WeTransfer alternatives for photographers and videographers (2026)
WeTransfer does one thing very well: sending heavy files without thinking about it. The limits show up later: the link expires, the transfer has a cap, and the delivery doesn’t carry your brand. Here’s how the alternatives compare, depending on what’s failing you. Including where ours falls short.
Pick by what’s failing you.
The short version. The details, prices and sources are below.
| If you need… | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver finished work to a client, branded, with a link that doesn’t expire | Positiva | A gallery under your brand, photos and video together, and links that never expire |
| Getting files from a client or vendor | Dropbox | File requests on every Dropbox plan, Basic included, and uploaders need no account; Positiva has them on the Studio plan |
| Sending big files for free | SwissTransfer | Up to 50 GB per transfer, no account, no payment |
| Unlimited-size transfers with your logo | Smash | No size limit on Pro, with your logo and your own send page |
| Sending from where your files already live | Dropbox Transfer | Included in the Dropbox plan you already pay for |
| Sharing working folders with a team | Google Drive | Ongoing access and comments, not a one-off transfer |
| Sending one file and forgetting about it | Stay on WeTransfer | Still the quickest option when there’s nothing to present |
Why people leave WeTransfer (and why many stay).
WeTransfer is built to move files: you upload, you send, they download, it disappears. The Free plan allows 10 transfers or 3 GB a month, and transfers last up to 7 days. Starter, $84/year ($7/month billed annually), raises that to 300 GB a month; Ultimate, $228/year ($19/month billed annually), removes the size and expiry limits. These are the reasons that come up when people look for a WeTransfer alternative:
- The link expires. On Free and Starter, transfers last up to 7 days. For a delivery your client will open whenever they get around to it, that means re-sending.
- The free plan is small, and not for work. 10 transfers or 3 GB a month: a wedding doesn’t fit, and neither do two deliveries in a row. WeTransfer also says Free is for individual, non-commercial use only.
- The delivery doesn’t look like you. A custom page, emails and backgrounds come with Ultimate; on Free and Starter, the background is advertising, so your work is presented next to someone else’s brand.
- There’s no conversation. WeTransfer delivers files: no favorites, no comments, no way to know what your client thinks of shot 3.
And the reason to stay: to send a file to someone who isn’t your client (a vendor, a print lab, a collaborator), setting up a gallery is extra work. On Positiva’s Studio plan you send it from Files; without it, WeTransfer and SwissTransfer are still the quickest option when there’s nothing to present.
How we compared: we read each service’s official pricing page and help center on October 18, 2026, and compared them on what someone leaving WeTransfer decides on: transfer size, link expiry, storage, your own branding, how the delivery looks to the client, feedback, requesting files and price. Full sources at the end.
Each option, same questions.
Positiva
What it does well
- Your client gets a branded gallery, not a list of files with a countdown: photos and video together, behind one link.
- Gallery links never expire, on every plan, Free included, and they stay the same when you replace files.
- Several links per gallery, each with its own password and download quality: originals for the client, view only for everyone else.
- Favorites and comments on every photo on all plans (photo proofing), and frame-accurate comments on video (video review), exported to Lightroom Classic, DaVinci Resolve (EDL) and Final Cut Pro (FCPXML). Video comments: Author and Studio plans
- Your logo, colors and fonts, with no one else’s branding, plus analytics that tell you if the gallery was opened and what was downloaded. Author and Studio plans
- Send a single file with a link on every plan. Files adds folders, multi-file transfers and file requests, so clients or vendors upload to you without an account (up to 150 GB per file). Studio plan
Limitations
- Transfers and file requests are a Studio feature. On Free and Author you can share a single file with a link, but not folders or multi-file transfers, and you can’t request files.
- Galleries play JPEG and browser video formats (H.264, HEVC). A RAW, a ProRes master or an editing project goes through Files, not inside the gallery.
- For a one-off send to someone different every time, with no account and no plan, SwissTransfer or WeTransfer are quicker.
- Storage is per plan (250 GB or 1 TB, plus add-ons). There is no unlimited tier, and no print store or invoicing.
- Our help center is in Spanish only for now.
Price: Free, €0 (15 GB, 2 active galleries). Author, €89/year excl. VAT (or €8.95/month), 250 GB. Studio, €219/year excl. VAT (or €22.95/month), 1 TB, with transfers, folders and file requests.
We wouldn’t pick it if you only ever send one-off files, with nothing to present, and don’t want an account.
SwissTransfer
What it does well
- Up to 50 GB per transfer, free, with no account (senders verify their email once per device).
- You choose how long files stay available, from 1 to 30 days, and how many downloads are allowed (up to 250 free).
- Password protection, and files stored in Switzerland, encrypted in transit and at rest.
Limitations
- No branding on the free service: logo, colors and backgrounds need a paid Infomaniak kSuite plan.
- It’s still a transfer that expires, so it doesn’t work as a permanent delivery.
- No favorites, comments or portfolio.
- Infomaniak doesn’t claim end-to-end encryption for it.
Price: Free. Infomaniak also lists paid SwissTransfer and kSuite offers (customization, bigger transfers, unlimited downloads); prices weren’t on the pages we checked.
Smash
What it does well
- Unlimited transfer size on Pro.
- Logo, background, a personal message and your own send page (yourname.fromsmash.com) on Pro. Custom domains on Enterprise.
- Transfers stay available for up to 30 days on Pro, with 1 TB of cumulative storage.
Limitations
- Links still expire: 7 days on Free, 30 at most on Pro.
- No favorites, comments or portfolio: it’s a transfer, not a delivery.
- On Free, transfers are capped at 2 GB and queue behind Pro transfers.
Price: Free (2 GB per transfer, 7 days). Pro, $10/month with no commitment; their page advertises 40% off annual billing but doesn’t state the annual price.
Dropbox Transfer
What it does well
- Included in your Dropbox plan: 50 GB per transfer on Plus; 100 GB on Essentials, Standard, Advanced and Business; 250 GB on Business Plus.
- Passwords, custom expiry, logo and background on the business plans.
- Recipients don’t need a Dropbox account, and you send straight from files you already sync.
- File requests on every plan, uploaders need no account (2 GB per file on Basic and Plus, up to 250 GB on business plans).
Limitations
- Transfers expire: 7 days on Basic and Plus; 30 days by default on business plans, where you can set a date.
- It’s a transfer, not a gallery: no favorites or client presentation.
- Video review means Dropbox Replay, an add-on sold separately (we compare it on our Frame.io alternative page).
Price: Included in Dropbox plans. Plus, $119.88/year ($9.99/month billed annually), 2 TB. Standard, $15/user/month and Advanced, $24/user/month, as listed on their plans page.
Google Drive
What it does well
- No expiry: access lasts as long as you keep the folder shared.
- Any file type, including RAW files and projects.
- Comments on files and per-person permissions.
- 15 GB free with any Google account.
Limitations
- The presentation is a file list under Google’s branding, not a delivery.
- Downloading a big folder leaves your client dealing with ZIP files and browser warnings.
- No favorites, no frame-accurate comments, no portfolio; commenting needs a Google account.
Price: 15 GB free, shared with Gmail and Photos. Google Workspace Business Starter, $84 per user/year ($7/user/month billed monthly), 30 GB; Business Standard, $14/user/month (2 TB); Business Plus, $22/user/month (5 TB). An annual commitment saves 16%.
Four tools, one delivery.
| Criterion | Positiva | WeTransfer | Dropbox Transfer | Google Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Delivering to and reviewing with clients; also sending and requesting files | Sending files | Sending from your Dropbox | Storing and sharing folders |
| Transfer size | Galleries: up to your storage · Files: up to 150 GB per file Studio plan | 3 GB/month (Free); 300 GB/month (Starter); unlimited on Ultimate (1 TB per transfer, per their help center) | 50 GB (Plus) to 250 GB (Business Plus) | Up to your storage |
| Link expiry | ✓ BestGallery links never expire, on every plan | Up to 7 days on Free and Starter; no limit on Ultimate | 7 days (Basic, Plus); a date you choose on business plans | ✓ BestDoesn’t expire |
| Your brand | ✓ BestLogo, colors and fonts Author and Studio plans | Custom page, emails and backgrounds on Ultimate; ads as backgrounds on Free and Starter | Logo and background on business plans | No |
| Client feedback | ✓ BestFavorites and comments on photos; frame-accurate on video Video: Author and Studio plans | No | Not in Transfer; video review with Replay, sold separately | Comments on files, with a Google account |
| Requesting files from others | Yes, uploader needs no account; up to 150 GB per file Studio plan | Yes, on every plan; uploaders may be asked to verify their email | ✓ BestYes, on every plan, no account; 2 GB per file (Basic, Plus) to 250 GB | No request feature: a shared folder or a form, both need a Google account |
| Free plan | 15 GB, 2 active galleries | 10 transfers or 3 GB a month; individual, non-commercial use only | Basic: 2 GB | 15 GB shared with Gmail and Photos |
| Price | Author: €89/year excl. VAT (or €8.95/month) | Starter: $84/year ($7/month billed annually); Ultimate: $228/year ($19/month billed annually) | Included in Dropbox (Plus: $119.88/year, $9.99/month billed annually) | 15 GB free; Workspace from $84/user/year ($7/month billed monthly) |
✓ BestThe strongest value in the row, whoever has it. No badge: a tie, or it depends on your case. Positiva in euros excl. VAT; the rest in US dollars as published. SwissTransfer and Smash are covered in their own sections above.
Sources: wetransfer.com/pricing · Dropbox Transfer help · workspace.google.com/pricing, checked on October 18, 2026. Full list in the methodology below.
Match the tool to what you’re sending.
If the problem is size and you don’t want to pay, SwissTransfer fixes it today. If you send every day and want your logo on it, Smash. If you already pay for Dropbox, Transfer is there at no extra cost. If a team works on the same material for weeks, Google Drive.
And if what you’re sending is the finished work for a client (the wedding, the campaign, the final cut), the problem isn’t size: a transfer that expires isn’t a delivery. That’s what Positiva is built for, and on the Studio plan it also sends and requests files like a transfer service. See the full comparison on Positiva vs WeTransfer, or try it free with 15 GB.
The questions that matter.
Is there a free WeTransfer alternative with no size limit?
Not with no limit at all. The most generous free option is SwissTransfer: up to 50 GB per transfer with no account and no payment. In Positiva you can share a single file with a link on every plan, Free included (15 GB); multi-file transfers, folders and file requests are on the Studio plan.
Which WeTransfer alternative doesn’t expire?
Positiva and Google Drive. Positiva gallery links have no expiry date on any plan, Free included, and keep working when you replace files; in Drive, access lasts as long as the folder stays shared. In WeTransfer, only Ultimate removes the expiry limit; Free and Starter transfers last up to 7 days.
Which one lets me put my brand on the delivery?
Positiva on the Author and Studio plans (logo, colors and fonts across the gallery), Smash from Pro (logo, background and your own send page), Dropbox Transfer on business plans, and WeTransfer on Ultimate. SwissTransfer’s free service and Google Drive don’t.
Can my client comment on what I send?
In Positiva, yes: favorites and comments on every photo, and on the Author and Studio plans, comments on the exact video frame, exported to Lightroom Classic, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro. Google Drive lets people comment on files, without timecode. The rest are transfer services and don’t offer it.
Can a client or vendor send files to me?
Yes, with several of them. Dropbox has file requests on every plan, and uploaders need no account. WeTransfer lists file requests on every plan, though uploaders may be asked to verify their email. Positiva includes them on the Studio plan: no account for the uploader, up to 150 GB per file, and what you receive stays in your folders. Google Drive needs a shared folder or a form, both with a Google account.
Can I tell whether my client downloaded the files?
Positiva, on the Author and Studio plans, records views, unique visitors, downloads and plays for each gallery, so you know without asking.
Is WeTransfer worth paying for if I only deliver to clients?
It depends on how many deliveries you make. If delivery is your final product, paying for a link that expires and only carries your brand on Ultimate ($228/year billed annually) solves the transport but not the presentation. A client gallery costs the same or less and does both. See the details on Positiva vs WeTransfer.
How we checked.
Checked on October 18, 2026 on each company’s official pricing page and help center:
WeTransfer pricing · WeTransfer plan limits · SwissTransfer · Infomaniak SwissTransfer · SwissTransfer limits · SwissTransfer customization · Smash Pro · Dropbox plans · Dropbox Transfer (help) · Dropbox file requests · Google Workspace pricing.
WeTransfer shows prices by country; the figures here are the ones its pricing page lists for the United States. Where its pricing page and its help center don’t say the same thing (Ultimate’s transfer size), we give both. Positiva’s data comes from our pricing page and the product itself.
Positiva is our product, so we also point out where other tools fit better. Positiva’s prices are in euros excluding VAT; everyone else’s are shown in the currency of their official pricing page (US dollars) and with the billing period they publish. We don’t convert currencies. If something has changed or is wrong, email us at hola@positiva.studio and we’ll fix it.
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