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Tech / Filmmaking / Photography / Video Editing

How to Send Large Files Over the Internet

Wetransfer
Published 25 March 2021

Last updated on 23 October 2021

As the world is slowly moving online, we all need access to the best file transfer services, especially when we need to send large files. However, these can be hard to find, especially when you’re looking for security and no hidden costs. 

I put together a list of the best file transfer services, so you can easily send large files over the internet from now on. 

1. WeTransfer

WeTransfer is the to-go file sharing service for a lot of us — it’s easy to use and free if you transfer 2GB or less at a time.

The process with it is simple — you upload the files, and then select one of the two transfer options:

  1. Send a transfer link directly to the person you want to give your files to.
  2. Get a transfer link and share it with whoever you want.

On the paid plan, you get to transfer up to 200GB at a time, get 1TB of cloud storage, and you can even protect your files — which is great, especially if you work with sensitive data or footage. The Pro plan costs $13/a month, or $130 a year.

Max file size transfer – 200GB on Pro plan

Screenshot of wetransfer's plans and pricing

2. FileMail

FileMail is another file transfer service, and it works similarly to WeTransfer. On the free plan, you can transfer up to 5 GB at a time, and your files are available in the cloud for 7 days. Plus, you get antivirus protection, so everything is safe and sound.

When you upload the file, you can choose to get a download link yourself or mail it to someone else. And if you need to transfer more data, it offers 3 paid plans:

  • Pro — $10/month, 25GB per transfer, and 30 days availability.
  • Business — $15/month, unlimited transfer size and you can choose how long the files are available.
  • Enterprise — $40/month, everything in Business, and two-factor data protection.

Max file size transfer – Unlimited

Screenshot of filemail's plans and pricing

3. OpenDrive

OpenDrive is another reliable file sharing service, although it is mostly known for its unlimited cloud storage. The platform features different ways to share files, and collaborators can work on shared files together. There is also a direct link for streaming or downloading files.

OpenDrive also features an option to place passwords or expiration dates on your files. You can also set a limit for the file to no longer be shared after it reaches a particular number of users. You won’t find its file-sharing capabilities as advanced as other providers, and the upload is a bit slower than other competitors.

You get free 5GB storage when you use Open Drive, although there are two personal plans and three business plans to choose from. On some of these business plans, you get access to unlimited storage and bandwidth at a cost-efficient price of $29, which makes file sharing more convenient.

Max file transfer: The free plan offers a 100 MB limit and sends files with a speed of speed up to 200Kpbs. Other plans would give you unlimited file size transfer and bandwidth.

Opendrive-business-plan-pricing
Opendrive-personal-plan-pricing

4. DropBox

DropBox used to be one of the best cloud storage services, but now, it’s slowly creating a file sharing service too. Instead of uploading the files, sending them, and having them lost 7 days after, you can select one of its plans and access your files at all times.

It’s a favorite in the world of photography and video editing because you get to share your files in real-time, with many people, and you also get to keep them organized.

One of the only issues I have with DropBox is that they cap the download limit to 200GB per month, which can be disruptive if you had plans to download more.

DropBox has two personal plans and three business plans. Its personal plans start at $9.99/month, and you get 2TB of storage. However, on its Professional plan, priced at $16.58/month, you’re getting 3TB of storage along with 100GB/transfer and even e-signatures. 

Max file size transfer – 100GB (Download bandwidth capped at 200GB per month. They will suspend your account if you reach this)

Screenshot of dropbox's options to send large files over the internet

5. TransferXL

TransferXL is one of the best platforms you can use to transfer files. On its free plan, you can transfer up to 5GB at a time, and 10GB a day, which is quite a lot, regardless of what you do. It offers two transfer methods — through a link or directly to your friends and clients and it even has an option of posting the link to Twitter or Facebook automatically, if it’s something you want to share with the world. 

If you decide to upgrade, its Pro plan starts at $9.99/month and allows you to send up to 25GB in one transfer, with a daily cap of 50GB. Besides, it had a 6 weeks retention window, so you don’t lose your files easily. What I like the most is that you also get a custom subdomain, so it’s easier to manage business files. 

Its biggest plan, Enterprise, costs $39.99/month, and even though it’s a big jump from the Pro plan, you get to transfer 100GB at a time, and 200GB a day — which is perfect if you’re managing a big company. It has a 3-month retention policy and everything is encrypted. 

Max file size transfer – 100GB (200GB cap per day)

Screenshot with the transferxl plans and pricing

6. Massive.io

Unlike others I featured here, Massive.io doesn’t have a free plan — however, it’s more than affordable and has fast speeds for convenient data transfers. Besides, it has a 7-day free trial, where you get 100GB of data to test the service.

What sets Massive.io apart from its competition, are the many integrations it offers — it’s perfectly compatible with Slack, Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Google Drive, DropBox, and even the Premiere Pro Panel. 

As for pricing, transferring 1GB of data costs $0.25 — which is a great price considering the fast speeds it offers. If you want to create a yearly contract with them, though, you can easily give them a message, and they’ll offer you a great offer depending on the amount of data you want to transfer. 

Max file size transfer – Unlimited Pay As you Go

Screenshot of massive. Io's plans and pricing

7. Set up an FTP Server

FTP servers are probably the cheapest and safest solution to transfer large files on the internet, but a bit more complicated. What you need to do is set up the main server where you and your co-workers, clients, or friends will store files. The transfer goes between your computer and the server, and then anyone connected to it can access the files and download them from the server, into their computers. 

These are a little harder to set up but once they’re up, they can handle thousands of GB worth of files, at very small prices. One of the most popular providers is FileZilla which also offers you the possibility to encrypt your traffic — just in case someone accidentally bumps into your server and wants to take a look at it. Depending on the hosting you choose, you can pay as little as $1 a month for it.

With one of these 6 services, you should be able to successfully send large files over the internet without much of a hassle. Which one will you choose?

About Author

As a digital marketer, Andreea also has an incredible passion for photography, so she's here to give you all the information you need on the topic!