For years the free WeTransfer deal was simple: 2 GB per transfer, as often as you liked. That deal is gone. Since the Bending Spoons acquisition the free tier caps transfers around 3 GB but adds a monthly allowance of about ten transfers, and download links die within days. If you're reading this, you probably hit one of those walls - or the older, structural one: WeTransfer only works in one direction.
Before picking an alternative, answer one question, because it splits the tool list in half.
Are you SENDING a file to someone, or trying to RECEIVE files from someone? WeTransfer is a sending tool. If your actual problem is "I need people to send things to ME", no sending tool will fix it - you want a file request link, and you can skip straight to option 1.
1. An upload link - when you need to receive files
The receiving problem is the one WeTransfer never solved: to get files from someone, you have to talk them through using a sending tool correctly, and everyone's transfer arrives as a separate email with a separate expiring link.
A file request flips the direction. You create an upload page at getfiles.app, send one link (or a QR code) to any number of people, and every upload lands in one dashboard - with an optional checklist so you can mark exactly which documents you're waiting for, and see who still owes what. Uploaders need no account; large files upload chunked, so a dropped connection resumes instead of restarting.
The honest limits: it's a collection window, not storage. Pages live 7 days by default (extendable), files up to 200 MB each, and you download the lot as a ZIP before the page closes. For "collect the files, then move on" - client documents, guest photos, submissions - that's exactly the shape of the job.
2. SwissTransfer - the biggest honest free tier for sending
SwissTransfer sends up to 50 GB per transfer free, no account needed, links live up to 30 days, password protection included, hosted in Switzerland by Infomaniak. The catch list is short: a 50 GB daily cap and upload speeds that sag outside Europe. For one-off large sends it's currently the strongest free deal on the list.
3. Smash - no size cap, with a speed asterisk
Smash advertises no file size limit at any tier, and it's real - but on the free plan very large transfers (roughly past the 2 GB mark) get queued behind paying customers, so a huge send can take a while. Free links expire in days, not weeks. Fine for occasional oversized sends where you can let it run.
4. Google Drive - when the files should stay put
Drive isn't a transfer tool, which is sometimes the point: 15 GB of free storage, files don't expire, and sharing a link is trivial. The friction shows up on the other end - recipients wanting more than a download (or anyone uploading TO you via a shared folder) need a Google account, and one-off transfers leave permanent clutter in your storage quota.
5. Dropbox Transfer - only if you already live in Dropbox
Dropbox Transfer exists and works, but the free math is bad: transfers cap at 100 MB on a basic account - smaller than every other option here, including WeTransfer's shrunken free tier. With a paid Dropbox plan the caps rise into useful territory and you get download tracking. Reasonable if your files are already in Dropbox; not worth signing up for otherwise.
Side by side
| You create a request link | Free send limit | Link lifetime (free) | Account to send | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeTransfer | No | ~3 GB, monthly cap | Days | No |
| getfiles.app | Yes | n/a (receiving tool, 200 MB/file in) | 7-7 days, extendable | No |
| SwissTransfer | No | 50 GB | Up to 30 days | No |
| Smash | No | Uncapped, slow past ~2 GB | Days | No |
| Google Drive | No | 15 GB storage | Permanent | Yes (Google) |
| Dropbox Transfer | No | 100 MB | Days | Yes (Dropbox) |
Free-tier terms in this market have been moving - WeTransfer's own limits changed materially after its acquisition, and competitors adjust in response. Treat any hard number here (including ours) as "verified mid-2026", and check the pricing page before building a workflow around it.
Picking in one line each
- Receive files from one or many people: an upload link - it's the only entry on the list built for that direction.
- Send something huge once: SwissTransfer, falling back to Smash past 50 GB.
- Send within a Google-centric team: Drive, accepting the account friction.
- Already paying for Dropbox: Dropbox Transfer is included; use it.
- Send a few small transfers a month: honestly, WeTransfer's free tier still does this fine.
If your search for an alternative started with "how do I get clients/guests/students to send me their files" - create a request page at getfiles.app and send them one link instead of instructions.