Filemail alternative compared
Filemail is one of the most visible products in search results about sending large files, and it keeps turning up for the same searches we do. If you landed here looking for an alternative, you deserve a comparison that hides nothing, including the places where Filemail is better.
We read every figure below straight from the provider's pages on 27 September 2026, and the links to the exact sources are at the end of the page. Where the provider publishes no figure, we say so rather than make one up.
What you get from Filemail for free
The free Filemail service takes 5 GB per transfer and asks for no registration. Files stay available for 7 days, and without an account you get 2 transfers a day.
The paid plans step up a lot. Personal has 250 GB of storage, 30 days of availability, 20 downloads per transfer and 10 recipients. Pro raises the transfer to 250 GB and storage to 1 TB, and adds permanent availability and password protection. Business lists no transfer size limit, 1 TB per user, 100 downloads, 50 recipients and end-to-end encryption.
What Filemail does better than us
Three things, said plainly.
- Files stay online longer for free. 7 days with them, 1–3 days with us. For a recipient who opens the email over the weekend, the difference is real.
- The free transfer needs no registration. Up to 5 GB, Filemail asks nothing of the sender. With us, sending a hosted transfer means confirming an email address with a code.
- A long track record. Filemail is an established product that many people already know. That is not a technical feature, but it is a fair reason to choose it.
We are not trying to turn these three points around. They are true, and if the way you send looks like them, Filemail is the right choice.
Comparison table, free plan against free plan
| What you are comparing | Filemail, free | Transferify, free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Size per transfer | 5 GB | Hosted, per transfer, with no cap on the number of transfers; peer-to-peer free up to 5 GB, then a one-off payment per transfer |
| How many transfers | 2 a day without an account | The number of transfers is not capped; the active storage of free accounts is what counts |
| How long files stay online | 7 days | 1–3 days, your choice |
| Download limit | Not documented by the provider for free use | 50 per calendar month |
| Email recipients | Not documented for free use | 10 per transfer |
| Account for the sender | No, for transfers up to 5 GB | Email confirmation with a code, no password to choose |
| Entry price when you pay | Not quoted here; see the Filemail plan comparison page | Listed on the pricing page |
Where Transferify wins
Sending more than 5 GB without a subscription. The peer-to-peer mode is free up to 5 GB on the free plan, and above that a one-off payment per transfer unlocks any size instead of a plan. The bytes travel straight between the two browsers and our server keeps only the metadata. The price of that choice is that the tab has to stay open until the end. We describe it exactly like that, not as "unlimited storage".
Control over the link. On hosted transfers you can set a password, limit the number of downloads, choose the expiry and get a confirmation when someone downloads. At Filemail, password protection starts on the Pro plan, according to their own plan comparison page.
Encryption you choose. Hosted files are encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM before upload. By default we keep the key, wrapped by a cloud-managed encryption key, so a lost link can still be recovered. With the zero-knowledge mode, available on the Premium plan, the key never reaches us, and we cannot read the file either.
About prices
We do not quote a Filemail price here and we do not copy a figure from a third-party site. Read the current amount on the Filemail plan comparison page before you pay.
Our plans are listed monthly and yearly. The pricing page reads amounts and features from the same catalogue used at checkout.
How to choose between them
Pick Filemail if your typical send is one file of up to 5 GB, for free, and it should stay online for a week without you paying anything.
Pick Transferify if you send files over 5 GB without a subscription, or if you want a password, an expiry you choose and download confirmation. The details of a full send are on the page about how to send large files.
Sources and review date
We read every Filemail figure on this page from the Filemail pages on 27 September 2026:
- The free 5 GB limit and no registration: filemail.com
- The Personal, Pro and Business plans, including where password protection starts: the Filemail plan comparison
- The 7 days and the 2 transfers a day: the Filemail comparison page on WeTransfer
The Transferify figures come from the plan catalogue the product enforces, published on the pricing page. We re-read both sets regularly. If you find a difference from what you see on the provider's site today, the provider's figure is right, and we want to hear about it.
Frequently asked questions
How much can you send for free with Filemail?
5 GB per transfer, with no account. The Filemail homepage says you can send up to 5 GB for free without registering, and their own comparison page adds a limit of 2 transfers a day and 7 days of availability. Checked on 27 September 2026.
How much does Filemail cost a month?
We do not quote a Filemail price here. Read the current amount on the Filemail plan comparison page, linked at the end of this page, before you pay.
What does Filemail do better than Transferify?
It keeps files for 7 days against 1–3 days with us, and its free transfer asks nothing of the sender. If you send rarely and want the link to stay online for a week, Filemail is simply the better answer.
Can I send more than the 5 GB Filemail allows, without paying?
No. The Transferify peer-to-peer transfer is free up to 5 GB on the free plan, then a one-off payment per transfer unlocks any size, with no limit on a paid plan. The file travels straight between the browsers and never passes through our server. The condition is that you keep the tab open until it finishes and the recipient is online.
Do I have to create an account to send?
With Transferify you confirm your email address with a one-time code, without choosing a password. Filemail says on its homepage that free transfers of up to 5 GB need no registration. Checked on 27 September 2026.
How many downloads does the free Transferify plan include?
50 downloads per calendar month. The number of transfers is not capped, but the active storage of free accounts counts, and downloads are counted too. We state the figure openly because it is the limit someone sharing one link with many people will hit.