What Is Ad-Hoc File Transfer?
Mix (14 tools)
- License: 10 open source · 4 proprietary
- Hosting: 10 self-hosted · 4 SaaS · 0 both
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 |
About this data & disclaimer
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. This catalogue serves as a reference for the resources, applications, devices, deployment payloads, and other components that the ResorsIT platform integrates, deploys, and manages. 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. This information is compiled on a best-effort basis: it may be incomplete, contain errors, and become out of date as tools, vendors, licences, and features change. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and independently verify and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it.
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 |
| Airpipe | Relay-brokered P2P (WebRTC) | No* | E2E (NaCl); self-hostable ~15 MB relay; CLI + browser |
| KeibiDrop | Direct P2P + relay fallback | No* | Post-quantum E2E; FUSE live-mount; LAN discovery |
| 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 | – | – |
| Airpipe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Browser | Yes |
| KeibiDrop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Planned | – |
| 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) |
| Airpipe | MIT | Yes | Free (self-host) |
| KeibiDrop | MPL-2.0 / Proprietary | Partial | Free (engine/CLI); UI proprietary |
| 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 | Airpipe | KeibiDrop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E2E encrypted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (LAN) | Yes (LAN) | Yes | Yes (PQ) |
| Self-host relay | Yes | Yes | Yes | n/a (LAN) | n/a (LAN) | Yes | Yes |
| Interface | CLI | CLI | CLI | GUI | GUI | CLI/Web | GUI/CLI |
| Resumable | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
| Folders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unknown | 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, direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
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: direct, docker · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, p2p, cli, encryption
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
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
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
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, direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, webrtc, browser, self-hosted
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
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: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential · Local host account
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: direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, lan, offline, cross-platform
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential · Local host account
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: direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, p2p, cli, encryption
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
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: direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, tor, anonymity, encryption
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential · Local host account
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, direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, webrtc, browser, self-hosted
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
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
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
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
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
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: direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, lan, offline, linux
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential · Local host account
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
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
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: direct · SSO: none · Tags: file-transfer, p2p, cli, go
ResorsIT usage: Deployment Payload
Access & Identity: Local host account · Key-based access
