Most of us need to transfer data and files across various devices and platforms frequently. Fortunately, there are plenty of file-sharing applications available on the market, but AirDrop is the best among them. Unfortunately, the AirDrop feature is only available on Apple devices and not on Android, Windows, or other operating systems. In such cases, you can use AirDrop alternatives to transfer the files between devices.
There are several third-party file-sharing apps available on the market that are similar to AirDrop for non-Apple devices. So, here we’ve tested and listed some of the best AirDrop alternatives for Windows and Android that can work best for you to share and receive files easily.
Best AirDrop Alternatives to Transfer Files
After testing several applications, we’ve curated the top 12 alternatives to AirDrop for Android and Windows operating systems.
ALTERNATIVES | DESCRIPTION | PRICING | OUR RATING |
---|---|---|---|
Send Anywhere | A best Airdrop alternative for Android and iOS devices to share files. | Freemium | ★★★★★ |
Snapdrop | Most popular file-sharing app that has no limits while transferring files. | Free | ★★★★★ |
Windows Nearby Share | One of the best tools to share photos, videos, and files without any external app. | Free | ★★★★★ |
SHAREit | Free data transferring app for Android devices to share files without the internet. | Freemium | ★★★★★ |
Xender | An ad-supported file-sharing application to share files between Android and Windows. | Free | ★★★★☆ |
ShareMe | The application sends files with a maximum speed of 45 MB/s. | Freemium | ★★★★☆ |
Zapya | A unique app used to transfer files without any specific bandwidth. | Free | ★★★★☆ |
Instashare | Have a unique and user-friendly interface to share files across devices. | Freemium | ★★★★☆ |
ShareDrop | It is one of the best tools for sharing photos, videos, and files without any external app. | Free | ★★★☆☆ |
AirDroid | An all-in-one tool used to transfer files from iPhone to other devices. | Free | ★★★☆☆ |
Sweech | Easy to use application embeded with customization option to transfer files. | Freemium | ★★★☆☆ |
EaseUS MobiMover | With EaseUS MobiMover, users can transfer large files within minutes. | Free | ★★☆☆☆ |
Retroshare | A secure file-sharing application and alternative AirDrop for Windows and Android devices. | Free | ★★☆☆☆ |
Send Anywhere
Send Anywhere allows you to transfer files to apps between different devices, including Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, etc. This app is a little different from most file-sharing apps you have used. One of the main features of Send Anywhere is that you can share files with any device among compatible devices.
However, you don’t have to be near the destination device to transfer data. This application uses the internet and cloud storage to transfer data from one place to another for AirDrop online. It has free and premium versions, whereas the free version has a 20GB limit for sharing files.
- Pricing: Free + Premium ($4.99)
- Availability: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Kindle.
Snapdrop
If you are worried about limited storage space on your device and looking for a compact file transfer alternative, then Sanpdrop is for you. Snapdrop is a simple yet effective online file-sharing AirDrop alternative tool. This app allows file sharing with multiple devices across the same network.
Snapdrop is absolutely free and has no limit for file size. However, you should need a strong network for Snap Drop to function reliably.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Android, Web (can be used on all operating systems)
Windows Nearby Share
Windows Nearby Share is one of the best AirDrop alternatives that is free for the Windows operating system. This is a built-in software for Windows that allows you to transfer data from Windows to Windows without any additional third-party file-sharing app. Anyway, this feature is available only for Windows 10 and 11.
Moreover, Windows Nearby Share can be accessed from the settings app or the quick settings from the notification panel. This uses the same technology as AirDrop, which uses WiFi and Bluetooth to transfer files without the need for the internet. However, if you’re comparing Nearby Share Vs. AirDrop, Apple’s AirDrop, has better features than Windows Nearby Share.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Built-in feature for Windows 10 and 11
SHAREit
SHAREit is a free, popular file-sharing application that works on almost every platform. The app is absolutely free with a limited number of ads. The app allows you to connect your smartphone to a PC or Mac over the same WiFi network by scanning or using a WiFi hotspot that the app generates.
You can send any files between devices without any limit in a short duration. It doesn’t require an internet connection. The transfer speed will be influenced by the number of files you want to transfer. Apart from file-sharing SHAREit also offers options to backup files.
- Pricing: Free + Premium ($5.99)
- Availability: Windows, Android, iOS.
Xender
Xender is one of the best file-sharing apps available on most platforms, and it is free of cost. Most free file-sharing apps are ad-supported, but Xender doesn’t bother with ads between your transfers. Connecting your PC with your smartphone and sharing the files between them is made simple with Xender.
Hopefully, this app supports all file formats and has no limits for sharing files. You can download files from your phone or transfer files from your PC to your phone at high speed. Moreover, Xender has a dedicated app for Android and iOS devices. You can also set up a personal hotspot on your phone and connect your PC using Xender.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, PC, and Mac.
ShareMe
ShareMe is the best alternative to AirDrop. The application lets you share media files from one device to another with the fastest transfer speed. Its neat and user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to understand. You can also subscribe to its premium plan to enjoy the premium features offered by ShareMe. It doesn’t require an internet connection to share files between devices.
- Pricing: $7.99/month
- Availability: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, and Web.
Zapya
Zapya is one of the best file-sharing platforms available on almost all platforms, including the web. This tool is absolutely free but contains intrusive advertisements while sharing files. This app allows you to share all types of files over the same network without any specific bandwidth range. Meanwhile, the process is quite simple and requires only a few clicks to transfer files from your phone to a PC or vice versa.
Also, the transfer process is pretty speedy and has no limitations on the size of the file. This app has a feature called Shake to Connect, which connects your phone if you shake them simultaneously, which is pretty cool. Moreover, you also access Zapya through the web.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, and Web.
Instashare
Instashare is one of the best AirDrop alternatives due to its unique and user-friendly interface. The connecting process does not require any password or pairing to share the files between devices. After downloading the application on your PC and phone, you can transfer files by just tapping on the Share button and selecting Instashare.
Similar to other applications, this app supports all file types and has no limitation on file sizes. In order to share texts and links easily, Instashare has a clipboard sync feature which is more convenient for users.
- Pricing: Free + Premium ($0.99)
- Availability: Windows, Android, macOS, iOS.
ShareDrop
For people who don’t want to install any file transfer application, try ShareDrop. It is one of the best online alternatives to AirDrop. You can transfer files between devices without installing any application or software. It is a secure peer-peer platform. This platform is secured and encrypted. You can directly transfer files without uploading them to any server.
No registration is required and it is absolutely ad-free. Visit the official website of ShareDrop, and drag & drop the files to share between devices with ease.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Web-based.
AirDroid
AirDroid is a mobile management tool that transfers files across different devices. This app is designed for safe, lossless, and wireless file transfer. It is an all-in-one app that can do a lot of things. You can manage your files and documents remotely across different devices. It is a hyper-fast file transfer platform that does not require any internet connection.
Some additional features of this app include screen mirroring, remote monitoring, remote control, and SMS management.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Web Online.
Sweech
Sweech is a helpful tool for exchanging files on Android phones, tablets, or PC. This an easy-to-use app that creates an IP address and is used to enter the web on any other device. After that, you can view and download files accordingly. With Sweech, you can link an unlimited number of devices.
Transferring files on the Sweech platform does not have any size limit. Sweech offers both premium versions. The premium version offers more useful features like password protection and encryption.
- Pricing: Free + Premium ($1.99 per item)
- Availability: Android
EaseUS MobiMover
EaseUS MobiMover is one of the best alternatives to AirDrop for the web. If you want to transfer files from your iPhone to your PC or Mac due to storage problems, you can use EaseUS MobiMover. This tool also supports WhatsApp backup from iPhone to PC. One-click backup and transferring files are the distinctive features of EaseUS MobiMover.
It supports various file formats such as music, contacts, movies, messages, etc. EaseUS MobiMover is an easy-to-use tool with a clear and simple interface to access all features at no cost.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: macOS, iOS, Windows.
Retroshare
Retroshare is one of the best AirDrop alternatives for the Windows operating system. This app uses a private and secure decentralized communication system. You can share photos, videos, and other files with your friends without any hassle. Additionally, It allows secure calling and encrypted messaging across the network.
The only drawback of Retroshare is the old interface. Retroshare is absolutely free with no ad or hidden costs. You can download the Retroshare app according to your device from the official website of Retroshare.
- Pricing: Free
- Availability: Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Haiku.
FAQ
Send Anywhere is one of the best alternatives for AirDrop.
Windows Nearby Share is the best alternative to AirDrop for Windows 11 and 10.
Yes, Nearby Share is the best Google equivalent to AirDrop for Android devices.
Quick Share is the Samsung’s alternative to AirDrop. It will be quite interesting when there is a battle between AirDrop Vs. Quick Share. Even though Quick Share has plenty of modern features, it cannot beat the transfer speed of AirDrop.