NearBeam vs LocalSend
An honest comparison of two popular cross-platform file sharing apps. Both are free, both work over your local Wi-Fi. Here's where they differ.
Short verdict
Choose LocalSend if you want a fully open-source app, you're mostly on desktop (Windows/Mac/Linux), and you don't need screen sharing.
Choose NearBeam if you want the smoothest sender experience on mobile (just hit Share from any app, no need to open NearBeam on the sender side), if you want real-time cross-platform screen sharing, and if iPhone is part of your daily setup.
At a glance
| NearBeam | LocalSend | |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-platform | Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Send without opening the app | Yes — system Share menu on every OS | No — must open LocalSend on both sides |
| Screen sharing | Yes — real-time WebRTC, ~50 ms latency | No |
| Auto device discovery | Yes — mDNS on local Wi-Fi | Yes — mDNS on local Wi-Fi |
| Folder transfer | Yes | Yes |
| File size limit | None | None |
| Cloud / account required | No — fully local | No — fully local |
| Open source | No (free, commercial license) | Yes — MIT |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads | None — ever | None |
The sender experience is where they really differ
LocalSend is a great desktop tool, but the mobile flow has one big friction point: you must open the LocalSend app first, then select the file from inside the app, then pick the device. That's three actions before the file leaves.
NearBeam is built around the system Share sheet. On iPhone or Android, you don't open NearBeam at all to send. You open Photos or Files, tap Share like you would for AirDrop or any other share target, pick NearBeam, and choose the receiving device. Two taps from the photo you're looking at, file sent.
On Mac and Windows, NearBeam also registers in the native Share menu, so the same flow applies from the Finder or File Explorer.
Screen sharing
LocalSend does file transfer only. If you want to show your iPhone screen on a Windows laptop, or your Mac screen on an Android tablet, LocalSend can't do it.
NearBeam includes a full WebRTC-based screen sharing layer that runs at around 50 ms of latency on local Wi-Fi. It works across every platform combination: iPhone to Windows, Android to Mac, iPad to PC, all of them.
Open source vs commercial
LocalSend is fully open source under the MIT license. If auditing the code yourself matters to you, that's a real advantage.
NearBeam is a commercial product, free to use, with no ads and no telemetry. The source code is not open right now, but the product makes the same privacy promise: nothing leaves your local network, no account, no tracking SDKs in the app.
When to pick which
- Pick LocalSend if you need open source, your devices are mostly Linux or Windows desktops, and you don't need screen sharing.
- Pick NearBeam if you want the smoothest mobile sender experience, you need iPhone/Android in the mix, you want screen sharing in the same app, or you want the Share button on every OS to work natively.
- You can also keep both installed. They're not in conflict — they discover each other separately.