
Adaptive UI
I18n support
Wallpaper customization

23- iWant

iWant is a free and open-source CLI based decentralized peer to peer file sharing.

Key Features

Decentralized : There is no central server hosting files. Therefore, no central point of failure
Easy discovery of files: As easy as searching for something in Google.
File download from multiple peers: If the seeder fails/leaves the group, leecher will continue to download from another seeder in the network
Directory download: Supports downloading directories
Resume download: Resume download from where you left off.
Consistent data: Any changes(modification, deletion, addition) made to files inside the shared folder will be instantly reflected in the network
Cross Platform: Works in Linux/Windows/Mac. More testing needs to be done in Mac

Surge is a p2p filesharing app designed to utilize blockchain technologies to enable 100% anonymous file transfers. Surge is end-to-end encrypted, decentralized and open source.

25- Filegogo

Filegogo is a free and open-source file transfer tool that can be used in the browser with WebRTC and P2P support.

26- WebDrop

WebDrop is a free P2P file transfer in browser similar to Apple's AirDrop. However, it requires connection to WebTorrent Trackers.

Features

Easy to use
Auto discover devices in the same network (LAN)
Resume connection interrupted downloads
No file download limit
Download straight to your downloads folder without waiting
Share through internet with a room code !
Easily share Text Messages too !

27- FileDrop

FileDrop is an application that allows for encrypted file sharing between two users through the use of web sockets.

Platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS.

1- Sharedrop

2- Localsend

Download

3- ffsend

Features

Platforms

4- FlyingCarpet

5- Blaze

Features

6- Airshare

Features

7- LAN-Share

Features

8- Airdash

Platforms

Key Features

9- FileShare (Android)

10- FileDrop

Features

11- Zitri

12- OpenDrop

13- Snapdrop

14- WarpShare

Features

15- Portal

Key Features

16- Drop

17- Croc

18- Wave Share

19- zrok

20- HFS

Features

21- Sharik

Features

Platforms

22- Quickshare

Features

23- iWant

Key Features

24- Surge P2P file sharing client

25- Filegogo

26- WebDrop

Features

27- FileDrop

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