WeTransfer vs download.fyi
WeTransfer uploads your file and holds it for up to 3 days, so you can close the laptop. download.fyi sends it straight from your browser while your tab is open, with no account and no cap. Which is better comes down to whether you can stay online.
Numbers checked Oktober 2026. Each one links to where it came from.
Side by side
| Compared | WeTransfer | download.fyi |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Uploads a copy to its servers; they download it laterwetransfer.com | Streams from your browser to theirs; nothing is stored |
| Free allowance | 3 GB or 10 transfers in any 30 dayswetransfer.com | No cap and no count |
| Free link lasts | Up to 3 dayswetransfer.com | While your tab is open |
| To keep it longer | Paid plans; prices shown after you sign inwetransfer.com | 14 days for $5 or 30 days for $9, paid once |
| Account | Needed to send since November 2024wetransfer.com | None |
| Encryption | TLS in transit, AES-256 on its serverswetransfer.com | End to end on live links |
Where WeTransfer is better
The big one: WeTransfer keeps the file after you leave. Upload it, close the laptop, and they have up to 3 days to download it on the free plan. A live download.fyi link stops when you close the tab.
It has apps. The Mac app sends from the menu bar or a right-click in Finder, and there are iOS and Android apps too.
It collects files as well as sending them: a file request link lets someone upload to you.
Its paid plans go further than ours. Ultimate keeps transfers as long as you like and can recover expired ones, and WeTransfer holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification.
Where download.fyi is better
No account. WeTransfer has required one to send since November 2024. download.fyi never asks, to send or to receive.
No allowance. Free WeTransfer stops at 3 GB or 10 transfers in any 30 days. A live download.fyi link has no size cap and no monthly count.
No upload wait. They start receiving the moment they open the link, not after your upload finishes.
End to end on live links: only your browser and theirs can read the file. WeTransfer encrypts files on its servers and lists end-to-end encryption on its Enterprise plan.
When it does need to wait for them, a pass keeps the file online for 14 days (up to 100 GB, $5) or 30 days (up to 500 GB, $9), paid once. WeTransfer shows its prices only after you sign in, so we can't put them side by side here.
Which to pick
Pick WeTransfer when you need to send something and go offline today, it fits in 3 GB, and you don't mind an account. Pick download.fyi when the file is big, when they're ready now, or when you'd rather not sign up.
Questions
Can I use WeTransfer without an account?
Not to send. WeTransfer has required an account for sending since November 2024; recipients still download without one. download.fyi needs no account on either side.
Can I use WeTransfer Free for work?
WeTransfer says its Free plan is "intended strictly for non-commercial purposes". Work use needs one of its paid plans.
Which is more private?
They protect files differently. WeTransfer encrypts files in transit and on its servers, which are in the EU and the US. A live download.fyi transfer is encrypted end to end between the two browsers and never stored.
More comparisons
Sign up. Upload. Wait. Just drop it.
No account and no size cap. Your link is ready the moment you pick a file.
Send a file