License & Deployment Mix: 14 tools – 10 OSS, 4 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a hosted edition.)
What Is Ad-Hoc File Transfer?
File transfer here means the “send a file to someone” use case: moving a file or folder from one machine (or person) to another, ad hoc, without standing up shared storage. It is deliberately distinct from Enterprise File Sync & Share (EFSS) – the shared-drive-replacement tools (Nextcloud, Dropbox, Seafile, …) live in File Sharing & Collaboration.
The tools here are one-shot and connection-oriented rather than storage-oriented: no persistent shared drive, often no account, frequently end-to-end encrypted, and commonly peer-to-peer.
Transfer models
| Model | How it works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Relay-brokered P2P | A relay pairs the two ends (often via a code phrase); data flows direct or through the relay | croc, magic-wormhole, wormhole-william |
| LAN direct | Devices find each other on the local network; nothing leaves the LAN | LocalSend, Warpinator |
| Browser WebRTC | Browser-to-browser P2P, no client install | FilePizza, PairDrop |
| Over Tor | Files served as a Tor onion service | OnionShare |
| Cloud upload/download | Upload to a vendor, share a link | WeTransfer, Smash, Filemail |
Core concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption | Only sender and receiver can read the bytes |
| PAKE / code phrase | A short shared code authenticates + keys the transfer |
| Relay | A broker that pairs the ends; often self-hostable |
| P2P vs cloud | Direct machine-to-machine vs upload-to-a-vendor |
| Ephemeral | No persistent store; the transfer ends when it’s done |
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
Ad-hoc file-transfer tools for the “send a file to someone” case – distinct from the EFSS shared-drive tools in File Sharing & Collaboration. The guiding question is where the data goes: LAN-direct and self-hosted-relay tools keep it in the environment; cloud services upload it to a vendor.
Local vs Cloud (Where the Data Goes)
| Tool | Model | Needs internet / cloud? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| croc | Relay-brokered P2P | No* | E2E; self-hostable relay; a public relay exists by default |
| Magic Wormhole | Relay-brokered P2P | No* | E2E (PAKE); self-hostable relay + transit |
| wormhole-william | Relay-brokered P2P | No* | Go, wormhole-compatible; self-hostable relay |
| LocalSend | LAN direct | No | Stays on the local network; no server at all |
| Warpinator | LAN direct | No | LAN-only by design |
| PairDrop | Browser WebRTC | No* | Self-hostable; public instance at pairdrop.net |
| FilePizza | Browser WebRTC | No* | Self-hostable (Docker); browser-to-browser |
| OnionShare | Tor onion service | Yes (Tor) | No vendor; anonymised via the Tor network |
| WeTransfer | Cloud upload | Yes | Upload + share a link; vendor holds the file |
| Send Anywhere | Cloud + P2P | Yes | 6-digit key; cloud relay |
| Smash | Cloud upload | Yes | Large-file link sharing |
| Filemail | Cloud upload | Yes | Large-file link sharing / email |
* = a relay/signaling broker pairs the two ends, but file data is E2E-encrypted and can run against a self-hosted relay – no vendor sees the content.
Platforms
| Tool | Windows | macOS | Linux | Mobile | Browser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| croc | Yes | Yes | Yes | Termux | – |
| Magic Wormhole | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| wormhole-william | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| LocalSend | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS / Android | – |
| Warpinator | 3rd-party | – | Yes | Android (port) | – |
| PairDrop | Browser | Browser | Browser | iOS / Android | Yes (PWA) |
| FilePizza | Browser | Browser | Browser | Browser | Yes |
| OnionShare | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | via Tor |
| WeTransfer | Browser | Browser | Browser | iOS / Android | Yes |
| Send Anywhere | Yes | Yes | Yes | iOS / Android | Yes |
| Smash | Browser | Browser | Browser | iOS / Android | Yes |
| Filemail | Yes | Yes | Browser | iOS / Android | Yes |
Licensing
| Tool | License | OSS | Cost Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| croc | MIT | Yes | Free (self-host) |
| Magic Wormhole | MIT | Yes | Free (self-host) |
| wormhole-william | MIT | Yes | Free (self-host) |
| LocalSend | Apache-2.0 | Yes | Free |
| Warpinator | GPL-3.0 | Yes | Free |
| PairDrop | GPL-3.0 | Yes | Free (self-host); free public instance |
| FilePizza | BSD-3-Clause | Yes | Free (self-host) |
| OnionShare | GPL-3.0 | Yes | Free |
| WeTransfer | Proprietary | No | Freemium; paid Pro |
| Send Anywhere | Proprietary | No | Freemium; paid tiers |
| Smash | Proprietary | No | Freemium; paid tiers |
| Filemail | Proprietary | No | Freemium; paid tiers |
Feature Matrix
| Feature | croc | Wormhole | w-william | LocalSend | Warpinator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2E encrypted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (LAN) | Yes (LAN) |
| Self-host relay | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a (LAN) | n/a (LAN) |
| Interface | CLI | CLI | CLI | GUI | GUI |
| Resumable | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Folders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | PairDrop | FilePizza | OnionShare | WeTransfer | Send Anywhere | Smash | Filemail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2E encrypted | Yes | Yes | Yes (Tor) | No | Partial | No | No |
| Self-host | Yes | Yes | n/a | No | No | No | No |
| Interface | Web | Web | GUI/CLI | Web | Apps/Web | Web | Web |
| No install | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Large files | LAN/RTC | RTC | Tor | Limited* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
* = free tier caps size; paid tiers raise it.
SSO / OIDC
These are transfer tools, not account platforms: the OSS CLIs / desktop / LAN tools have no user login (n/a), and the cloud services use their own accounts / API keys rather than Authentik SSO.
| Tool | End-user SSO | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OSS CLI / desktop / LAN / WebRTC | N/A | No login; code phrase or LAN discovery |
| Cloud services | None | Vendor account / API key; not Authentik OIDC |
Suitability Summary
For MSP Customers
- Privacy-first / in-network: self-hosted croc relay, or LocalSend on the LAN.
- No-install browser transfer: PairDrop or FilePizza (self-hosted).
- Anonymity: OnionShare over Tor.
- Occasional big sends to outsiders, cloud OK: WeTransfer, Smash, Filemail, or Send Anywhere.
Tools
14 tools.
Airpipe
Airpipe is an MIT-licensed peer-to-peer file transfer tool that streams files directly between devices over WebRTC using a memorable passphrase, with a self-hostable relay that never sees the contents.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: hybrid · Deploy: docker, native · SSO: none
croc
croc is an MIT-licensed Go CLI that securely transfers files and folders between two computers with end-to-end encryption and a temporary code phrase, using a self-hostable relay.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: native, docker · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, p2p, cli, encryption
Filemail
Filemail is a cloud service for sending large files by link or email, via web, desktop, and mobile apps, with free and paid business tiers.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, cloud, large-files
FilePizza
FilePizza is a BSD-3-Clause app for peer-to-peer file transfers in the browser – files go directly from the sender’s browser to the receiver’s over WebRTC, with no upload to a server; self-hostable via Docker.
License: BSD-3-Clause (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, webrtc, browser, self-hosted
KeibiDrop
KeibiDrop is a peer-to-peer file-sharing tool with direct transfer and a FUSE virtual-folder mount, post-quantum end-to-end encryption, and an MPL-2.0 Go engine paired with a proprietary Rust desktop UI.
License: MPL-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: desktop · Deploy: native · SSO: none
LocalSend
LocalSend is an Apache-2.0 cross-platform app (desktop and mobile) that sends files between devices over the local network with no internet connection or third-party servers, using an encrypted REST API.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: desktop · Deploy: native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, lan, offline, cross-platform
Magic Wormhole
Magic Wormhole is an MIT-licensed Python CLI that moves files and text between computers using a short one-time code phrase (PAKE) for end-to-end encryption, brokered by a self-hostable relay.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, p2p, cli, encryption
OnionShare
OnionShare is a GPL-3.0 tool that securely and anonymously shares files, hosts websites, and chats over the Tor network as an onion service, with a desktop GUI and CLI and no third-party servers.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: desktop · Deploy: native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, tor, anonymity, encryption
PairDrop
PairDrop is a GPL-3.0 web / PWA app for local and cross-network file transfer directly between devices in the browser (WebRTC), self-hostable with a free public instance at pairdrop.net.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, webrtc, browser, self-hosted
Send Anywhere
Send Anywhere is a cross-platform cloud service that transfers files between devices using a one-time 6-digit key, with direct and cloud-relayed transfers and free and paid tiers.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, cloud, cross-platform
Smash
Smash is a cloud file-transfer service for sending large files with no hard size cap, sharing a download link via web and apps, with free and paid tiers.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, cloud, large-files
Warpinator
Warpinator is a GPL-3.0 GTK app from Linux Mint that shares files across the local network between computers, LAN-only by design, with group codes and a secure mode.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: desktop · Deploy: native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, lan, offline, linux
WeTransfer
WeTransfer is a cloud service for sending large files by uploading them and sharing a download link, via web and mobile apps, with free and paid (Pro) tiers.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, cloud, large-files
wormhole-william
wormhole-william is an MIT-licensed Go implementation of Magic Wormhole – a CLI and library for end-to-end-encrypted file, folder, and text transfer via a one-time code phrase, compatible with the Python client.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: cli · Deploy: native · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, p2p, cli, go
