While looking for other ways to send files between my devices, I recently came across some great options to Airdrop. I often need to quickly share files, like photos, movies, and important documents, between different devices and platforms, whether I’m at home or at the office.
Airdrop is an easy way to share files that Apple has made available for those who may not be familiar with it. You can easily share things between Apple devices with this app. One problem I’ve seen with Airdrop is that it only works with Apple products.
In this segment, we will help you settle for a Wi-Fi transfer service of your choice, yes, the one that works on different platforms. Google is reportedly testing a new ‘Fast Share’ that works similarly to Apple’s Airdrop.
That’s what lets you share photos, text, and other files with nearby devices using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct without the Internet. Unfortunately, there is no word on when Fast Share will be officially announced, so until then here are some of the alternatives to Airdrops and they work on all platforms including Android, iOS, macOS and Windows. Below, we have mentioned the best Airdrop Alternative For Android And Windows.
Here is the list of 8 Best Airdrop Alternative For Android And Windows
SHAREit
SHAREit is a fairly popular free (includes ads) file-sharing application that works across almost all major platforms. The app lets you connect your smartphone to a PC or a Mac over the same Wi-Fi network by scanning a QR code or by connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot, that the app generates.
It has been designed to make sharing files between Windows, macOS, Android and iOS as easy as possible, without tripping users up with complicated protocols and configuration options, and without relying on the native sharing options already available.
Xender
Xender is a popular file sharing app available on multiple mobile platforms. You use it for free, but you will see advertisements. You connect your smartphone to your Windows PC or Mac thanks to a personal link that you can exchange. You can also create a QR code with the Xender web app. After that you will see all the files on the other device and download them too.
It is such an app which uses the Wi-Fi technology to transfer files quickly over two Wi-Fi enabled devices. The same technology used to transfer data between the Wi-Fi router and our Wi-Fi enabled laptop is used in the Xender to share the files. It has become the choice of millions within a few months of the arrival.
Send Anywhere
Send Anywhere works slightly differently from most of the services on this list. While the others often option for Wi-Fi, Send Anywhere uses a peer-to-peer protocol. You can exchange files over the internet without storing them on a server. You can therefore exchange files with friends who are close by, but also friends elsewhere in the world.
To initiate a file transfer, select a file and hit the Send button. You’ll then be given a six-digit code and QR code to send to your recipient. When you first get the codes to share, you will see a 10-minute timer counting down; at the end of 10 minutes, the codes expire. On the receiving end, you’ll need the Send Anywhere mobile app to enter the temporary six-digit code or to scan the QR code on iOS or Android devices or the Web app or Chrome app on a PC or Mac.
Instashare
Instashare is another great Airdrop alternative and that’s because it’s very similar to the Apple offering. After you have installed the app on your phone and PC, you can just hit the share button on a file and select Instashare. Then, the app will list the devices you can transfer files with.
Instashare lets you quickly and easily transfer video files, music files, PDF presentations, and more between iPhone, iPad, and Mac over local Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. There’s no pairing or fancy setup needed. As long as two or more devices are running Instashare in the same area, you’re good to go.
Snapdrop
Snapdrop is a free, open-source, cross-platform web app that allows you to share files regardless of the platform of the devices. It works for iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, and basically any other mobile or desktop platform that can run a browser. All you need is a person-to-person network to make the transfer.
Snapdrop is the most simple yet arguably one of the best AirDrop alternatives. Since AirDrop comes baked into iOS and macOS, you don’t have to go through a setup process and it’s the same with Snapdrop too. It’s a simple web app that lets you share files over the same network.
Filedrop
Filedrop is a pretty simple offering, which lets you share files over the same network with ease. What works for the app, is its ease of use. Like AirDrop, the app lets you share a file or multiple files with just a couple of taps. Select the device you want to share files with, then select the files from a built-in file manager and you are good to go.
In order to use it, several Macs need to be on the Wi-Fi network and sharing a file is as easy as drag-and-dropping it at you friend’s computer icon. It basically replaces USB stick and cloud services. Now, Filedrop works pretty much the same way, with exception that you can use it on Macs and Windows PC’s as well, which means that you effortlessly share files, and almost instantly.
Zapya
Zapya is also a quite famous file transfer app among mobile users. The app is apparently known for its seamless connectivity and the ease with which it can be used. Zapya works by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot and allows users to share files without bothering about the internet connection.
Zapya Web share is an Android app that allows users to access content on their phones from his/her web browser. The speeds are exceptionally fast and are the best solution to send/retrieve files from the user’s phone without the need for a USB cable.
NitroShare
NitroShare was designed to be simple. The application uses broadcast discovery to find other devices on the local network with NitroShare installed. NitroShare takes advantage of both the capable hardware and fast networks to accelerate sharing. As for the user interface, the file transfer looks clean and is quite lightweight.
NitroShare is built to take advantage of fast networks, easily achieving gigabit speeds on capable hardware. NitroShare runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Files can easily be transferred between machines running different operating systems.
Final Words
The alternatives to Airdrop are good enough to replace it. Whether you want a simple alternative to Airdrop or a more comprehensive file sharing solution, we have you covered on both fronts. AirDrop is available for several platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, Android, and online/web. The best alternative is Syncthing, which is free and open source. Other great applications like AirDrop are KDE Connect, RetroShare, ShareDrop and OnionShare.
