The short version
- Snapdrop / PairDrop — a one-off send to a device you'll never see again. A browser tab is fine for that; it's also the whole use case. Browser transfers are generally slow, same-network only — and it failed our large-file test outright.
- LocalSend — a solid free, open-source tool, but a manual one: every send is a find-the-device-and-accept dance (no trusted friends, no trusted devices), a network blip restarts the file from zero, and the moment you leave that Wi-Fi it has nothing to offer.
- SkipStone — built to be the way you move files: the fastest time in our benchmark, the same one-tap send to your own devices as to friends, across the room or across the country, with auto-resume, end-to-end encryption, and a synced clipboard. If you send files to other people or to your own devices — that is, everyone — this is the one designed for you.
Feature by feature
| SkipStone | LocalSend | Snapdrop/PairDrop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install needed | App or browser — every device covered | App on both ends | None — browser only |
| Same-network speed | Full Wi-Fi speed | Full Wi-Fi speed | Varies; browser-limited |
| Across the internet | Yes — encrypted direct connection | No | No |
| Offline (no router) | Bluetooth fallback | Needs a shared network | Needs a shared network |
| Auto-resume on drops | Yes — per-range retry | Restarts the file | Restarts |
| Synced clipboard | Yes | No | No |
| Trusted friends & devices | Yes — one-tap sends to people you trust | No — manual accept, every time | No |
| Platforms | iOS · Android · Mac · Windows · Web | iOS · Android · Mac · Windows · Linux | Anything with a browser |
On price: receiving with SkipStone is free, forever; unlimited sending is $0.99/month with the first month free. And accounts are optional — guest mode receives with zero sign-up. Sign in, though, and you unlock what identity-free tools can never offer: trusted friends, your own devices everywhere, transfers across the internet, and a clipboard that follows you.
Speed, measured
Same 3.6 GB video, same Wi-Fi 7 network, phone to laptop — the others' home turf:
| App | Time |
|---|---|
| SkipStone | 24 seconds |
| LocalSend | 26 seconds |
| PairDrop | Failed at 50% |
SkipStone posted the fastest time we measured — and this is the only arena where the others post a time at all. Leave the shared network and SkipStone keeps its speed while the comparison column goes blank. Add auto-resume — a dropped connection costs seconds, not the file — and it's the fastest, most reliable route from A to B on this page.
Which one should you use?
- A one-off send with nothing installed? A browser tab is fine — use SkipStone for web.
- Free and open-source, one network, no accounts? LocalSend is respectable software.
- Everyone else — anyone who sends files to other people and to their own devices, and wants the fastest, most secure, most reliable way to get them from A to B — SkipStone. That's exactly what it's built for.
More: AirDrop for Android and PC · Send large videos from iPhone to PC