LocalSend vs tosstome
LocalSend is a free, open source app for sharing files with nearby devices, and it is very good at it. The main differences from tosstome: LocalSend is an app you install and it stays on your local network; tosstome is a web page and also works between networks.
What LocalSend does well
From the LocalSend README (checked 2026-10-28):
- Shares files and messages "with nearby devices over your local network without needing an internet connection"
- Uses a REST API with HTTPS encryption, and no third-party servers
- Native apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS
- An official command line version for headless machines
Side by side
| LocalSend | tosstome | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | App on both devices | Nothing on the sender; a browser or the CLI on the receiver |
| Works without internet | Yes | No, signaling goes through Cloudflare |
| Different networks | No, local network only | Yes, with a 6-digit code or an inbox link |
| Encryption | HTTPS between devices | DTLS when direct; relay is TLS to Cloudflare, not end to end yet |
| Headless receiver | Yes, official CLI | Yes, tosstome listen |
| Files stored | No | No |
Which one to use
If both devices are on the same Wi-Fi and you are happy to install an app, LocalSend is faster to trust: no internet, no server in the middle, encrypted. Pick tosstome when you are borrowing a computer and cannot install anything, when the devices are on different networks (your phone on mobile data, your computer at home), or when you want one fixed link on your phone that always reaches your computer.
What tosstome does
- Runs in the browser. Nothing to install on the sending side.
- Devices on the same network see each other automatically. On different networks, one device shows a 6-digit code and the other types it in.
- Files go device to device over WebRTC when the networks allow it. If a direct connection does not come up within a few seconds, they go through a relay on Cloudflare that forwards the bytes and keeps nothing.
- An optional command line tool,
tosstome listen, keeps an always-on inbox on a computer. It prints a link and QR code; open it on a phone and files land in a folder on that computer, with no browser open on the computer side. - Nothing is stored. If the receiver is offline, nothing is sent.
What tosstome does not do (yet)
- The relay is protected by TLS between each device and Cloudflare, but it is not end-to-end encrypted yet. Direct WebRTC transfers are encrypted end to end by the browser (DTLS).
- A receiving browser keeps the file in memory until you save it, so very large files are better received with the command line tool, which writes straight to disk.
- Both sides must be online at the same time. There is no "upload now, download tomorrow".
- It is new. Browser-side device pairing and end-to-end encryption on the relay are still being built.
Last checked 2026-10-28.