Blip
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 7 of 17 file transfer apps by recommenders
People recommend Blip for AirDrop-style file sharing between devices after pairing, working across networks and most platforms, with fast transfers on the same LAN.
People recommend Blip for AirDrop-style file sharing between devices after pairing, working across networks and most platforms, with fast transfers on the same LAN.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works across most platforms and devices
“Works like charm, supported on pretty much all platforms, works on local and non-local networks”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “I just use blip to send files to anyone on any device but it requires an account”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “I just use blip to send files to anyone on any device”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” - Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop”
Works across different networks
“I've recently started using blip, which works very similarly to airdrop after the initial pairing has happened. The devices do not need to be on the same network etc.”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “Blip definitely has a better UX and it's nice that it can transfer between networks through their servers”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “Works like charm, supported on pretty much all platforms, works on local and non-local networks”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” - Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop”
Simple AirDrop-like file sharing
“I've recently started using blip, which works very similarly to airdrop after the initial pairing has happened. The devices do not need to be on the same network etc.”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “Blip definitely has a better UX and it's nice that it can transfer between networks through their servers”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop”
Other file transfer apps people recommend
The four most recommended other file transfer apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LocalSend | 81 | 25 | 76% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Magic Wormhole | 21 | 6 | 78% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Kermit | 15 | 4 | 79% | 2 | — | — |
| croc | 13 | 3 | 81% | 5 | — | Approved |
| BlipThis page | 11 | 1 | 92% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I have a variable integer length encoding scheme that beats out LEB128, Protobuf, varint and ASN.1”
“On a 5090 it was able to generate text descriptions of a folder full of approximately 500 images in under a minute.”
“It does require an internet connection though, which is worse.”
“I just use blip to send files to anyone on any device but it requires an account”
“I just use blip to send files to anyone on any device”
“Blip definitely has a better UX and it's nice that it can transfer between networks through their servers”
“blip works better on ios and windows”
“I've recently started using blip, which works very similarly to airdrop after the initial pairing has happened. The devices do not need to be on the same network etc.”
“Works like charm, supported on pretty much all platforms, works on local and non-local networks”
“It doesn't require you to be on the same network.”
“writes raw LE bytes with a single memcpy instead of shifting and masking 7 bits at a time”
“share a link, chat, and shred everything when you're done”
“It's super-fast, especially when the devices are on the same LAN.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.