WeTransfer alternative
The best free WeTransfer alternatives
WeTransfer's free plan used to be the easy default. In 2026 it is a monthly allowance: ten transfers or 3 GB in total, whichever runs out first, and every link disappears after three days. Plenty of people only notice when a single 3 GB video uses up the whole month. The good news is that the alternatives have moved the other way, with free tiers that send 50 GB, keep files for weeks or encrypt them before they leave your browser. This guide explains exactly what WeTransfer's free plan counts, ranks eight replacements by what they are best at, and helps you pick by job: a client delivery, a private document, a huge video or a file for someone in the same room. BIShare is on the list; it sends up to 100 GB by link, encrypted on your device, or straight to a nearby device with no upload at all. Free, open source, no account.
BIShare is ours. It is not the right pick for every job below, especially when a file has to stay available for weeks, and the rankings say so.
Quick answer
- Most generous free limit with long storage: SwissTransfer sends up to 50 GB and keeps files for 15 days, extendable to 30.
- No size cap at all: Smash accepts any size on its free plan, but transfers over 2 GB wait in a queue behind paying users; files stay 7 days.
- Private by design, from a browser: Wormhole encrypts files before upload, up to 10 GB, and deletes them after 24 hours.
- Big files, encrypted on your device, no account: BIShare links carry up to 100 GB for 24 hours, and devices on the same network send directly with no size limit.
- Files that should live in a folder, not a link: Proton Drive shares end-to-end encrypted links with passwords and expiry dates from 5 GB of free storage.
- You like WeTransfer and just need more: its Ultimate plan sends up to 1 TB per transfer, with passwords and custom expiry.
What WeTransfer's free plan actually allows in 2026
WeTransfer describes the free plan as up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in total in any rolling 30-day window. The wording is short, and the consequences are easy to miss.
It is a monthly pool, not a per-file limit
A single transfer can be as large as 3 GB, but that 3 GB is also the whole allowance for 30 days. Send one large video on the first of the month and the next transfer is blocked until the window rolls forward; send ten small PDFs and you are equally stuck, even if they add up to 20 MB.
Links last three days
Free transfers expire after three days, and there is no option to extend them without a paid plan. A recipient who is travelling or away for a long weekend can easily return to a dead link, which means sending the file again and spending another slot.
The extras sit behind paid plans
Passwords and custom expiry dates belong to WeTransfer's Ultimate plan, and recipients of free transfers see WeTransfer's advertising on the download page. Starter raises the allowance to 300 GB per 30 days, and Ultimate removes the monthly count and allows up to 1 TB per transfer.
Why people started looking for a WeTransfer alternative
Limits are only part of the story. Three changes in the last two years pushed regular users to compare other services.
A new owner and a new free plan
Bending Spoons, the Italian company behind apps such as Evernote, bought WeTransfer in 2024. The free plan was reworked after the acquisition into today's allowance of 10 transfers or 3 GB per 30 days, replacing the simpler per-transfer limit many people were used to.
The July 2025 terms clause
In July 2025 WeTransfer published new terms that included a broad licence over uploaded content and a reference to improving machine learning models. After a wave of criticism from photographers and designers, the company rewrote the clause on 15 July 2025, limiting the licence to running and improving the service and removing the machine learning wording. The episode left many creative users checking what else they had agreed to.
Advertising in front of your clients
On the free plan, the person downloading your file sees WeTransfer's full-page advertising. For a portfolio, a contract or a client delivery, that is the first impression they get of your work.
Eight WeTransfer alternatives, ranked
BIShare
Best overall: big encrypted links, plus direct transfer when you are nearby
Browser, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux · open source (MIT) · links up to 100 GB, 24 hours · direct on one network with no size limit · encrypted on your device · no account, no ads
BIShare works like WeTransfer when the recipient is far away: open bishare.app/transfer or the app, add files, and share the link, QR code or 6-character code. The difference is what happens before upload. The file is encrypted on your device, and the key travels in the part of the link after the # sign, which browsers never send to a server, so what BIShare stores is unreadable to it. The recipient downloads in any browser without signing in or seeing ads. When the other person is in the same office or on the same Wi-Fi, the app skips the internet entirely and sends device to device at local network speed, with no limit on size.
Watch out for: Links stop working after 24 hours, which is shorter than WeTransfer's three days, so it is a delivery tool rather than a place to leave files. There is no branded download page for client work.
SwissTransfer
Best free limit with long storage
Browser, iOS and Android apps · free · up to 50 GB per transfer · kept 15 days, extendable to 30 · no account · run by Infomaniak, a Swiss hosting company
SwissTransfer is the closest thing to the old, generous WeTransfer: drop files in, get a link or send it by email, and the recipient downloads without an account. Fifty gigabytes per transfer covers almost any video project, and files stay available for 15 days, with an offer to extend to 30 sent to the sender by email before they expire. For anyone who wants their data handled by a European provider, the Swiss operator is part of the appeal.
Watch out for: Infomaniak does not document encryption in the browser before upload, so the provider can technically access stored files. Uploading 50 GB still takes as long as your connection needs.
Smash
Best when the file is bigger than any free cap
Browser, iOS, Android · free plan with no size limit · transfers over 2 GB are queued behind paid plans · kept 7 days · password protection on free · no account to send
Smash is the only well-known service whose free plan puts no ceiling on transfer size. Small transfers go out straight away; anything over 2 GB joins a queue behind Pro and Team customers, which can add noticeable waiting at busy times. Files stay for seven days, you can add a password on the free plan, and there is no monthly count of transfers.
Watch out for: The queue makes delivery times unpredictable for big files. Smash describes its encryption as in transit and at rest; it does not document encryption in your browser before upload.
Wormhole
Best private link from a browser, up to 10 GB
Any browser · free · up to 10 GB · end-to-end encrypted in the browser · link expires after 24 hours · files over 5 GB go peer to peer
Wormhole encrypts files in your browser before anything is uploaded, and the key lives in the link, so the service cannot read what it stores. Files up to 5 GB are held on its servers for 24 hours; larger ones are streamed directly from your browser to the recipient's, which means your tab has to stay open until they finish downloading. For a signed contract or a scan of an ID card sent from a borrowed computer, it is hard to beat.
Watch out for: 10 GB is the ceiling, links last only a day, and transfers over 5 GB depend on both browsers staying online at once.
Proton Drive
Best when the file should stay in an encrypted folder
Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android · 5 GB free storage · end-to-end encrypted · share links with optional password and expiry date · Proton account required
Proton Drive is cloud storage rather than a transfer service, which suits files you want to keep and share repeatedly: a portfolio, a set of contracts, a folder a client comes back to. Everything is encrypted on your device, and public links can be protected with a password and set to expire on a date you choose. The recipient does not need a Proton account to download.
Watch out for: The sender needs an account, and 5 GB of free storage fills up quickly with video. It is slower than a dedicated transfer service for one-off large files.
Filemail
Best for a few 5 GB transfers with unlimited downloads
Browser, desktop and mobile apps · free: 5 GB per transfer · 2 transfers per 24 hours · kept 7 days · unlimited downloads · no registration
Filemail's free service is simple: up to 5 GB per transfer, no sign-up, and files kept for a week with no limit on how many times or by how many people they are downloaded. That makes it handy for sending one file to a whole mailing list. Paid plans raise the size and storage limits for business use.
Watch out for: Only two free transfers per 24 hours, 5 GB per transfer, and no documented encryption in the browser before upload.
TransferNow
Solid free tier for 5 GB, no monthly count
Browser · free: 5 GB per transfer · kept 7 days · no monthly transfer limit published · account optional
TransferNow covers the same ground as WeTransfer's free plan with a larger per-transfer limit and a longer life for each link: 5 GB, available for seven days. It sends by link or email, and the download page is straightforward. For regular mid-size transfers it avoids WeTransfer's 30-day pool.
Watch out for: 5 GB is still small for raw video, and larger sizes, passwords and longer storage need a paid plan.
WeTransfer on a paid plan
Best if your clients expect a WeTransfer link
Browser and apps · Starter: 10 transfers or 300 GB per 30 days · Ultimate: unlimited transfers, up to 1 TB each, passwords, custom expiry · no ads
Plenty of agencies and studios stay with WeTransfer because clients recognise the email and the download page. If that familiarity matters, the paid plans fix most of the free plan's problems: Starter lifts the monthly volume to 300 GB, and Ultimate removes the transfer count, raises the per-transfer size to 1 TB and adds passwords and custom expiry dates.
Watch out for: You pay every month for what several alternatives give free, and Starter still counts transfers. Files are not encrypted in the browser before upload.
At a glance
| Feature | BIShare | WeTransfer (free) | SwissTransfer | Smash | Wormhole | Filemail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 GB or more in one free transfer | ||||||
| Files kept a week or longer | ||||||
| Encrypted in the browser before upload | ||||||
| Direct device-to-device option | ||||||
| Open source |
Free plans as documented in September 2026. BIShare: 100 GB links for 24 hours, direct transfer with no size limit when devices share a network. WeTransfer free: 10 transfers or 3 GB in total per 30 days, 3-day links. SwissTransfer: 50 GB, 15 days, extendable to 30. Smash: no size limit, transfers over 2 GB queued, 7 days. Wormhole: 10 GB, 24 hours; files over 5 GB are sent peer to peer while both browsers stay open. Filemail: 5 GB, 2 transfers per 24 hours, 7 days. The encryption row marks services that document encryption in the browser before upload; the others describe encryption in transit and on their servers.
Which alternative for which job
Most people need two of these, not one: a link service for people far away and something faster for colleagues in the same building.
Sending a finished project to a client
Pick something that keeps the file long enough for a client who opens email late: SwissTransfer for up to 50 GB and two to four weeks, or WeTransfer's paid plan if the client expects that name. A BIShare link works too, but set a reminder, because it lasts 24 hours.
Sending a contract, ID or medical file
Use a service that encrypts in the browser, so the provider never holds a readable copy: Wormhole for up to 10 GB, a BIShare link for more, or Proton Drive if the document should stay in a protected folder.
Moving a very large video
Over 50 GB, the free choices narrow to BIShare, with links up to 100 GB and unlimited direct transfer on the same network, and Smash, which has no size cap but queues large free transfers. If both people are on one network, skip uploading entirely.
Sharing with someone in the same room or office
Uploading a file to a server so a colleague two desks away can download it again wastes time and bandwidth. A direct transfer with BIShare, AirDrop between Apple devices or Quick Share between Android and Windows moves it across the local network in seconds.
Sending a large file with BIShare
Open the transfer page or the app
Go to bishare.app/transfer in any browser, or open BIShare on your phone or computer. No account and no email address are needed.
Add files and create the link
Drop in files or folders up to 100 GB. They are encrypted on your device while they upload, and you get a link, a QR code and a 6-character code.
Send it, or send directly
Paste the link into email or chat; the recipient downloads in any browser within 24 hours. If they are on the same Wi-Fi and have the app, pick their device instead and the files go straight across with nothing uploaded.
Why big transfers feel slow, and how to speed them up
Every link-based service, WeTransfer included, is limited by the sender's upload speed first and the recipient's download speed second. The service rarely matters as much as the connection.
Upload is the bottleneck
Home connections often upload far slower than they download. At 20 Mbit/s up, a 10 GB folder takes more than an hour to upload; at 100 Mbit/s it takes around 15 minutes. Zipping thousands of small files into one archive before sending also saves time.
Queues and throttling
Some free plans deliberately slow large transfers: Smash queues free transfers over 2 GB behind paying customers. If a deadline matters, a service without a queue or a direct transfer is more predictable.
Skip the upload when you can
On the same Wi-Fi, a direct transfer runs at local network speed, typically tens of megabytes per second on current hardware, so a 10 GB file crosses in a few minutes instead of waiting for an upload and a download.
When a transfer link does not work
The link says it has expired
Each service deletes files on a schedule: 24 hours for BIShare and Wormhole, 3 days for WeTransfer free, 7 days for Smash, Filemail and TransferNow, 15 to 30 days for SwissTransfer. Ask for a new link, and for slow recipients pick a service with longer storage.
WeTransfer will not let you send
The free plan's 30-day window is full, either by 10 transfers or by 3 GB in total. Wait for older transfers to roll out of the window, or send this one with another service.
The recipient's company blocks the download
Corporate firewalls sometimes block file transfer domains. Ask the recipient to try on a phone or home connection, or use a service their IT team already allows.
A huge download keeps failing
Use a stable connection, avoid letting the device sleep, and download with a desktop browser rather than a phone for files over a few gigabytes. Splitting a project into several transfers also limits what has to be retried.
The email with the link never arrived
Transfer notifications often land in spam or promotions folders. Copy the link yourself and send it through a chat app or your own email instead.
How private are these services?
All of them use encrypted connections. The meaningful difference is whether the company that stores your file can open it.
Encrypted before upload
BIShare links, Wormhole and Proton Drive encrypt files on your device, and the key never reaches their servers. A breach or a legal request against the provider would expose only unreadable data.
Encrypted on the provider's servers
WeTransfer, SwissTransfer, Smash, Filemail and TransferNow protect files in transit and at rest, but they manage the keys. That is fine for most everyday files; think twice for identity documents, health records or unreleased work.
Not uploaded at all
A direct transfer between devices on the same network, with BIShare, AirDrop or Quick Share, never places the file on a third-party server, which removes storage from the question entirely.
WeTransfer alternatives: FAQ
What is the best free alternative to WeTransfer?
For long storage and a big free limit, SwissTransfer: 50 GB, kept up to 30 days. For privacy, Wormhole or a BIShare link, which encrypt files before upload. For files of any size, Smash, with queuing above 2 GB. BIShare adds 100 GB links and direct transfer on the same network.
What are WeTransfer's free plan limits in 2026?
Up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in total in any rolling 30-day window, with each transfer up to 3 GB and links expiring after 3 days.
Is there a WeTransfer alternative with no file size limit?
Smash has no size limit on its free plan, though transfers over 2 GB wait in a queue. BIShare has no size limit for direct transfers between devices on the same network, and its links carry up to 100 GB.
Which WeTransfer alternative keeps files the longest for free?
SwissTransfer keeps files for 15 days, and the sender can extend that to 30 days. Proton Drive keeps shared files until you delete them, within 5 GB of free storage.
Is there an end-to-end encrypted alternative to WeTransfer?
Yes. Wormhole, BIShare links and Proton Drive encrypt files in the browser or app before upload, so the provider cannot read them.
Can I send files without creating an account?
Yes. BIShare, SwissTransfer, Smash, Wormhole and Filemail let you send without signing up. Proton Drive requires an account for the sender.
Does WeTransfer use my files to train AI?
WeTransfer revised its terms on 15 July 2025 after criticism, removing references to machine learning and limiting its licence to operating and improving the service. Check the current terms if this matters for your work.
What is the fastest way to send a 50 GB file?
If the recipient is on the same network, send it directly with BIShare so nothing is uploaded. Otherwise, use a service with a high free limit, such as a BIShare link or SwissTransfer, from the fastest upload connection you have.
Why does WeTransfer say I have reached my limit when I only sent small files?
The free plan counts transfers as well as size. Ten transfers in 30 days use up the allowance even if they are tiny.
Is BIShare really free?
Yes. BIShare is open source under the MIT licence, with no ads, no account and no paid tier for links up to 100 GB or direct transfers.
Send big files without a monthly allowance
Open source and free. Share a link up to 100 GB that is encrypted before it leaves your device, or send straight to a nearby device with nothing uploaded.