What is OnionShare used for?

OnionShare is an open-source tool for sharing files, hosting websites and chatting anonymously over the Tor network, with desktop and mobile apps. It is a good fit for sending sensitive files without cloud services, receiving documents anonymously and hosting a temporary private website.

Is OnionShare open source?

Yes. OnionShare is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at onionshare/onionshare and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. OnionShare is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host OnionShare?

Yes. OnionShare can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is OnionShare an alternative to?

OnionShare is an open-source alternative to WeTransfer. Other open-source alternatives to WeTransfer include LocalSend, AlterSend and croc.

Is OnionShare actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to OnionShare was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.6.5, published on 28 July 2026. The project has 7.1k stars on GitHub.

OnionShare: open-source alternative to WeTransfer

About OnionShare

OnionShare is a tool, open source, for sharing files, hosting websites and chatting with others securely and anonymously through the Tor network. It works peer to peer: your computer starts a temporary onion service, and recipients use Tor Browser to reach it, so no third-party server holds the files.

Beyond file sharing, it can host an onion site, run a chat room and create a private drop box for receiving files. It is available as desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux, and mobile apps for Android and iOS developed in collaboration with the Guardian Project and The Calyx Institute. It comes preinstalled in privacy-focused operating systems such as Qubes OS, Tails and Parrot OS.

OnionShare is written in Python and developed by the Lockdown Systems collective, released under GPLv3 according to its website, while the repository lists the license as Other. Like all software it may contain bugs or vulnerabilities. It suits journalists, activists and anyone needing private file transfer without relying on cloud services.

Key features

Anonymous file sharing over Tor
Hosting onion websites
Chat rooms over Tor
Private file drop box
Desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux
Android and iOS apps
Preinstalled in Tails and Qubes OS

Good fit for

→Sending sensitive files without cloud services
→Receiving documents anonymously
→Hosting a temporary private website

Built with: Python
Tags: tor; file-sharing; privacy; anonymity; security; onion-service; chat; python; cross-platform

OnionShare: questions and answers

What is OnionShare used for?: OnionShare is an open-source tool for sharing files, hosting websites and chatting anonymously over the Tor network, with desktop and mobile apps. It is a good fit for sending sensitive files without cloud services, receiving documents anonymously and hosting a temporary private website.
Is OnionShare open source?: Yes. OnionShare is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at onionshare/onionshare and is written mainly in Python.
Is OnionShare free?: Yes. OnionShare is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host OnionShare?: Yes. OnionShare can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is OnionShare an alternative to?: OnionShare is an open-source alternative to WeTransfer. Other open-source alternatives to WeTransfer include LocalSend, AlterSend and croc.
Is OnionShare actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to OnionShare was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.6.5, published on 28 July 2026. The project has 7.1k stars on GitHub.