WeTransfer is useful for large transfers, but it charges for the controls that should be standard: passphrase lock, custom expiry, and view limits. ShareText includes all of that at no cost.
Upload up to 3 files, attach a note, set an expiry and optional passphrase, then send one link. Recipients open it in any browser — no account on either end.
What you get
Everything included. No paid plan required.
Free password protection
Add a password to any link. WeTransfer charges for this. ShareText includes it free on every share.
Custom expiry
Set links to expire in 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or up to 90 days. WeTransfer free links expire after 7 days only.
View limits
Deactivate a link after a set number of views. WeTransfer has no equivalent on the free tier.
Files and notes together
Attach a rich text note alongside your files. Recipients see context and files on one page.
End-to-end encrypted notes
Enable E2E encryption on any note and it is encrypted in your browser before it reaches our servers. The key lives only in the share link — WeTransfer has no equivalent.
No permanent storage
ShareText is not a storage tool. Links expire and files are deleted on schedule — nothing lingers.
No recipient account
Anyone with the link can open it in a browser. No sign-in, no app, no WeTransfer account required.
How it works
Add files, no account
Up to 10 files at 15 MB each. Like WeTransfer, you can send as a guest — unlike WeTransfer, you don't hand over an email address to do it.
Set the controls that WeTransfer charges for
Password, custom expiry, and view limits are all available on the free tier, configured on the same screen as the upload.
Send the link
Copy the URL and send it however you like. There's no ad interstitial and no branded wallpaper between your recipient and the files.
Access ends on your terms
The link stops working when your expiry or view limit is reached, and the files are deleted rather than archived.
Where ShareText fits, and where WeTransfer still wins
The honest dividing line is file size. WeTransfer is built to move large media — video rushes, layered design files, photo sets — and handles up to 2 GB on its free tier. ShareText caps files at 15 MB each. If you're sending a video, WeTransfer is the right tool and no amount of access control changes that.
What ShareText is built for is everything below that ceiling, where the interesting problem isn't bandwidth but control: contracts, invoices, exports, reports, scans, screenshots, spreadsheets. For those, the questions that matter are who can open this, for how long, and how do I know it stopped being accessible — and those are precisely the questions WeTransfer's free tier answers with 'seven days, anyone with the link'.
The free tier comparison, feature by feature
WeTransfer's free tier gives you a 7-day link and no way to change it. You cannot set a password, cannot limit views, cannot shorten the window for something sensitive or extend it for a project that runs longer than a week. Those controls exist, but they're bundled into a paid subscription.
On ShareText all of them are free: expiry from 1 hour to 3 months or never, a password on any link, and a view limit that closes the link after a set number of opens. You also get things WeTransfer doesn't offer at any tier — end-to-end encrypted notes, a rich text note attached alongside the files, and an AI summary of what you've shared.
There's no email harvesting either. WeTransfer's free flow asks for your address and your recipient's. ShareText gives you a link and lets you decide how it travels, which matters if you're sending something to a person whose address you'd rather not type into a third party's form.
Switching without changing how you work
There's nothing to install and no account to create. The flow is the same one you already know — open the page, add files, get a link — with the access controls surfaced next to the upload instead of behind an upgrade prompt.
If you do create an account, you get a dashboard of everything you've shared, the ability to delete a link early, and the longest expiry options. But the guest path is deliberately complete: a password-protected, expiring, view-limited link with no sign-up is the default experience, not a teaser for one.
Frequently asked questions
Is ShareText completely free?
Yes. Password protection, custom expiry, and view limits are all free — no paid plan required.
What is the file size limit?
ShareText supports files up to 15 MB each, with up to 10 files per link. If you need to transfer files larger than that, WeTransfer supports up to 2 GB and remains the better choice for large media.
Do recipients need a WeTransfer or ShareText account?
No. Recipients open the link in any browser. No sign-in or app required on either end.
Can I set a custom expiry date?
Yes. Choose from 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 1 month, or 3 months — or set no expiry. WeTransfer free links are fixed at 7 days.
Does ShareText ask for my email or my recipient's?
No. You get a link and share it yourself. There is no email collection step on either side of the transfer.
Can I stop a transfer after I've sent it?
Yes. Delete the link from your dashboard and it stops working immediately, before the expiry date you set.
Are there ads on the download page?
No. Recipients see your files and your optional note — no full-screen advertising, no branded wallpaper.