// the take
Sharik is a Flutter app for transferring files between devices over a local Wi-Fi network, with no internet required and no Sharik installation needed on the receiving end. Recipients just open a browser — the sender serves files over HTTP directly from the app. It targets developers and privacy-conscious users who want a self-hosted alternative to AirDrop or cloud-based transfer tools.
The receiver-requires-no-app model is genuinely useful — you can send a file to someone's phone without them installing anything, since the transfer happens via a plain HTTP server. Flutter gives it real cross-platform reach: Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and macOS from one codebase, which is harder to pull off than it sounds. The localization coverage is solid — 25+ languages with flag assets bundled — showing real community investment beyond English-only. Distribution is well handled: F-Droid, Snap, a custom PPA, Scoop, and the Microsoft Store all covered.
The project appears effectively abandoned — last commit was July 2024, the README still says 'macOS: soon' and 'soon flatpak', and the Google Play account situation (developer got banned, app now hosted under a third-party account) is a red flag for anyone concerned about supply chain. No encryption on the HTTP transfer layer is mentioned anywhere, so anyone on the same network can intercept files in transit — fine for a trusted home network, a real problem on public Wi-Fi. There are no tests visible in the directory tree at all. The Windows binary is unsigned, which will trigger SmartScreen warnings on every install.
We read the README, the directory tree and a key source file in July 2026. Nobody pays to be listed. How we judge →