Free WeTransfer alternatives, compared

What SendTheStuff will do that WeTransfer's free plan doesn't

SendTheStuff's free version will allow 10 transfers per rolling 30 days, the same count as WeTransfer's 10 transfers. The difference will be size. WeTransfer's 3 GB is a running total, so one big send can use up the month. SendTheStuff will take 5 GB in each transfer, up to 20 GB in all.

So a 4 GB drone clip will fit in one send, with room left for more that month.

Each SendTheStuff link will work for 14 days. A free WeTransfer link lasts 3 days at most, which a recipient away for a long weekend can miss. Nothing will be compressed on the way, so the recipient will get the original file.

SendTheStuff will also email the link to up to 10 people, matching WeTransfer's 10 recipients. Senders will confirm their email with a code first, as WeTransfer also asks. Recipients won't need to set anything up.

How the free plans differ beyond the headline number

Each service counts its limit a different way. Read the table's numbers with these rules in mind:

• WeTransfer counts a running total. Its 3 GB covers every transfer in the last 30 days. That makes it both the monthly cap and the largest single send.
• Smash has a soft ceiling. Its free plan accepts sends above 2 GB, but those join a queue behind subscribers' transfers. You wait, rather than being refused.
• Filemail counts by the day. Its free plan sends at most 2 per 24 hours. Each transfer reaches up to 3 recipients, and each file allows up to 10 downloads.
• TransferNow and SwissTransfer list no monthly count. Their pages give a size per transfer and a link life, but no count.
• SwissTransfer depends on where you are. Anyone can receive, but sending is not available from a number of countries outside Europe.

The link life column runs from WeTransfer's 3 days to SwissTransfer's 30 days. That gap matters more than size when the person you're sending to is slow to check email.

Which alternative fits what you're sending

Match the service to the job rather than to the biggest number:

• One huge file, once. SwissTransfer's 50 GB is the largest free size here, if it lets you send from your country.
• A recipient who downloads late. SwissTransfer keeps files for up to 30 days. Smash, Filemail and TransferNow keep them up to 7 days.
• Nothing to set up first. Smash and TransferNow both send without an account. WeTransfer has required one since November 2024, and Filemail's free plan is itself an account.
• Several sends in one afternoon. Smash, TransferNow and SwissTransfer list no count. Filemail stops at 2 per 24 hours, and WeTransfer at 10 transfers per 30 days, however small.
• A password on the link. TransferNow, Smash and SwissTransfer all include password protection on their free versions. WeTransfer keeps it for Ultimate and Teams plans only.

Why switching services doesn't always fix it

Moving to another free service solves one limit and often adds another:

• Smash's queue. A big free send waits behind subscribers, so a deadline can slip.
• SwissTransfer's country rule. It may not let you create a transfer at all, depending on where you are.
• Filemail's daily count. Its free plan allows 2 per 24 hours, and you need a Filemail account first.
• Splitting a file across services. Your recipient gets pieces from different sites, each expiring on a different day.
• Waiting out WeTransfer. Room comes back only as each old transfer turns 30 days old.
• A cloud storage link. It keeps using your storage, and a link shared the wrong way shows your recipient a sign-in screen.

SendTheStuff will keep it to one service, with 5 GB per send and links that last 14 days.

Until SendTheStuff launches

Here's how to pick a free alternative for the file you have today:

1. Check the file's size. On Windows, right-click it and choose Properties. On a Mac, select it and press Command-I.
2. If it fits in what WeTransfer has left for the last 30 days, WeTransfer still works. The transfers you have left show under Transfers > Sent.
3. If it doesn't, pick from the table by what matters most: size, link life, or sending with nothing to set up.
4. Choose the longest link life the service offers, and tell your recipient the day the link ends.
5. Keep your own copy, since WeTransfer's free plan can't recover an expired transfer.

When an alternative still says no

• Your Smash transfer hasn't arrived yet. It's over 2 GB, so it joined the queue. It will still go out, just later.
• Filemail won't start another send. You've used your 2 per 24 hours. Wait a day, then try again.
• SwissTransfer won't create a transfer. Sending is not available from a number of countries outside Europe. Your recipient can still receive from someone elsewhere.
• WeTransfer refuses a small file. Your 10 transfers or 3 GB for the last 30 days is used up. Check Transfers > Sent.
• Your recipient says the link is dead. It expired. Send again, and choose a service whose link life suits them.