Looking for a LocalSend alternative?
One specific difference matters. Everything else is close.
LocalSend needs the app installed on both devices. ZenShare only needs it on the sending device: the recipient opens a link in any browser and the download starts. If you keep hitting the “they have to install it first” wall, that is the difference you are looking for.
LocalSend is good software
Worth saying plainly, because you will find plenty of pages that pretend otherwise. LocalSend is open source, cross-platform, actively maintained, and it does local transfer well. If both people already have it installed, it is a fine choice and you do not need to switch.
The one thing it cannot do
LocalSend is app-to-app by design. Both ends run the app, discover each other on the network, and transfer. That is a clean architecture, and it means there is no way to send a file to someone who has not installed it.
This is the single most requested missing feature in the project. The request has been open for a long time (localsend/localsend#2308), which is a good signal that people keep running into it rather than that it is a niche want.
The same limit applies to Xender, SHAREit and every other app-to-app transfer tool. It is a property of the category, not a bug in any one of them.
How ZenShare handles it
The sending device runs a tiny web server, so what you hand out is an ordinary web link. The recipient opens it in whatever browser they already have, on a phone, a tablet, a work laptop they cannot install software on, and the download begins. Nothing is uploaded to a server first: the file still goes straight from your device to theirs.
Honest comparison
| LocalSend | ZenShare | |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient needs the app | Yes | No, any browser works |
| Works over the internet | Local network only | Local network or a public link |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Windows and Android |
| Files stored on a server | Never | Never |
| Account required | No | No |
| Price | Free | Free |
Where LocalSend is still the better pick
- You want open source. ZenShare is not, and if that is a requirement then this is not a real choice.
- macOS, Linux or iOS sending. ZenShare sends from Windows and Android. Other platforms can receive through the browser, but not send.
- Both people already have it. Then the browser link solves a problem you do not have.
Running both is reasonable. They do not conflict.
Common questions
- Does the person receiving the file need to install ZenShare?
- No. They open the link in any browser on any device and the download starts. Only the sender needs the app.
- Is ZenShare open source like LocalSend?
- No, ZenShare is not open source. If that is a requirement for you, LocalSend is the better choice and it is genuinely good software.
- Does ZenShare upload my files to a server?
- No. Your own device is the server, so the file goes directly to the recipient. That is true for both the local and the public link.
- Can ZenShare send from macOS or Linux?
- Not currently. Sending is supported on Windows and Android. Any platform with a browser can receive.