WeTransfer alternatives, sorted by what you're actually sending
· TinyX · 7 min read
It is 6pm on a Thursday and you need to get a 4 GB video edit to a client before their Friday meeting. WeTransfer tells you that you have used your free transfers for the month.
So you go looking for an alternative, and every list you find ranks ten tools as if they all do the same job. They don't. A 40 GB folder of raw footage, a signed contract and a client's passport scan are three different problems, and the right tool for one is the wrong tool for the next.
We make one of the tools on this list, so read the rest with that in mind. We have tried to say plainly where the others beat us, because on file size most of them do.
What WeTransfer alternatives are actually competing on
Before comparing tools, it helps to know what you are choosing between. Almost every transfer service is competing on four things.
The first is size: how big a single transfer can be on the free plan. The second is how long the link lives and whether you choose that. The third is who can open it, which covers passwords, download limits and email restrictions. The fourth is who can read the file while it sits on the provider's servers.
Most people pick on size, then discover later that the fourth question was the one that mattered.
What WeTransfer's free plan gives you now
WeTransfer's free plan has changed, and many comparison posts are out of date. According to WeTransfer's own help centre, a free account can send up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in total in any rolling 30-day window. Free transfer links expire after a maximum of three days. We break the limits down in WeTransfer's free limit in 2026.
Passwords are no longer a paid extra. WeTransfer's free plan page says you can add a password or restrict a transfer to named email addresses on every plan, free included. So if a list tells you to leave WeTransfer because it has no passwords, that list is stale.
The paid Ultimate plan removes the transfer count, allows up to 1 TB per transfer, and lets you set custom expiry and recover a link after it has expired. That last point matters if you care about what happens to a file after delivery.
If you are sending something huge
For raw footage, big design files or a whole shoot, size is the only thing that matters, and TinyX is not the answer.
SwissTransfer lets you send up to 50 GB per transfer for free, with no account, and keep it available for up to 30 days. You can add a password and a download limit, and files are deleted automatically when the period ends. Infomaniak stores them in Switzerland and encrypts them in transit and at rest.
Filemail's free plan sends up to 5 GB per transfer, two transfers in any 24 hours, and deletes files after seven days. Smash sends 2 GB per transfer at full priority on its free plan, and bigger transfers join a queue behind paying users. Free transfers stay available for up to seven days.
Any of these will move a 4 GB edit tonight. TinyX's Free plan caps a single file at 150 MB, Pro at 1 GB and Max at 5 GB.
If the file is confidential
Contracts, medical letters, ID scans and anything under NDA raise a different question: can the provider read it?
Most services encrypt files in transit and on their own disks, but they hold the key. That protects you from a stolen hard drive, not from the provider itself or anyone who can compel it. End-to-end encryption means the file is encrypted on your device and the provider never receives the key. We go through three things 'encrypted' can mean if you want to check a provider's claim.
Two services give you that for free. Tresorit Send is free, encrypts files on your device before upload, and allows up to 5 GB, 100 files and 10 downloads per link, with links available for seven days. Proton Drive's free plan includes 5 GB of end-to-end encrypted storage, and Drive Plus costs $4.99 a month for 200 GB.
TinyX encrypts files in your browser with AES-256 before upload, but only on Pro and Max. If you need end-to-end encryption and you won't pay for it, Tresorit Send or Proton is the better pick. How TinyX encrypts your files explains how ours works.
If you want the link to die when you say so
This is the case TinyX was built for. You send a file, the recipient downloads it, and you want it gone, not sitting in a "recoverable" folder somewhere.
With TinyX you set a link to expire on a date, after a number of downloads, or both. A preview counts towards a single-file link's download limit, so "one download" really means one look. When the limit is reached, the file is deleted and the link shows a "Link Unavailable" page. It doesn't redirect anywhere and there is no recovery option.
Password protection and expiry are on the Free plan. You can also change where a short link points after you have shared it, on every plan. If you leave old links open, your share link from 2021 still works explains why that becomes a problem.
If files also need to come back to you
Most transfer tools are one-way. Collecting files from a client usually means asking them to create an account somewhere, or sending them your WeTransfer upload page.
TinyX upload links let someone send files straight to you through a link, with a password and a limit if you want one. End-to-end encryption is optional per upload link, and it needs a password. You can get a webhook when something arrives. Upload links come with Pro and Max. Smash also lists file reception on its paid plans.
TinyX also puts short links, QR codes and simple forms in the same account. If you are paying for a transfer tool, a link shortener and a form builder separately, that is the honest reason to look at us. If you only send big files, it isn't.
How the free plans compare
Checked on 9 October 2026 against each provider's own pages. Plans change, so check before you rely on a number.
| Tool | Free size limit | Free link life | Password on free | End-to-end on free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeTransfer | 10 transfers or 3 GB per 30 days | Up to 3 days | Yes | No |
| SwissTransfer | 50 GB per transfer | Up to 30 days | Yes | No (in transit and at rest) |
| Tresorit Send | 5 GB, 10 downloads | 7 days | Yes | Yes |
| Filemail | 5 GB, 2 transfers a day | 7 days | Not stated for free | No |
| Smash | 2 GB at priority | Up to 7 days | Not stated for free | No |
| Proton Drive | 5 GB storage | Storage, not transfer | Not checked | Yes |
| TinyX | 150 MB per file, 10 GB storage | You choose | Yes | Pro and Max only |
Questions people ask about WeTransfer alternatives
Is there a free version of WeTransfer? Yes. A free account sends up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in any rolling 30 days, and links last up to three days.
What is the best free WeTransfer alternative for large files? SwissTransfer, at 50 GB per transfer with no account. Filemail and Tresorit Send both allow 5 GB.
Which WeTransfer alternative has free end-to-end encryption? Tresorit Send and Proton Drive. TinyX offers it on Pro and Max, not Free.
Does TinyX keep files after a link expires? No. The file is deleted and the link shows a "Link Unavailable" page.
Where to start
If you mostly send files under 150 MB and want each link to stop working when the job is done, try it on the Free plan with your next delivery. If you need bigger files or end-to-end encryption, compare Pro and Max on the pricing page first.