Xender vs tosstome
Last checked
Xender is a free file sharing app that says it is "trusted by over 2 billion users", and people often look for a way to connect it to a PC. If what you really want is to get files between a phone and a computer, tosstome does that from a browser tab on each device, with nothing to install on either side.
What Xender says it does
From xender.com (checked 2026-10-30):
- "Sharing files between a wide range of devices, including Android, iOS, Tablet, Windows, and Mac." The page offers an APK, an Android app and an iPhone app, and lists laptop and desktop PCs, MacBook and iMac among the devices.
- "Fast transfer speeds, without an internet connection" and "Zero data usage".
- "No limitation for file size" and "No compression during file transfer".
- "No storage of personal data in the cloud" and "Totally Free, without any additional cost or subscription fees".
- It also has a social media video downloader and a YouTube to MP3 feature.
Side by side
| Xender | tosstome | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | An app on the phone | Nothing; a browser tab on each device |
| Works with no internet | Yes | No, the page and the connection setup need internet |
| Devices on different networks | Not described on the site | Yes, with a 6-digit code |
| Size limit | None, per the site | None set |
| Files stored on a server | No | No |
| Text and links | Not described on the site | Yes, with a Copy button on the receiver |
| Always-on inbox on a computer | Not described on the site | Yes, tosstome listen |
| Video downloader, MP3 converter | Yes | No |
Connecting a phone to a PC with tosstome
- Open toss2.me in a browser on the PC and on the phone.
- On the same Wi-Fi, each device shows up in the other's list within a few seconds. If not, press Create a code on the PC and scan the QR code with the phone's camera, or type the 6 digits.
- Tap the other device, choose files, and press Accept on the receiving side.
It works in both directions: Android to PC and PC to Android.
Which one to use
If you are somewhere without internet, or you move big folders between two Android phones often, an app like Xender that works offline is the better fit. If you only need to get files between a phone and a computer, and would rather not install an app on the phone or software on the PC, open toss2.me on both. It also works with an iPhone in Safari.
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. - Text messages and links travel the same way as files, with a Copy button on the receiving 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.