pCloud Transfer vs TransferFiles.net

pCloud Transfer is a good choice for sending up to 5 GB to someone who will download it later, including up to ten people at once, without either of you creating an account. TransferFiles.net is the better choice when the file is bigger than that, or when you do not want a copy stored anywhere, and the recipient can receive it while you wait. If you only remember one rule: pCloud for "they will get it later", a live peer-to-peer transfer for "they are ready now and it is big".

pCloud, the Swiss cloud storage company, relaunched its Transfer tool with a new design in September 2026. Some older descriptions of the service, including ones you may still find in search results, no longer match how it works. This page is based on pCloud's current materials at the time of writing (October 2026).

How pCloud Transfer works now

pCloud describes the process in five steps, and in practice it takes about a minute before the upload starts:

1. Go to transfer.pcloud.com and add your files.
2. Choose between getting a direct link or typing in recipient email addresses (up to 10).
3. Verify your own email address. If you are already logged in to a pCloud account this step is skipped.
4. Optionally add a message and a password.
5. Send. Recipients get a download link valid for seven days, and you get a reminder before it expires.

The service is free, needs no credit card and has no paid tier of its own. pCloud's business is cloud storage, and the Transfer tool doubles as an introduction to it: pCloud points people who need more than 5 GB toward a free pCloud account, where it says registered users can share files from their storage without the 5 GB cap or the seven-day expiry, and with link options such as expiry dates and download limits.

Password protection versus encryption

This is the point most often misunderstood about pCloud Transfer, partly because the old version did something different.

The original pCloud Transfer, launched in 2015, offered an encrypted transfer built on pCloud's client-side encryption: the file was encrypted on your device with a password before upload, so pCloud itself could not read it. pCloud's 2026 description of the redesigned tool does not mention client-side encryption. It says uploads and downloads are protected with TLS/SSL, files are stored temporarily and deleted automatically after they expire, and you can add an optional password that the recipient must enter.

Those are meaningful protections, but they are not the same thing:

• TLS protects the file while it moves between a browser and pCloud's servers. Nobody on the network in between can read it.
• A link password stops someone who intercepts or forwards the link from downloading the file. pCloud rightly advises sending the password through a different channel from the link.
• Neither stops the service operator from technically being able to access the stored file during the seven days it exists, unless the file was encrypted before upload.

If that last point matters for your file, you have two options. You can encrypt the file yourself before uploading, for example with a password-protected 7-Zip archive using AES-256 (our guide to zipping files covers the basics). Or you can avoid storage altogether with a live transfer.

How a live transfer differs

TransferFiles.net does not upload your file anywhere. You choose files, get a link and a code like ABCD-1234, and the recipient opens the link or types the code. Their browser connects to yours over WebRTC and the file streams directly between the two, encrypted with DTLS, which is mandatory in WebRTC and cannot be turned off. A broker server only introduces the browsers. On restrictive networks the encrypted stream may pass through a TURN relay, which forwards the data without being able to read it. There is no stored copy, so nothing to expire.

The trade-off is timing. Both browser tabs must stay open, both devices awake, for the whole transfer. If the connection drops there is no resume, and the transfer starts over. You can read more on the peer-to-peer file sharing page.

Side by side

Picking by file size

Size is usually the deciding factor, so here is a practical breakdown.

Under 25 MB

You may not need either. Most email providers accept attachments this size; check current email attachment limits for your provider.

25 MB to 5 GB

This is pCloud Transfer's sweet spot, especially if the recipient is not online right now or you are sending to several people. A live transfer works equally well if you are both available, and avoids the email verification step.

Over 5 GB

pCloud Transfer will not take it in one go. Your options are splitting it across several transfers, opening a free pCloud account, or sending it live. For a one-off 30 GB video to a colleague who is ready to receive it, a live transfer is the least effort. If the receiver is on a phone, note that outside desktop Chrome and Edge the received file is held in memory before saving, so multi-gigabyte files to phones can fail; receiving on a computer is safer.

Common snags and how to avoid them

• The verification email does not arrive. Check spam and promotions folders, and make sure you typed the address correctly. Work addresses with strict filtering sometimes delay these messages; a personal address is often quicker.
• The recipient says the link does not work. Check whether seven days have passed. Expired transfers are deleted automatically, so the only fix is to send again.
• The upload stops partway. Large uploads over Wi-Fi can fail if your laptop sleeps or the browser tab is put to sleep. Keep the tab in the foreground and the device plugged in. The same advice applies to live transfers, which need both devices awake.
• The recipient cannot open the password-protected file. Send the password by a separate channel, such as a text message, and confirm it was typed exactly, including capitals.
• The link is blocked at work. Some company networks block file-sharing domains. Our guide to transfers blocked on a network explains why and what you can do.

When pCloud Transfer is the better choice

• The recipient will download tomorrow, or next week.
• You are sending the same files to several people.
• Your own connection is unreliable. Once the upload is done, the recipient's download no longer depends on you.
• You want a reminder trail by email, with the recipients' addresses recorded in the send.
• You already use pCloud and want to stay in one ecosystem.

When a live transfer is the better choice

• The file or folder is larger than 5 GB.
• You would rather not give an email address, or not leave a copy on any server for a week.
• You are moving files between your own devices, such as a phone and a laptop. See iPhone to Android transfers for one common case.
• The other person is on a call with you and you want them to have it in minutes.

Both tools are honest about what they are. pCloud Transfer is a simple, free, upload-and-link service with sensible limits and a clear path to a storage account if you outgrow it. A peer-to-peer transfer is narrower in scope but removes the size cap and the stored copy. Choosing between them is mostly a question of whether the recipient is there right now.

Sources

• pCloud Transfer
• pCloud Blog: pCloud Transfer Revamped, Send large files for free (September 2026)
• pCloud Blog: original pCloud Transfer announcement (2015)