TransferFiles.net vs TransferNow

Use TransferNow when the file is under 5 GB and the recipient will download it later, on their own schedule. Use TransferFiles.net when the file is larger than 5 GB, or when you would rather not leave a copy on someone else's server, and the recipient can receive it right now. Both are free and neither needs an account, so the choice comes down to two things: size, and whether the two of you are online at the same time.

TransferNow is a French service that has kept a genuinely useful free tier. That deserves saying up front, because many "free" transfer services have quietly shrunk theirs. The rest of this page explains what each tool actually does with your file, walks through three realistic situations, and ends with a short checklist.

The two tools at a glance

TransferNow figures are from its own free-plan and help pages at the time of writing (October 2026). Paid plans raise the per-transfer limit substantially and extend retention up to a year; TransferNow advertises Premium from about 6 euros a month, with Team and Enterprise tiers above it.

What actually happens to your file

With TransferNow

You drop files on the page, choose whether to email them or just get a link, and TransferNow uploads everything to its storage. Once the upload finishes you can close your laptop. The recipient clicks the link any time in the next seven days and downloads from TransferNow's servers. TransferNow says it scans each file for malware before making it available, encrypts stored data, and runs as a European, GDPR-oriented company.

The cost of that convenience is the 5 GB ceiling and the fact that a copy of your file sits on a third party's infrastructure for a week. For most documents, photo batches and short videos, neither matters.

With TransferFiles.net

You pick files, get a link and a short code such as ABCD-1234, and send that to the other person. When they open the link (or type the code and tap Connect), the two browsers connect over WebRTC and the data moves directly between them. Nothing is uploaded or stored on a server. A small broker server only introduces the browsers to each other. On some strict corporate or mobile networks a direct path is not possible, and the encrypted stream is relayed through a TURN server; the relay passes the data along but cannot decrypt it. The how it works page covers this in more detail.

Because nothing is stored, there is no 5 GB limit, and also no link that keeps working after you close the tab.

Three situations, worked through

1. A 1.2 GB set of wedding photos for a client in another country

The client is eight hours ahead and will look at the email tomorrow morning. This is TransferNow's home ground: upload once, add a password if the photos are private, send the link, and you are done. A live transfer would mean coordinating a time when you are both at a computer, which is pointless for a file this size.

Better choice: TransferNow.

2. A 38 GB project folder to a colleague on a video call

You are already talking, so you are both online. On TransferNow's free plan this would need eight separate transfers, each a manual split, and the whole 38 GB has to go up before any of it comes down. With a live transfer the colleague opens the link while you are still on the call, and data starts arriving immediately. At a real-world 50 Mbps upload, 38 GB takes a little under two hours either way, but you upload once and the download happens at the same time rather than afterwards. You can check your own numbers with the transfer time calculator.

Two things to get right: the sender's computer must not sleep, and on desktop Chrome or Edge the receiver should pick a save location when prompted so the file streams to disk instead of filling memory.

Better choice: TransferFiles.net, or a paid plan of any upload service.

3. A signed contract to an accountant, sent from your phone

The file is 3 MB. Either tool works. If the accountant will open it later, TransferNow's link is simpler. If the document is sensitive and you would rather it never sits in a third party's storage, send it live while they are on the phone with you. For something this small, email may honestly be fine too; see email attachment size limits for the current numbers.

Better choice: Whichever matches the recipient's timing.

Where TransferNow is clearly better

• Asynchronous delivery. The recipient does not need to be around. This is the single biggest difference and the reason cloud transfer services exist.
• Multiple recipients. One upload, many downloads. A peer-to-peer session is one sender to one receiver at a time.
• Malware scanning. TransferNow scans files before making them available. We do not scan anything, because we never see the file.
• Receiving files. TransferNow offers file request links so other people can send to you. That is useful for collecting files from clients.
• Reliability on flaky connections. Once your upload finishes, your connection no longer matters. A live transfer has no resume; if either side drops, you start again.

Where a live peer-to-peer transfer is better

• Anything over 5 GB. Long camera recordings, disk images, game captures and RAW photo shoots routinely exceed the free cap. There is no ceiling on our side; the practical limits are your connection and keeping both devices awake.
• No stored copy. The file is never uploaded to or kept on a server, so there is nothing to expire, leak or be retained later.
• Speed when both are online. Upload and download happen at the same time instead of one after the other.
• Same-room transfers. Moving files between your own laptop and phone, or between a Mac and a Windows PC, is a natural fit. See sending files from Mac to Windows.

Privacy: what each one can see

Neither service is careless. The difference is structural. TransferNow necessarily holds your file, encrypted at rest, for the days it is available, and it controls the keys for that storage unless you are on a plan with customer-managed encryption. You are trusting its security practices and its deletion schedule. For most files that is a reasonable trust to extend to a European company with published security claims.

With a peer-to-peer transfer, the content is encrypted by the browsers themselves using DTLS, and there is no stored copy for anyone to access afterwards. The broker sees that two browsers wanted to connect, and a TURN relay, if used, sees encrypted traffic passing through. If your concern is "I do not want this file sitting anywhere but on the two devices", that model fits better.

A quick checklist before you choose

1. Is the total over 5 GB? If yes, TransferNow free is out unless you split the files.
2. Will the recipient download within the next few minutes while you wait? If no, use TransferNow.
3. Are there several recipients? TransferNow handles that in one upload.
4. Is the receiver on a phone and the file several gigabytes? Prefer an upload service or a desktop receiver.
5. Do you want no copy left on any server? Use a live transfer.

If you send files regularly, it is worth keeping both bookmarked. They solve different problems, and the right one usually becomes obvious once you know where the recipient is and how big the file is. For a wider view of the options, see our full comparison of file transfer services.

Sources

• TransferNow: Free plan for individuals
• TransferNow Help Center: free and paid version limits
• TransferNow: plan comparison page (features by plan)