PairDrop
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 10 of 17 file transfer apps by recommenders
People recommend it as a browser-based, no-install way to send files between devices on the same network or over the internet, often as an AirDrop alternative for non-Apple devices.
People recommend it as a browser-based, no-install way to send files between devices on the same network or over the internet, often as an AirDrop alternative for non-Apple devices.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 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
No install, works in browser
“It's a pretty polished PWA you don't even need to install as it uses WebRTC P2P streaming in the local network or via TURN over internet.”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “works entirely in the browser and can connect to clients beyond your local network with "public" rooms”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “Only needs a web browser on either end, and doesn't take any prepwork.”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “Googlebook: Designed for Gemini Intelligence – Coming Fall 2026 – Googlebook” Cross-device AirDrop alternative
“gets the job done as a "good enough" cross-platform / cross-device AirDrop replacement”
Comment from 26 Apr 2026 in “Ask HN: What file sharing apps do you guys use?” “as someone who doesn't use Apple devices Pairdrop is pretty useful”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup”
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 |
| PairDropThis page | 10 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
7 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“meanwhile https://pairdrop.net/ always work”
“as someone who doesn't use Apple devices Pairdrop is pretty useful”
“The service is self-hostable, open-source and mainly free”
“Only needs a web browser on either end, and doesn't take any prepwork.”
“It's a pretty polished PWA you don't even need to install as it uses WebRTC P2P streaming in the local network or via TURN over internet.”
“works entirely in the browser and can connect to clients beyond your local network with "public" rooms”
“gets the job done as a "good enough" cross-platform / cross-device AirDrop replacement”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.