WeTransfer is one of the widely popular file-sharing services in the world, but recently the Department of Telecommunications of India banned the website in the country. The reasons cited by the ministry are “national interest and public interest”. While it’s unclear what that entails, at the moment, the website is unreachable on almost all the major ISPs except for Airtel and ACT Fibernet. So, if you are also suffering from this ban then worry not, we have you covered. In this article, we have curated a list of 7 best WeTransfer alternatives from where you can send files in a jiffy. Just like WeTransfer, we have also included some services that don’t require you to create an account. And most importantly, we have put special emphasis on the security front of all the file-sharing platforms. So without further ado, let’s go through the list.
1. Firefox Send
Firefox Send is my top recommendation if you are looking for a WeTransfer alternative. WeTransfer was not just popular for its quick service, but also for its well-guarded security. And Firefox Send brings all of that with enhanced protection. Firefox Send is one of the few file-sharing services that support end-to-end encryption. It uses 128-bit AES-GCM encryption to encrypt the files in the browser. For clarity, WeTransfer uses 256-bit-AES encryption at rest and TLS while in transit. By no means, WeTransfer’s encryption is weak but end-to-end encryption allows decryption only on the recipient’s computer, leaving no room for tampering or intercepting by third-parties.
2. Smash
Smash is another promising alternative to WeTransfer and I think you are going to love its free service. Unlike WeTransfer that has a size limit of 2GB for free users, Smash offers unrestricted file transfer which is just crazy. Smash claims that it has handled files of up to 350GB as well. However, keep in mind, if you send files above 2GB then the processing will go through the non-priority transfer route meaning the transfer speed will be slower. Nevertheless, since you are getting such an awesome service for free, you can’t complain much. Further, you also get password-protection and file previews under the free tier of Smash which is just great.
Similar to Google Drive, OneDrive is a cloud storage service by Microsoft. In a way, it’s not a direct competitor to WeTransfer, but you can definitely use it to send large files across the web. The free tier of OneDrive allows you to upload files of up to 5GB which is decent enough and it’s also much larger than WeTransfer’s size limit. The best part about OneDrive is that it offers many file protection features that are only available if you opt for WeTransfer’s premium plans. To begin with, you can send files to specific people through email. Further, you can set a password to add another layer of protection to your files. And you also have the option to set an expiration date which will remove access to the files from the given link.
Dropbox is a cloud storage service, but recently the company released a dedicated “Transfer” platform to send files quickly to anyone on the web. You can send up to 100MB of files which is sure nowhere near WeTransfer’s size limit, but if you generally send small files then it works pretty well. You can also get a notification when your transfer is downloaded and check the number of times the file has been viewed. However, keep in mind, the upload process is not as straightforward as WeTransfer. You need to create a Dropbox account to be able to send a file, but recipients can download the file without having to log in. Also, there is password protection and link expiry feature but those are behind the premium plan. Apart from that, if you find the size limit too little then you can sign up for Dropbox Basic. It’s a free account and offers you 2GB of cloud storage. You can upload your files there and send them to anyone you want.
Thankfully, Dropbox offers sharing via email which means only authorized users can access the file through the download link. Further, you can create a shareable link too which can be viewed and downloaded by anyone. Moving to Security, Dropbox utilizes AES 128-bit standard to encrypt stored files on the server and TLS protocol while communicating. If you want AES 256-bit encryption like WeTransfer then you can integrate Cryptomator (a cloud encryption service) to further enhance the security. Simply put, Dropbox Transfer is quite good for sending small files and can act as a WeTransfer alternative. And if you want more size limit then there is Dropbox Basic for you.
Send Anywhere is another popular service for transferring files having both small and large footprint. It’s ranked among the best WeTransfer alternatives because of its vast number of features. Under the free account, you can easily send files using an Input Key. This is called the direct method where you just upload the file and get a 6-digit key. Now, enter the Input Key on the recipient’s end and there you have it. Easy peasy! In case, you want to send files through a link or email then you will have to sign up for their account. As for the size limit, well, you can send files of up to 10GB under the free account so that is awesome.
Visit Website (Free, Paid plans start at $5.99/month)
Unlike WeTransfer that offers a free tier, Filemail is a paid-only service for sending large files across the web. The Pro plan starts at $5/month and offers 100GB of storage with 30 days of file retention. As the service mostly caters to businesses, the security is top-notch and brings some of the advanced features. You can password-protect your files, and enable 2-factor authentication. Further, you can keep track of sent and received files with a download meter and check who viewed your files. You can also customize the background image and add other visual elements to promote your brand on the download page.
