Google Drive for large files: a comparison
"Why would I use anything else when I already have Google Drive?" That is the best objection on this whole list of comparisons, and it deserves a straight answer: for a lot of sends, Drive really is enough. This page tries to show you exactly where that stops being true.
We read the Google figures below from Google's own documentation on 27 September 2026, and the links are at the end of the page.
What Google Drive does better than us
You already have it. The account exists, the app is set up, and your colleagues are there anyway. No new steps at all.
15 GB free, per account. It is storage shared between Gmail, Drive and Google Photos, but it is real space you already have.
Huge files, if you have the space. A single file can be up to 5 TB, with a cap of 750 GB of uploads per user every 24 hours. A file over 750 GB still finishes uploading, but it blocks the rest of that day's uploads.
The file stays there. In a personal account it does not expire, does not disappear and does not have to be sent again. For a document you work on together for weeks, that is exactly what you want.
If you are sending a 40 MB PDF to a colleague with a Google account, use Drive. We mean it.
Where Drive reaches its limit: it is not a delivery service
The basic difference is not a number, it is a category. Drive is storage, not delivery. A shared file uses your storage until you delete it, and access to it is governed by the file's sharing settings, not by the fact that you sent a link. For collaboration that is exactly right. For a delivery, sent once, to someone outside, done, the file stays in your account long after it has done its job.
Delivery has different needs: the recipient opens the link with no account, and you choose when it expires. On Premium you can leave the link with no expiry, and in that case the file uses your active storage until you delete it.
Comparison table
| What you are comparing | Google Drive | Transferify |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Storage and collaboration | File delivery |
| Free storage | 15 GB per account, shared with Gmail and Photos | Active storage included on free accounts; it frees up when you delete a transfer |
| Largest single file | 5 TB, within your storage | Up to 1 TB on Premium; peer-to-peer free up to 5 GB, then a one-off payment per transfer; no limit on a paid plan |
| Daily cap | 750 GB of uploads per user every 24 hours | No daily cap |
| Account for the recipient | Depends on the sharing settings | No, never |
| Link expiry | No expiry in a personal account, you delete by hand; Google offers an access expiration date only in eligible work or school accounts | Your choice: 1–3 days free, 1–7 days on Basic, 1–30 days on Plus; on Premium 1–30 days or no expiry |
| Access control | Through the file's sharing settings | Password, download limit, an expiry you choose, download confirmation |
| Who holds the encryption key | Google; according to Google, your own key exists only with Google Workspace client-side encryption | Us; with the zero-knowledge mode on the Premium plan, only you |
| Where the prices are | On one.google.com/about/plans, with Google One plans from 100 GB | On the pricing page, monthly and yearly |
Where Transferify wins
Recipients with no account. Whoever gets the link downloads in the browser, with no sign-in, nothing to install and no access request. Only the sender confirms an email address, with a one-time code.
You choose the expiry. It is 1–3 days on the free plan, 1–7 days on Basic, 1–30 days on Plus, and on Premium you can choose 1–30 days or no expiry. With a set expiry the file disappears on the date you picked. With no expiry it stays in your active storage until you delete it.
Control and proof. A password before download, a download limit and a confirmation when someone has downloaded. On the free plan you have 50 downloads in total per calendar month, and the number of transfers is not capped.
Encryption you choose. Hosted files are encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM before upload. By default we hold the key, wrapped by a cloud-managed encryption key, so a lost link can be recovered. With the zero-knowledge mode, available on the Premium plan, the key never reaches us: we cannot read the file, but we cannot recover it for you either. Peer-to-peer transfers are end-to-end encrypted and never touch our servers.
No daily cap, and no size limit on peer-to-peer on a paid plan. On the free plan, peer-to-peer is free up to 5 GB, then a one-off payment per transfer unlocks any size. For large, repeated deliveries, photo shoots, video edits, project archives, this is exactly the part Drive is not built for.
About prices
We quote no Google One amount here. Read it on the Google One plans page, linked at the end, from your own account. There you pay for storage, not for delivery.
With us you pay for delivery. The current monthly and yearly amounts are on the pricing page, read from the same catalogue used at checkout.
How to choose
Pick Google Drive for small or medium files, going to people who already have a Google account, when the file has to stay available for the long term and you work on it together.
Pick Transferify when the recipient is outside your organisation and has no account, when the link should expire on its own, when you want a password and download confirmation, or when the file is too large to keep using your storage. The full process is on the page about how to send large files.
Sources and review date
We read the Google facts in Google's documentation on 27 September 2026:
- The free 15 GB per account and the Google One plans: one.google.com/about/plans
- The 5 TB maximum for a single file: the Google Drive API limits
- The 750 GB per user every 24 hours: storage and upload limits for Google Workspace
- The access expiration date only in eligible work or school accounts: share files from Google Drive
- Encryption in transit and at rest: how Google Drive protects your privacy
- Your own key only with Google Workspace client-side encryption, which Google limits to certain Workspace editions: about client-side encryption
The Transferify figures come from the plan catalogue the product enforces, published on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I send a large file with Google Drive?
You upload it to Drive and then share the link from the sharing menu. The file stays in your account and uses your storage until you delete it, and whoever gets the link can open it only if the sharing settings allow it.
How much free storage do I get in Google Drive?
15 GB per account, shared between Gmail, Drive and Google Photos. It is not storage just for files you send, since email and photos draw on the same total. Checked on 27 September 2026.
What is the largest file Google Drive accepts?
5 TB for a single file, according to Google's documentation, with a cap of 750 GB of uploads per user every 24 hours. A single file over 750 GB still finishes uploading, but it blocks the rest of that day's uploads. Checked on 27 September 2026.
What does Google Drive do better than Transferify?
You already have it. For a small file going to a colleague with a Google account, Drive is free, already set up, asks nothing of anyone, and the file stays there until you delete it. We are not going to sell you that as a bad situation.
When is an alternative to Google Drive worth it?
When the recipient has no Google account or does not want to sign in, when the link should expire on its own, when you want a password and download confirmation, or when the file has no business staying in your storage after delivery.
Are Transferify files encrypted?
Yes. Peer-to-peer transfers are end-to-end encrypted and travel straight between the browsers. 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, and with the zero-knowledge mode, available on the Premium plan, the key never reaches us at all.