OnionShare vs Send (Timvisee fork)
Self-host pick — both replace WeTransfer (Large file transfer / one-off send).
Both OnionShare and Send (Timvisee fork) self-host as a replacement for WeTransfer (Large file transfer / one-off send). Pick OnionShare if you want a GPL-licensed codebase (GPL-3.0); pick Send (Timvisee fork) for MPL (MPL-2.0). Both run in roughly the same cost bracket — $0 — runs on your laptop or desktop; no vps needed vs $5 vps; encrypted blobs in redis or filesystem, very cheap to run.
| OnionShareopen-source | Send (Timvisee fork)open-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Setup time | 5min installer (desktop app) | 10min docker run |
| Monthly cost | $0 — runs on your laptop or desktop; no VPS needed. | $5 VPS; encrypted blobs in Redis or filesystem, very cheap to run. |
| GitHub | onionshare/onionshare | timvisee/send |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer |
Good fit for
OnionShare
Ad-hoc, fully-anonymous transfers — journalist→source, sensitive documents, situations where you don't want a public IP in the chain.
Weak at:Recipients must use Tor Browser; speed depends on the Tor network — fine for documents, slow for >10GB.
Send (Timvisee fork)
Privacy-first sends where you want client-side encryption and predictable expiry semantics — the closest spiritual heir to Firefox Send.
Weak at:No persistent accounts or per-recipient analytics — it's intentionally one-off and ephemeral.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli wetransfer prints WeTransfer's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, OnionShare or Send (Timvisee fork)?
OnionShare: 5min installer (desktop app). Send (Timvisee fork): 10min docker run.
What does each cost to run?
OnionShare: $0 — runs on your laptop or desktop; no VPS needed.. Send (Timvisee fork): $5 VPS; encrypted blobs in Redis or filesystem, very cheap to run.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do OnionShare and Send (Timvisee fork) replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to WeTransfer.