WeTrans­fer is one of the most widely used tools for sending large files. That said, plenty of al­tern­at­ives offer similar cap­ab­il­it­ies or even more features. Many of these services allow you to upload files for free and share them via download links, sometimes with greater storage limits or added func­tion­al­ity.

Overview of WeTrans­fer and its al­tern­at­ives

To start, here’s an overview of the strengths, weak­nesses, and special features of WeTrans­fer and its al­tern­at­ives:

Service Usable without re­gis­tra­tion Maximum file size (free) Storage period (free)
WeTrans­fer approx. 3 GB 3 days
HiDrive Share 2 GB 7 days
Smash 2 GB 7 days
Trans­ferNow 5 GB 7 days
Send Anywhere (direct transfer) 10 GB share and 50 GB direct transfer 48 hours
Google Drive 15 GB storage No fixed period
Dropbox 2 GB storage unlimited

Last updated: March 2026

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WeTrans­fer became popular mainly because it’s so easy to use. You don’t need to register to send large files, and the service works directly in the browser without in­stalling ad­di­tion­al software. Users can select one or more files and send them via a download link or directly by email. In the free version, files stay available online for up to 3 days and are limited to 3 GB per transfer. You can send up to 10 transfers per month at no cost.

WeTrans­fer al­tern­at­ives compared

All featured WeTrans­fer al­tern­at­ives let you share files with others. Most services set a limit on file size, although re­gistered or paid users usually get higher limits. Some providers also include features that make it easy to sync files across multiple devices.

HiDrive Share

HiDrive Share from IONOS is a simple, fast, and free al­tern­at­ive to WeTrans­fer for sharing large files. You upload your files directly on the HiDrive Share website and get a download link to share with others. Anyone with the link can access and download the files, making it quick and easy to share documents, photos, or videos.

Each upload has a maximum size of 2 GB, re­gard­less of how many in­di­vidu­al files are included. There are no limits on the number of downloads or re­cip­i­ents. After 7 days, all data is auto­mat­ic­ally and per­man­ently deleted. However, ad­di­tion­al security features such as password pro­tec­tion are not available.

Image: HiDrive Share from IONOS
With HiDrive Share, you can upload files of up to 2 GB without signing up; Source: https://share.hidrive.com/i/upload
Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
intuitive to use 2 GB maximum
no sign-up or in­stall­a­tion required
hosting in European data centres

Smash

The file transfer service Smash also lets you send large files online quickly and easily. The tool runs directly in the browser and doesn’t require re­gis­tra­tion in the free mode. After uploading, a download link is generated that you can share with the intended re­cip­i­ents. In the free version, files of up to 2 GB per transfer can be sent, and the number of transfers is not limited. The files remain stored on Smash’s servers for 7 days.

Image: Smash
With Smash, you have 2 GB available per file; source: https://fromsmash.com/
Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
no re­gis­tra­tion required maximum file size of 2 GB in free package
easy to use directly in the browser
unlimited number of transfers

Send Anywhere

Send Anywhere is a com­pel­ling al­tern­at­ive to WeTrans­fer. Alongside standard download links, it also supports direct device-to-device transfers. The app generates a unique six-digit code for each upload. When the recipient enters this code, the download starts im­me­di­ately.

Send Anywhere can be used directly in your browser, but you’ll need to sign up to create share links. In the free package, direct transfers support up to 50 GB, while share links are limited to 10 GB per file. Download links expire auto­mat­ic­ally after 48 hours.

Image: Send Anywhere
With Send Anywhere, you can directly transfer files up to 50 GB; source: https://send-anywhere.com/
Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
direct transfers between devices share links valid for only 48 hours
use via browser or app re­gis­tra­tion required for file transfer via email/link
large direct transfers up to 50 GB possible

Trans­ferNow

With Trans­ferNow, you can send files of up to 5 GB per transfer. The service runs directly in your browser. After uploading a file, it generates a download link you can share with re­cip­i­ents. Files stay available for up to 7 days and can op­tion­ally be protected with a password.

Image: TransferNow
Trans­ferNow offers 5 GB of storage per transfer in the free version; source: https://www.trans­fernow.net/en
Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
up to 5 GB per transfer in the free package re­gis­tra­tion required for some features
optional password pro­tec­tion
easy to use directly in the browser

Google Drive

With Google Drive you’re dealing more with tra­di­tion­al cloud storage than a direct WeTrans­fer al­tern­at­ive. However, the service can also be used to send larger files by sharing uploaded content with others via a sharing link. Users get 15 GB of free storage with a Google account, which is shared between Google Drive, Gmail, and other Google services. When sharing files, you can also specify whether other people are allowed to only view, comment on, or edit the content.

Image: Google Drive
In the Google ecosystem, users have 15 GB of storage available by default; source: https://drive.google.com/drive/
Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
hard drive syn­chron­isa­tion possible free storage is shared with Gmail and Google Photos
15 GB of free storage
tight in­teg­ra­tion with Google services
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Dropbox

Dropbox is one of the best-known cloud storage services and is used by many users to sync and back up files. In addition to this classic function, the service can also be used to send larger files. To do this, the sender uploads the desired files to their online storage and then shares them with others via a sharing link. In the free package, Dropbox provides 2 GB of storage. You can share files or entire folders via a link without re­cip­i­ents needing a Dropbox account. Unlike typical file transfer services and many WeTrans­fer al­tern­at­ives, files stay available as long as they remain in storage, unless the sender deletes them.

Image: Dropbox
On Dropbox, users without a sub­scrip­tion have 2 GB of storage space for their files; source: https://www.dropbox.com/
Ad­vant­ages Dis­ad­vant­ages
syn­chron­isa­tion feature available free 2 GB storage is re­l­at­ively low
easily share files via sharing links
HiDrive Next Cloud Storage
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