Snapdrop alternatives that still work
The direct replacement is PairDrop — it is the community fork of Snapdrop's own source, it works the way Snapdrop did, and unlike the original it also pairs devices that are not on the same network. If what you actually want is copy and paste rather than sending files, a browser clipboard like this one is a better fit than either.
What happened to Snapdrop
Snapdrop was a single-page site by Robin Linus: open it on two devices on the same Wi-Fi, they see each other, you drag a file across. No account, no app, no setup. It worked so well that it became the default recommendation for years.
The original project is still on GitHub under an open licence, but the
snapdrop.net domain changed hands and the site that
answers there now is operated commercially rather than by the original
author. Long-time users noticed the change in behaviour before they
noticed the change in ownership, which is why most people arrive at
this page describing a symptom rather than a cause.
Nothing here depends on that history, though. Every option below is free and open source, and you can check each claim against its own repository — which is the part that matters when a tool you rely on quietly becomes a different tool.
The alternatives, compared
| Tool | Account | Install | Across networks | Clipboard | Files |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PairDrop | None | None — browser | Yes — 6-digit code | Sends text as a message | P2P, no fixed cap |
| LocalSend | None | App on every device | Same network only | No | Direct, no cap |
| RealtimeClipboard | None | None — browser | Yes — short key | Lands on the system clipboard | P2P, 5 MB |
| Wormhole | None | None — browser | Yes — link | No | Up to 5 GB |
| KDE Connect | None | App on every device | Same network only | Yes | Direct, no cap |
Which one to pick
Sending a big file to someone in the room — LocalSend. It is a native app rather than a web page, so it is not bound by browser limits, and it is the most reliable of the set on a local network.
Snapdrop's exact workflow, in a browser — PairDrop. Same interface lineage, still free, and the 6-digit pairing code means the two devices no longer have to share a Wi-Fi network. This is the straight swap.
Moving text, links, codes and passwords between your own devices — this is where the file-transfer tools all get awkward. PairDrop can send text, but it arrives as a message you then have to select and copy by hand. What most people actually want is for the text to be on the clipboard at the other end, ready to paste.
Where RealtimeClipboard fits, and where it does not
- It is the clipboard, not a message
- Copy on one device, switch to the other, paste. Nothing to select.
- Different networks are fine
- Home Wi-Fi to mobile data works. The devices need not be near each other.
- Files are capped at 5 MB
- If you are moving a video, use LocalSend or PairDrop instead. This is not the tool for it.
- Automatic capture needs Chromium
- Firefox and Safari can send and receive pasted text, but cannot read the clipboard themselves.
- The key is the password
- Anyone who learns it can read that session. Lock it with a PIN for anything sensitive.
How it works, in three steps
- Open it on the first device. It generates a short key.
- Type that key on the second device, or scan the QR code.
- Copy anything. Switch to the other device and paste — it is already there.
Text is encrypted in your browser with AES-GCM before it is sent, and the relay routes by a hash of the key rather than the key itself, so the server never holds anything readable and stores nothing at all. Files go straight between the two browsers over WebRTC without touching it. The source is on GitHub under the MIT licence if you would rather read it than take the claim.
Common questions
Is Snapdrop still safe to use?
The original open-source code is unchanged and can still be self-hosted. The concern people raise is about the hosted site at the old domain, which is now run commercially by a different operator than the one who wrote it. If you want the original behaviour with a maintained community project behind it, PairDrop is the fork to use.
Is PairDrop the same as Snapdrop?
PairDrop began as a fork of Snapdrop and keeps the same core idea — open a page on two devices and send between them with no account. It adds pairing by 6-digit code and public rooms, which is what lets it work between devices on different networks. Snapdrop itself only ever discovered devices on the same local network.
What is the best Snapdrop alternative for text rather than files?
An online clipboard rather than a file-transfer tool. The difference is where the text ends up: a transfer tool delivers it as a message you have to copy manually, while an online clipboard puts it on the receiving device's system clipboard so you can paste it straight into whatever you were doing. That is what RealtimeClipboard does.
Do any of these work between different Wi-Fi networks?
PairDrop, Wormhole and RealtimeClipboard do. LocalSend, KDE Connect and the original Snapdrop are all limited to devices on the same local network by design — they discover each other by broadcasting on it. There is more detail in clipboard sync across different networks.
Are these free, and do they need an account?
Every tool in the table above is free and needs no account. PairDrop, LocalSend, KDE Connect and RealtimeClipboard are all open source, so you can host them yourself if you would rather not depend on anyone else's server staying the same.