Can LocalSend work over the internet?

No. LocalSend is local-only by design — it discovers devices by broadcasting on your local network, so both devices have to be on the same Wi-Fi or LAN. There is no setting to enable internet transfers, because sending over the internet would mean leaving the local network LocalSend deliberately never leaves.

Does LocalSend work across different subnets?

Usually not. LocalSend finds devices with a UDP multicast broadcast plus HTTP requests to the local subnet. Multicast normally doesn't cross subnet boundaries, and many routers block it between VLANs or guest networks, so devices on different subnets typically can't see each other.

Can I use LocalSend with a VPN or Tailscale?

Yes, and it's the most common workaround. If you put both devices on the same virtual network — Tailscale, ZeroTier, or a self-hosted WireGuard VPN — LocalSend sees them as local and transfers work. The tradeoff is that you have to install, configure, and keep a VPN running on both devices, and the other person has to be on your network too, which rarely works for sending something to a client or a friend.

What's the easiest way to send files between two different Wi-Fi networks?

Use a tool built for it. AlterSend transfers files directly between devices anywhere on the internet — no VPN, no hotspot, no cloud upload. You pair the two devices once with a QR code or join code, and after that they connect directly wherever they are.

Is sending over the internet less private than LocalSend?

Not with AlterSend. Files are end-to-end encrypted and travel directly between the two devices — they're never uploaded to or stored on a server. The difference from LocalSend is reach, not exposure: your devices find each other over a peer-to-peer network instead of a local broadcast.

AlterSend

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LocalSend over the internet.

Q: Is there a LocalSend alternative that works over the internet?

Yes — AlterSend. It keeps what people like about LocalSend (free, open source, end-to-end encrypted, no accounts, no size limits, files never stored on a server) and adds internet-wide transfer, so your devices don't have to share a network.

LocalSend is local-only by design — both devices have to sit on the same network. Here's why it works that way, what the hotspot and VPN workarounds actually cost you, and how to send files across different networks without either.

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AlterSend sending files between devices on different networks

AlterSend on iPhone receiving files over the internet

Why LocalSend can't do it

This isn't a missing feature or a bug — it's the whole design. LocalSend finds nearby devices by broadcasting a UDP multicast packet across your local network, then falls back to HTTP requests aimed at the local subnet. Both of those stop at the edge of your network.

Multicast traffic normally doesn't cross subnet boundaries, and plenty of routers block it between VLANs or guest networks. So two devices on different Wi-Fi networks — or even different subnets in the same building — simply never see each other. There's no setting to turn on, because reaching across the internet would mean leaving the local network LocalSend deliberately never leaves.

That's a legitimate trade. Staying local is exactly why LocalSend is private and needs no servers. It just means the moment your devices aren't on one network, you need a different tool.

The three usual workarounds

These are what you'll find in the GitHub discussions and forum threads. They all work — each just costs you something.

Phone hotspot

Turn on a hotspot, have the other device join it, then run LocalSend.

Only works if you're physically next to each other — which defeats the point.

VPN / Tailscale / ZeroTier

Put both devices on the same virtual network so LocalSend sees them as local.

Install and configure on both devices, keep it running, and the recipient has to join your network too.

Upload to cloud storage

Drop the file in Drive or Dropbox and send a link.

Your files land on someone else's server — the exact thing LocalSend users are avoiding.

The option without a trade-off

AlterSend keeps everything people choose LocalSend for — free, open source, end-to-end encrypted, no accounts, no size limits, files never stored on a server — and drops the same-network requirement. Your devices find each other over a peer-to-peer network instead of a local broadcast, so they can be anywhere.

No shared network needed

Different Wi-Fi, different city, different country — it just connects.

No VPN to set up

No Tailscale, no WireGuard, no hotspot juggling. Pair once and send.

Still never touches a server

End-to-end encrypted, peer-to-peer. Files are never uploaded or stored.

Still free and open source

Apache-2.0 and auditable — the same reason you picked LocalSend.

If you want the full side-by-side, see AlterSend vs LocalSend.

Sending across networks, start to finish

01
Install on both devices
Free on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android — no account to create.
02
Scan a code to pair
One QR scan or a 6-character join code links them, wherever they are.
03
Send, directly
Files go straight across the internet, encrypted. Any size, no cloud storage.

AlterSend transferring files between devices on different networks

Questions

Same privacy. No network limit.

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Free, open source, and native on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and Android.