How to send large files free

Which free plans take the most?

Read today from each service's own pages. Where a vendor's pages disagree, the table says so.

Two things the table hides. Tranzfer's 20 GB is space, not a monthly allowance. When a link expires or you cancel it, the space frees up for the next one. WeTransfer's 3 GB is a rolling 30-day total, so a big week uses up your month.

How do I send more than 20 GB on Tranzfer Free?

In batches. Say you have 50 GB of photos.

1. Split the folder into parts under 20 GB along lines that make sense, like by day or by album.
2. Send the first part. At 50 Mbps, 20 GB takes about 53 minutes at full speed.
3. When the recipient says it's downloaded, cancel the link. The space comes back.
4. Send the next part. Three rounds and you're done.

It works, and it's tedious. If you do it every week, that's the point where Starter pays for itself. It's $15 a month for 300 GB live at once, and links last up to 7 days instead of 3.

What does free cost you?

Time in a queue. Smash is the only free plan here that takes a 100 GB file in one transfer, and its help page says anything over 2 GB is "not prioritized" and waits behind Pro.

A second try. Free plans tend to say little about broken uploads. WeTransfer's troubleshooting page says sleep mode cancels an upload and doesn't mention resuming. Smash's help on uploads stuck at 100% says there's no way to restart it, only to start again. Tranzfer Free resumes the same way paid plans do. A Wi-Fi drop retries by itself, and after a crash you pick the same files and only the missing parts upload.

Your storage. Google Drive's 15 GB is free, but a big file sits in the same space as your email until you delete it.

What does the recipient need?

On Tranzfer, WeTransfer, Smash, Filemail and Dropbox Transfer, just the link. No account. On Tranzfer, on desktop Chrome or Edge, Download all saves everything into one folder with subfolders intact. Other browsers download file by file.

When should you use something else?

• A single file over 20 GB, and you won't pay. Smash Free, if you can wait for the queue.
• You both live in Google already and the files fit in 15 GB. A Drive link is the least friction, though Google only offers link expiry on eligible work or school accounts.
• One delivery a year, around 100 GB. MASV's pay as you go costs $21.25 for 100 GB with a card on file, and you don't keep a subscription.
• You need a password on the link. Smash has passwords on its free plan. Tranzfer has none on any plan.

For sizes past what free covers, see how to send a 100 GB file, or compare plans on the pricing page.