Snapdrop
Ranked 3 of 3 file sharing apps by recommenders
People like that it needs no setup or signup and sends files directly between devices. Critics report unreliable transfers, heavy ads, and a sale to LimeWire.
People like that it needs no setup or signup and sends files directly between devices. Critics report unreliable transfers, heavy ads, and a sale to LimeWire.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 45%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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 setup or signup needed
“I like the way this thing just use without setup no sign up”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” Direct device-to-device transfer
“Directly, no intermediate.”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” Reliable for most transfers
“found it pretty reliable. It sometimes would not transfer”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Acquired by LimeWire, declined
“it was sold to LimeWire along with some other similar P2P sites”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” “snapdrop got acquired and enshittified by LimeWire”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop” “this is another fishy play by LimeWire”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” Transfers fail or stall
“File transfers do not work. Even after allowing microphone access on both ends.”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” “found it pretty reliable. It sometimes would not transfer”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” Service goes down often
“Terrible service. I used to use it back in the days until it starting going down all of the time.”
Comment from 18 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: Snapdrop: Instantly share files between devices. No setup, no signup” “development or hosting or both seem to keep dying off the various forks every few years”
Comment from 16 Jul 2026 in “P2P local file transfer based on WebRTC”
Other file sharing apps people recommend
The two most recommended other file sharing 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirDrop | 54 | 67 | 45% | 10 | — | — |
| Google Quick Share | 11 | 18 | 38% | 5 | — | — |
| SnapdropThis page | 5 | 6 | 45% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I like the way this thing just use without setup no sign up”
“it was sold to LimeWire along with some other similar P2P sites”
“Directly, no intermediate.”
“the ads seemed to be covering the nearby devices, and it felt like full scam-ware”
“Terrible service. I used to use it back in the days until it starting going down all of the time.”
“this is another fishy play by LimeWire”
“found it pretty reliable. It sometimes would not transfer”
“File transfers do not work. Even after allowing microphone access on both ends.”
“development or hosting or both seem to keep dying off the various forks every few years”
“snapdrop got acquired and enshittified by LimeWire”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.