A file.io alternative for quick, throwaway links

What SendTheStuff will do for a quick share

SendTheStuff will keep each link working for a fixed 14 days, so a recipient who opens it late still gets the file. That makes it a fit for sending, not for a secret that should vanish after one look. For that, file.io's one-download rule still does the job.

SendTheStuff will take up to 5 GB and 1,000 files in one transfer. That's more than file.io's 4 GB, with nothing compressed on the way.

SendTheStuff will ask the sender to confirm an email address with a code. A browser that's signed in will skip that step. By contrast, file.io asks for nothing, so this is the trade for a link that lasts. The person downloading won't need to set anything up.

Every SendTheStuff link will be 22 random characters, so nobody can guess it. Free transfers will be deleted after 14 days, with no way to recover them.

What changed at file.io

file.io's own pages still describe the service that made it popular. A file is deleted once it's been downloaded, and it needs no account to upload or download. Through its API, an unopened file is deleted after 14 days by default. The size limit is 4 GB in total.

But file.io's Pricing and Sign up links now lead to LimeWire. LimeWire's free plan lists different terms: files expire after 3 days, with 20 downloads per file a day.

The two sets of pages don't agree, so neither is safe to assume. Send yourself a small test file first, and see how long the link lives and how many downloads it allows.

How the quick-share services differ

Each service makes a different trade between speed, size and how long the link lives:

• How long the file lives. From one download on file.io and 24 hours on Wormhole, to 6 days on Filebin and 7 days on TransferNow. SwissTransfer keeps files up to 30 days.
• How big it can be. The file.io limit is 4 GB, Wormhole's is 10 GB, TransferNow's 5 GB and SwissTransfer's 50 GB. Filebin publishes no size limit at all.
• Who can delete it. On Filebin, anyone who has the link can delete the files, not only you.
• Who can read it. Wormhole encrypts files in your browser, so its servers can't read them. Filebin uses HTTPS in transit only, and its owner can read anything you didn't encrypt yourself first.
• Where you can send from. SwissTransfer's sending is not available from a number of countries outside Europe.

Picking one for what you're sharing

The right service follows from the file and the person receiving it:

• A one-time secret, like a config file. The file.io one-download rule fits, if its pages still describe how your link behaves. Wormhole is the other choice: it encrypts in your browser, and files are gone after 24 hours.
• A big file for someone slow to reply. TransferNow keeps it up to 7 days. SwissTransfer keeps it up to 30 days, where it lets you send.
• An upload from a script. Both file.io and Filebin have an upload API.
• Anything over 5 GB on Wormhole. It goes peer-to-peer, so you keep the page open until your recipient has downloaded it.

Why the quick-share sites can let you down

The speed of a quick-share site comes with catches:

• One download is easy to waste. Anyone who downloads it first, even by mistake, uses it up.
• Filebin can be full. When its storage fills, new uploads stop with "Storage limit reached. Please retry later."
• Filebin files aren't yours alone. Anyone holding the link can delete them before your recipient looks.
• Wormhole can tie up your browser. Above 5 GB, your page has to stay open until the download ends.
• file.io's terms are in flux. Its own pages and LimeWire's free plan describe different limits.

SendTheStuff will trade the instant anonymity for a link that lasts 14 days and holds up to 5 GB.

Until SendTheStuff launches

Here's how to share a file quickly with what exists now:

1. Decide how long the link must live: one look, one day, or a week or more.
2. For one look under 4 GB, use file.io. Tell your recipient the link works once.
3. For one day and a private file, use Wormhole. Keep the tab open if the file is over 5 GB.
4. For a week, use TransferNow, up to 5 GB. For longer or bigger, try SwissTransfer.
5. Test the link in a private browser window before you send it on, except on file.io, where that uses its one download.

When a quick share fails

• The file.io link shows nothing. It's been downloaded once already, or it expired. Upload it again and resend.
• Filebin says "Storage limit reached. Please retry later." The service is full. Wait for older files to expire, or use another service.
• Your Filebin files vanished early. Someone with the link deleted them. Share it only with the people who need it.
• A Wormhole link stopped working. It's past 24 hours, or the sender closed the page on a peer-to-peer send.
• SwissTransfer won't create a transfer. Sending is not available from a number of countries outside Europe.