ZiggSend vs Snapdrop and PairDrop · Head to head

ZiggSend vs Snapdrop and PairDrop

Snapdrop invented the idea: nothing to install, open a page on both devices, drop a file. Snapdrop itself was acquired by LimeWire and snapdrop.net is now an upload service with ads; PairDrop carries the original model on. The browser is also its ceiling.

What it does well

  • PairDrop: nothing to install, works from any browser
  • PairDrop: free and open source (GPL-3.0), no account
  • Same network, or paired devices across networks

Where it stops

  • The file passes through a browser tab that has to stay open
  • Resume: not documented
  • Verification of what arrived: not documented

Side by side

CriterionSnapdrop and PairDropZiggSend
DevicesAnything with a browseriPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
Original qualityYesAlways, verified byte for byte
Size limitNone publishedNone
Needs the cloudA signaling server (and a relay server when a direct link fails)No
VerificationNot advertisedSHA-256 on every file
PriceFreeFree with 1 phone; Pro $39/year

When to use which

One PDF to a colleague’s laptop: PairDrop. A camera roll, a 4K project or anything you would mind losing: ZiggSend.

Measured, not promised. 22 GB in 184 files with 0 failures from an Android to a Mac over a USB 2 cable (about 28 MB/s); an 806 MB video over home Wi-Fi in 46 s; up to 49.7 MB/s over Wi-Fi from a Mac to an iPhone. Every file is checked against the original on arrival. How we measure.

Free forever with 1 phone. Pro when you need it.

The phone apps are free. So is the computer app, with one paired phone. Pro — several phones, full history, automatic folders, up to 3 computers — is $39 a year, or $19 once for the first 1,000 founders.

Get ZiggSend

Questions people actually ask

Is Snapdrop still the same?

No. Snapdrop was acquired by LimeWire, and snapdrop.net now uploads files to LimeWire’s service, with ads and an optional account. The original open-source code can still be self-hosted, and PairDrop keeps the browser-to-browser model.

Does ZiggSend need a browser?

No. It is an app on each device, which is how it gets resume and, from Android to the Mac, a cable mode.

Is PairDrop different from Snapdrop?

PairDrop is a maintained fork with persistent pairing across networks and temporary public rooms. Same browser-based model: no documented resume or integrity check.

How do I use Snapdrop?

Snapdrop was acquired by LimeWire, and snapdrop.net now works as LimeWire’s upload service, with ads. The original model lives on in PairDrop: open pairdrop.net on both devices on the same Wi-Fi; each shows the other by a random name; drop the file on it and accept on the other side. Nothing to install, which is also its limit: the file passes through the browser tab, and neither resume nor an integrity check is documented.

Related guides

Videos from Android to a PC or laptop without compressionVideos from iPhone to a PC or laptop without compressionVideos from Android to a Mac or MacBook without compression

Compared with

ZiggSend vs AirDropZiggSend vs Phone LinkZiggSend vs LocalSendZiggSend vs iCloud