KDE Connect vs LocalSend: which one do you need?

They solve different problems. LocalSend is a file sender: you open it when you want to move something, pick the file, and tap the other device. KDE Connect is a standing link between your phone and your computer: once paired, it shows the phone's notifications on the computer, shares the clipboard, sends files and links, and turns the phone into a remote. Both are free, open source, and work over your own network. If you only move files, and especially between many kinds of device, pick LocalSend. If you want your Android phone and your Mac to stay connected all day, try KDE Connect. Plenty of people run both.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 25 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

How do they compare at a glance?

Sources for each row are linked in the sections below.

What is LocalSend good at?

LocalSend does one thing well. Its README describes a free, open-source app to share files and messages with nearby devices over your local network "without needing an internet connection". Its website says "No account, no login, no servers" and that "any file type is supported".

Three things make it easy to recommend:

• It runs on everything. The README lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, plus Fire OS. You can send from an Android phone to a Mac, a Windows laptop, a Linux desktop, or a friend's iPhone with the same app.
• There is nothing to pair. Open it on both devices and they find each other. The receiver approves each transfer.
• It is well packaged on the Mac. The README links the Mac App Store, Homebrew, and a DMG. The current version on 25 October 2026 was 1.18.2.

What it leaves out is everything beyond sending. Its pages do not describe notifications, clipboard sync, texts, or calls. It also had security advisories for version 1.17.0 and earlier, which is why you should keep it updated. More in what is LocalSend and is LocalSend safe.

What is KDE Connect good at?

KDE Connect is wider. Its home page and README list:

• Files and links shared between devices, and browsing the phone's files remotely.
• Notifications from the phone synced to the computer.
• Texts. The README says you can "Read, send and reply to SMS and MMS from your computer".
• Remote control. The phone works as a touchpad and keyboard, a presentation remote, and a media remote for music on the computer.
• Commands that you set up on the computer and trigger from the phone.
• Ring your phone to find it, and see its battery level.

The README says all this happens wirelessly, "utilising TLS encryption". The UserBase wiki adds that recent versions can also connect over Bluetooth, after you pair the devices over Bluetooth first.

The wiki is also honest about limits that matter on a newer Android phone:

• Clipboard from the phone needs a tap. It says Android 10 stops apps reading the clipboard, which makes the clipboard plugin "uncomfortable to use". You use a "Send Clipboard" button in its notification, or a quick settings tile on Android 14 and later.
• No images. The shared clipboard "does not work with images".
• Hidden codes. On Android 15 and later, sensitive notification content is hidden from apps, so KDE Connect may show "Sensitive notification content hidden". The fix involves a developer command and "may not work on all manufacturer's devices".

Which works better on a Mac?

LocalSend has the smoother Mac story. It is in the Mac App Store, its README gives a macOS minimum of 11 Big Sur, and its troubleshooting table covers the macOS Local Network permission.

KDE Connect does offer a Mac version, but with caveats. The download page calls it "A stable release of KDE Connect for macOS" and gives the Homebrew command brew install --cask kde-connect. On 25 October 2026 the stable link pointed to an Apple silicon build, version 26.08.2. Intel builds were offered only as nightly versions marked "untested". Its README says platforms other than Linux "are not officially supported" and that it "hasn't yet been completely tested on MacOS". Much of the wiki describes features in terms of KDE's Linux desktop. Try the features you care about on your own Mac before you rely on them. KDE Connect on Mac goes through it.

Which should I choose?

Choose LocalSend if:

• You mainly move files, photos, and the odd link.
• You share with several kinds of device, including Windows PCs, Linux machines, or iPhones.
• You want nothing running in the background, and nothing to pair.
• You have an Intel Mac. KDE Connect's stable Mac build was for Apple silicon only when we checked.

Choose KDE Connect if:

• You want phone notifications on your computer, or to reply to texts from it.
• You want the phone as a trackpad, a presentation remote, or a media remote.
• You also use Linux, where KDE Connect is most at home.
• You are happy to tap a button to send the phone's clipboard, and to sort out firewall ports if needed.

Use both if you want KDE Connect's notifications and remote features day to day, and LocalSend for quick transfers to devices that do not run KDE Connect. They are separate apps with their own protocols and their own ports.

Where does The Relay fit?

The Relay publishes this guide, and it overlaps with both. Like KDE Connect, it is a standing link between an Android phone and a Mac. It does clipboard sync both ways, including images, file transfer and browsing of the phone's storage from a Mac window, the phone's notifications, incoming texts with login codes copied to the Mac's clipboard, incoming calls you can accept or decline on the Mac, and the phone as a webcam and microphone. It works over your own Wi-Fi with Bluetooth as a fallback, and it pairs by scanning a QR code shown on the Mac.

Where it falls short of these two: it is not free, its code is not public, it covers only Android and Mac, it does not send texts, and it has no remote-control features. The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial. If LocalSend or KDE Connect does what you need, you do not need it. The detailed comparisons are The Relay vs KDE Connect and The Relay vs LocalSend.

Questions people ask

Is KDE Connect better than LocalSend?

It does more, but it is not better at sending files. KDE Connect adds notifications, clipboard, texts, and remote control between a phone and a computer. LocalSend is simpler for one-off transfers and works across more kinds of device without pairing.

Can KDE Connect and LocalSend send files to each other?

No. Each uses its own protocol, so a KDE Connect device only talks to KDE Connect, and LocalSend only to LocalSend. Install the same app on both ends.

Does LocalSend sync the clipboard like KDE Connect?

Not in the background. LocalSend lets you send a piece of text when you choose to. KDE Connect has a shared clipboard plugin, though on Android 10 and later you tap a button to send the phone's clipboard.

Do they work without Wi-Fi?

Both need the devices on the same local network. KDE Connect's wiki says recent versions can also use Bluetooth after the devices are paired over Bluetooth. Neither is built for reaching a phone across the internet.

Are both free?

Yes. LocalSend is under the Apache License 2.0 and KDE Connect under the GNU GPL. Neither has a paid tier.