ive sent it
Guide

File transfer services compared: what to check before you pick one

The free tiers of the big transfer services have been shrinking, prices have gone up, and more than one has quietly changed what it may do with your files. Before you pick a service to send work through, here are the ten questions that decide whether it will still suit you in a year, with straight answers for Ive Sent It and space to score anyone else.

Ten questions that decide whether a transfer service will still suit you in a year, with our answers filled in.

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No account needed · Free: 3 GB per send · Pro: up to 3 TB per file · Team: up to 5 TB per file · No per-gigabyte fees

Free: 3 GB per send · Pro: 3 TB per file · Team: 5 TB per file

  • No account, either side
  • No adverts, any plan
  • Malware-scanned and safety-checked
  • Files never train AI
  • No account either side
  • No adverts
  • Scanned and checked
  • Never trains AI

What changed, and why it matters

Free tiers got smaller

Limits that used to be "per transfer" became "per month". Links that lasted a week now last three days. A service that fitted a freelancer's week can stop fitting without any announcement you noticed.

Terms got broader

Several services now take a licence to your content for "operating, developing and improving" the service. One tried a clause allowing files to train machine-learning models and withdrew it after an outcry. Read the licence clause; it is usually one paragraph.

Ownership changed hands

Acquisitions, staff cuts and stock-market listings change what a service optimises for. None of that is visible on the upload page. It is visible in the terms, the free tier, and how support answers.

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The ten questions

Score any service against these. The green line under each is where Ive Sent It stands, so you can see what a straight answer looks like.

1  How much can I send free, and per what?Look for the unit. "3 GB" per transfer and "3 GB per month" are very different offers. Some free tiers also cap the number of transfers per day or per month.

Ive Sent It: 3 GB per send, as many sends as you need. No monthly cap.

2  How long does the link live?Three days can be too short depending on the use case. Seven is the sensible floor for a free tier. On paid plans, check whether you can change the expiry after sending.

Ive Sent It: 7 days free, up to 31 days on Pro, up to a year on Team.

3  Does anyone need an account?Two questions: does the sender need one, and does the recipient? A recipient who is asked to sign up to download will often just ask you to send it another way.

Ive Sent It: Neither. You confirm your email with a code; recipients click and download.

4  Are there adverts on the download page?Your recipient sees the download page under your name. Some services sell that page as ad space on free plans, so your recipient's first impression of you is somebody else's advert.

Ive Sent It: No adverts, on any plan, on either side.

5  Is a password free or paid, and what does it protect?A password that only gates the download page protects the page; one that also encrypts the files protects the download itself, wherever it ends up. The best does both and still lets you change it after sending. Check which plan it needs.

Ive Sent It: Both: the link asks for the password, and the files arrive as an AES-256 encrypted zip that the same password opens. On Pro; change or remove it after sending and the zips are rebuilt.

6  Are files scanned before delivery?Look for a plain statement that every file is scanned for malware, and whether that is on every plan. Some services scan only on their top tier, or only files under a size limit.

Ive Sent It: Every file, every plan: automatically scanned for malware and for illicit or illegal content before it can be downloaded.

7  Where are my files stored?For client work in the UK or EU this matters. Check whether the region is stated, whether you can choose it, and whether files are replicated elsewhere.

Ive Sent It: The EU or the US, whichever is nearer to the sender; Team picks the region for each send. Never replicated to the other.

8  What may they do with my files?Find the content licence in the terms. The good version grants only what is needed to deliver the file. The bad version adds "developing and improving the service" or anything about training models.

Ive Sent It: A narrow files licence, delivery only. Files are never used to train AI. Written into the Terms.

9  Will I know it arrived, and can I prove it?Most services tell you a file was downloaded. Few tell you who, when and from where, and fewer still give you something you could hand to a client or a court.

Ive Sent It: Open and download notifications on every account; on Pro, a signed certificate of who received what, and when, that anyone can check with its Delivery ID.

10  What does it cost when you outgrow free?Check the paid limit per file (not per month), whether there are per-gigabyte or per-download charges, and what a small team pays per seat.

Ive Sent It: Pro from $10 a month billed yearly, 3 TB per file, no per-gigabyte fees; Team with seats, 5 TB per file. 3-day free trial.

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Things to ask for that most services don't have

The checklist covers what every service should get right. These are the controls that turn a file link into a delivery you can stand behind. Ask any service whether it does them; here is what Ive Sent It does, and on which plan.

ControlWhat it doesIve Sent It
Delivery ID on every sendA recipient who gets a "you've been sent files" email can type the ID into our public ivesentit.com/verify link and confirm who sent it, and when, without clicking anything in the email. A forged email fails the check. Every plan, including free
Verified senderThe sender's address is confirmed before anything is sent, so the certificate names a real person. Every plan
ID-checked deliveryThe recipient proves who they are before the files open: from a code to their email, up to a passport-and-liveness check by an identity provider. Only the outcome is stored, never the documents. Team
View onceThe delivery opens for the first collection and then closes itself. For the thing you want seen exactly once. Pro
Send now, open laterSet the moment the files become available. Embargoed announcements, exam papers, launch assets. Pro
Links you control after sendingChange the password, shorten or extend the expiry, cap downloads, or switch the link off entirely, after it has gone. Pro
GeoWall™ (Country lock)The link opens only in the countries you name. Pro
Signed proof of deliveryWho opened and downloaded what, when and from where, as a signed certificate you can hand to a client, an insurer or a court. Pro
Per-recipient watermarksEach person's PDFs and images carry their own name, so a leaked copy says who leaked it. If a file can't be marked it is withheld, never sent unmarked. Team
Get paid before they downloadSet a price on the send; the files release when the payment clears, straight to your own Stripe account, with no commission taken. Pro
Your brand on the deliveryBranded delivery pages and emails; your own subdomain, or your own domain on Team. Pro; custom domain on Team
Choose where each send is storedEU or US, per send, for clients with residency rules. Team; EU-or-US on every plan
Ask for filesA link people upload to, scanned on arrival, with you told the moment it arrives. Pro
Automated safety check on every fileEvery file is automatically scanned for malware and for illicit or illegal content before it can be downloaded, with human review of anything the scan flags. Every plan
An API and signed webhooksSend, track and prove delivery from your own software; every event pushed to you, signed. Pro
iPhone and iPad appSend from your phone or tablet with the same controls, and watch deliveries arrive. The website works on any phone too. Every plan
Delivery ID on every send · Every plan, including freeA recipient who gets a "you've been sent files" email can type the ID into our public ivesentit.com/verify link and confirm who sent it, and when, without clicking anything in the email. A forged email fails the check.
Verified sender · Every planThe sender's address is confirmed before anything is sent, so the certificate names a real person.
ID-checked delivery · TeamThe recipient proves who they are before the files open: from a code to their email, up to a passport-and-liveness check by an identity provider. Only the outcome is stored, never the documents.
View once · ProThe delivery opens for the first collection and then closes itself. For the thing you want seen exactly once.
Send now, open later · ProSet the moment the files become available. Embargoed announcements, exam papers, launch assets.
Links you control after sending · ProChange the password, shorten or extend the expiry, cap downloads, or switch the link off entirely, after it has gone.
GeoWall™ (Country lock) · ProThe link opens only in the countries you name.
Signed proof of delivery · ProWho opened and downloaded what, when and from where, as a signed certificate you can hand to a client, an insurer or a court.
Per-recipient watermarks · TeamEach person's PDFs and images carry their own name, so a leaked copy says who leaked it. If a file can't be marked it is withheld, never sent unmarked.
Get paid before they download · ProSet a price on the send; the files release when the payment clears, straight to your own Stripe account, with no commission taken.
Your brand on the delivery · Pro; custom domain on TeamBranded delivery pages and emails; your own subdomain, or your own domain on Team.
Choose where each send is stored · Team; EU-or-US on every planEU or US, per send, for clients with residency rules.
Ask for files · ProA link people upload to, scanned on arrival, with you told the moment it arrives.
Automated safety check on every file · Every planEvery file is automatically scanned for malware and for illicit or illegal content before it can be downloaded, with human review of anything the scan flags.
An API and signed webhooks · ProSend, track and prove delivery from your own software; every event pushed to you, signed.
iPhone and iPad app · Every planSend from your phone or tablet with the same controls, and watch deliveries arrive. The website works on any phone too.

In our research of twelve services (September 2026), none offered a public delivery check, view-once, a country lock or ID-checked delivery; two offered payment before download; two offered watermarking through an add-on or a separate product; several let you change or switch off a link after sending.

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Score sheet

Our column is filled in. Use the questions above to fill in any service you are weighing up.

Ive Sent ItAnother service
Free, per send3 GB per send, no monthly cap…
Free link life7 days…
Account to send / to receiveNo / No…
AdvertsNone…
PasswordGates the link and encrypts the files (AES-256), Pro; changeable after sending…
Malware scanEvery file, every plan…
Storage regionEU or US, stated; Team chooses…
Content licence / AI trainingDelivery only / never…
Proof of deliveryNotifications; signed certificate on Pro…
Paid: max per file · per-GB fees3 TB (Pro), 5 TB (Team) · none…
Phone and tablet appiPhone and iPad app; the web works on any phone…
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Which questions matter most for you

Sending something once

Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the ten above. You want a link that works for a week, no sign-up on either end, and a download page that doesn't advertise at your friend.

Delivering to clients

Questions 5, 7, 8 and 9 of the ten above. A password that encrypts the files and can still be changed, a stated storage region, a licence that stops at delivery, and proof the work arrived.

A small team

Questions 6, 7 and 10 of the ten above. Scanning on every plan, a region you choose per send, per-seat pricing with no per-gigabyte surprises, and links that can last the length of a project.

Something confidential

Questions 5, 6, 8 and 9 of the ten above. A password that encrypts the files as well as gating the link, a narrow licence, and a record of exactly who opened it.

Questions people ask

1  Is a free plan good enough?

For a one-off, yes, if it gives you a week and no sign-up. Free plans stop fitting when you send several times a week, need a password, or need to know who opened what.

2  What's the difference between a transfer link and a cloud drive?

A drive link points at a folder that stays shared until you remember to unshare it, and often asks the recipient to sign in. A transfer link is made for one delivery and expires on its own.

3  Does "encrypted" mean private?

Every serious service encrypts in transit and at rest. Encryption doesn't tell you who can access files or what the terms allow; questions 7 and 8 do.

4  Why do some services scan files and others don't?

Scanning means the service can see the file, so services that promise "zero knowledge" can't scan. It is a real trade-off: we chose to perform automated malware scanning and checks on files, because we don't want recipients being sent viruses or other illicit content.

Try the straight answers

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Pick the service that will still suit you in a year.

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