KDE Connect alternative for Android, Windows and Linux
KDE Connect vs Personal Device Bridge: platforms, open source, transfers across networks without a VPN, encryption and Korean features compared.
Personal Device Bridge is an alternative to KDE Connect if you want your Android phone and PC to keep working together when they’re on different networks, without setting up your own VPN. KDE Connect is open source and runs on more systems, including macOS and iOS; Personal Device Bridge is not open source; it has a Windows app and a Linux command-line tool, and adds Noise end-to-end encryption across networks and features made for Korea.
At a glance
- Connects across networks automatically, directly or through an encrypted relay.
- Noise end-to-end encryption on every path, the relay included.
- Both work without an account and both are free.
- Clipboard, notifications and phone-as-touchpad on both.
- Korean 공동인증서 and HWP documents.
Step by step
Install on your devices
Get the Windows app or the Linux command-line tool, and the Android APK, from this site.
Pair once on the same network
On Windows click Add device; on Linux run
pdb serve --pair. On the phone tap Scan QR code and approve when the 6-digit codes match.Send something
Tap Files on the phone, drop a file on Send files on Windows, or run
pdb send <device> <file>on Linux.Leave home and try again
With both apps running, send again from mobile data. The devices connect over the internet with nothing to configure (Connect over the internet).
Side by side
| Feature | PDB | KDE Connect |
|---|---|---|
| PC | Windows · Linux (CLI) | Windows · macOS · Linux |
| Phone | Android | Android · iOS |
| Works without an account | Yes | Yes |
| Transfers between different networks | YesDirect, or an encrypted relay | NoSame network or your own VPN |
| Encrypted between devices | YesEnd-to-end (Noise) | YesTLS |
| Clipboard sync | Yes | Yes |
| Phone notifications on the PC | Yes | Yes |
| Phone as touchpad and keyboard for the PC | Yes | Yes |
| Korean 공동인증서 and HWP documents | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | YesGPL |
| Free to use | Yes | Yes |
Checked on against each vendor’s own documentation. Products change, so please check the sources.
Where the other app does more
- KDE Connect is open source (GPL). Personal Device Bridge is not.
- KDE Connect runs on macOS as well as Windows and Linux, and has an iOS app.
- On Linux, the supported version of Personal Device Bridge is a command-line tool.
When Personal Device Bridge is the better fit
- Your devices are often on different networks and you don’t want to run your own VPN.
- You want Noise end-to-end encryption on every path, including a relay.
- You move a 공동인증서 or print HWP files.
Questions
Is Personal Device Bridge open source?
No. If open source is a requirement, KDE Connect (GPL) or LocalSend (Apache-2.0) fit better.
Is there a Linux desktop app?
The supported Linux version is the pdb command-line tool for 64-bit Linux, and that is what this guide covers.
Do my devices need to be on the same network?
Only to pair. After that, they connect over the internet automatically, end-to-end encrypted.
Does it support iPhone or Mac?
There is no iPhone app, and macOS is not officially supported. The phone app is for Android 8.0 or later; the PC side runs on Windows 10 and 11 or as a command-line tool on 64-bit Linux. If you need macOS or iOS, KDE Connect covers them.