Can LocalSend work across the internet?

LocalSend is designed for local network transfers and does not have first-class WAN NAT traversal. Lightning P2P uses iroh's direct QUIC paths and relay-assisted fallback, which makes cross-internet transfers a first-class case.

Is Lightning P2P cross-platform like LocalSend?

Lightning P2P ships stable Windows and Android 10+ sideload builds. LocalSend is still more broadly cross-platform today because it also ships macOS, Linux, and iOS clients.

Lightning P2P

LocalSend vs Lightning P2P for P2P file transfer.

Comparison

LocalSend vs Lightning P2P for P2P file transfer.

Direct answer

LocalSend is best for broad cross-platform LAN sharing today. Lightning P2P focuses on Windows and Android direct-first LAN and WAN transfers with iroh, QUIC, relay fallback, and BLAKE3 verification.

LocalSend is an excellent open-source tool for LAN file sharing across platforms. Lightning P2P is a Windows and Android app built around iroh, which supports both LAN transfers and WAN transfers with NAT traversal and relay fallback.

The two projects have overlapping goals and different trade-offs. This page lays out the differences honestly so you can pick the right tool for your situation.

LocalSend is one of the most popular open-source P2P file transfer apps, with clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It uses local network discovery and HTTPS transfer inside the LAN. It is a great fit when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi and you want a cross-platform option today.

Lightning P2P is a newer Windows and Android app built on iroh and iroh-blobs. It works on the LAN through mDNS discovery and also works across WAN through iroh's direct QUIC paths with relay-assisted fallback. That means it keeps working when the two devices are not on the same network, which is the hardest part of P2P file sharing.

Both tools keep the transfer peer-to-peer. Neither uploads your file to a third-party cloud bucket. LocalSend uses HTTPS inside the LAN; Lightning P2P uses QUIC transport through iroh and BLAKE3-verified streaming through iroh-blobs, so the receiver validates content addresses as bytes are written to disk.

If you are on the same network and want app-store clients across every major platform today, LocalSend is a fine choice. If you need WAN transfers, verified content addresses, Windows installers, and Android sideload support, consider Lightning P2P.

Download the recommended Velopack one-click installer, the classic NSIS setup installer, or the MSI installer. Android users can sideload LightningP2P-android-latest.apk and verify it with SHA256SUMS-android.txt. Signing status, SmartScreen notes, Android sideload notes, and SHA256 checksums are available on GitHub Releases. App version: v0.5.1.

Key facts

Product: Lightning P2P
Category: peer-to-peer file transfer app
Platform: Windows stable release, Android 10+ sideload release
Stable release: v0.4.6
Experimental release: v0.5.1 speed modes + reliability (carries v0.5.0 BLE/NFC)
License: Apache-2.0
Account required: no
Cloud upload: no
Artificial file-size cap: no
Transfer model: direct-first P2P
Transport: iroh / QUIC
Verification: BLAKE3
Source code: GitHub
Cost: free

Important caveats

Sender must stay online until the receiver finishes.
Tickets are capability tokens and should be treated as secrets.
Relay fallback helps connectivity, but it is not cloud storage.
Browser website is receive handoff and marketing, not the transfer engine.
Public speed leadership claims require repeatable benchmark results.

Frequently asked questions

Can LocalSend work across the internet?: LocalSend is designed for local network transfers and does not have first-class WAN NAT traversal. Lightning P2P uses iroh's direct QUIC paths and relay-assisted fallback, which makes cross-internet transfers a first-class case.
Is Lightning P2P cross-platform like LocalSend?: Lightning P2P ships stable Windows and Android 10+ sideload builds. LocalSend is still more broadly cross-platform today because it also ships macOS, Linux, and iOS clients.