Send Anywhere vs TransferFiles.net

Send Anywhere and TransferFiles.net are closer relatives than most file transfer services: both can move a file straight from one device to another while both people are online, without parking it on a server. The difference is that Send Anywhere also has a second, server-based mode (the share link), and most of its well-known limits apply to that mode, not to the direct one. If you want a live transfer with native apps on both ends and your file is under 50 GB, Send Anywhere's 6-digit key is a good tool. If you need a link that waits for someone who is offline, its share link is the better choice. If you want nothing installed on either side and no size cap, a browser-only peer-to-peer transfer like ours fits better.

Two products behind one Send button

When you pick files in Send Anywhere, you are choosing between three delivery methods, and they behave very differently. Its help centre, as of October 2026, describes them like this:

The old shorthand "Send Anywhere is limited to 10 GB" is therefore only half right. The 10 GB ceiling belongs to the link and device modes. The key mode goes to 50 GB, and Send Anywhere's March 2023 policy notice says key transfers are not counted against any monthly allowance.

How the 6-digit key really works

The key mode is the part that resembles TransferFiles.net. The sender selects files and taps Send; the app shows a six-digit number (and, on mobile, a QR code). The receiver types that number into the Receive field and the files start flowing in real time. Send Anywhere's safety article says that in this mode files go directly between the devices and are not stored on its servers, and that data is encrypted in transit.

Three practical details matter more than the headline:

• The 10-minute window. The key is a one-time code that expires after 10 minutes if it is not used. That is fine when you are sitting next to someone or on a call, and awkward if you text the code to someone who reads it half an hour later.
• Phones need the app to receive by key. According to Send Anywhere's help centre, a computer can receive with a key through the Send Anywhere website, but a mobile recipient must install the app. Share links, by contrast, open in any browser.
• Stopping either end cancels it. The transfer is live. If either device stops it, it is cancelled, much like any real-time peer-to-peer transfer.

Send Anywhere does not publish detail on what happens when the two devices cannot connect directly (for example, both behind strict corporate firewalls). Most peer-to-peer systems fall back to a relay in that case, and we would not assume Send Anywhere is different, but its help pages do not say.

How TransferFiles.net does the same job

Our tool covers only the live, one-to-one case. The sender opens transferfiles.net, picks files and gets a link plus a short code such as ABCD-1234. The receiver opens the link or types the code and taps Connect. The browsers talk to each other over WebRTC; a public signalling server introduces them, and if a direct path is impossible the traffic goes through a TURN relay, still encrypted with DTLS so the relay cannot read it. Files are never uploaded to or stored on a server. The details are on our how it works page.

Compared with Send Anywhere's key mode, the differences are concrete:

• Nothing to install on either side, including phones. Both ends use a normal browser.
• No size cap from us. The practical limit is time and the receiving device. On desktop Chrome and Edge, files over 200 MB stream straight to a folder you choose. On Safari, Firefox and most mobile browsers the file is assembled in memory before saving, so multi-gigabyte files on a phone can fail. A native app like Send Anywhere's is not bound by that browser constraint, which is a real point in its favour on mobile.
• No resume. If the connection drops, you start again. Send Anywhere's key mode does not advertise resume either.
• No offline option at all. We have no equivalent of the share link. If the recipient is not there right now, our tool cannot help.

The share link and the monthly allowance

Most people who complain about Send Anywhere's limits are using share links, because a link is easier to send than a live code. On the free plan a link holds up to 10 GB and stays up for 48 hours, after which the files are permanently deleted from the server.

The less obvious rule is the download allowance. Since 7 March 2023, a free account gets 10 GB of download data per month in total, shared across every link that account creates, resetting on the 1st. It is counted against the sender, not the person downloading. Send Anywhere's notice says that once the allowance is used up, downloads from all of that account's links are restricted.

A worked example shows why this bites:

1. You share a 4 GB video with three relatives by link.
2. Two of them download it: 8 GB used.
3. The third tries a few days later. Their 4 GB download would take you to 12 GB, past the 10 GB allowance, so it is blocked until the 1st, even though the file itself is still within its 48 hours.

The same sum explains why a link to a large file can effectively serve only one or two downloads a month on the free plan. A live transfer avoids the question entirely, because nothing is downloaded from a server.

What the paid plans change

Send Anywhere's paid tier is called the Send Anywhere Email Add-on, sold as Lite and Standard. Per its help centre:

Subscribers also get dedicated servers and a customisable download page. Since the add-on launched in 2023, the Outlook add-in and the Chrome extension have been subscriber-only. Prices are shown on Send Anywhere's pricing page and vary by region and billing period, so check it before you buy; at the time of writing (October 2026) both tiers are a modest monthly subscription. Note that the paid tiers improve the link mode; the key mode was already at 50 GB without a monthly allowance on the free plan.

TransferFiles.net has no paid tier. It is free and supported by ads on the page.

Apps versus a browser tab

Send Anywhere's biggest structural advantage is its native apps. It has apps for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. On Android its Play Store listing describes Wi-Fi Direct transfers that work without mobile data or an internet connection,. Registered users can also send between their own devices without typing a key. If you move files between your own phone and laptop every day, an installed app with saved devices is more convenient than opening a web page each time.

The trade-off is setup. Each phone that receives by key needs the app, and the free apps show ads (the iOS app sells a one-time ad removal). A browser transfer costs nothing to set up, which matters when the other person is a client, a relative or someone on a locked-down work laptop who cannot install software.

Which to use, by situation

• Recipient is offline or busy: Send Anywhere share link (under 10 GB, within 48 hours). TransferFiles.net cannot do this.
• Sending to several people at once: Send Anywhere share link, watching the 10 GB monthly allowance. Our tool is one-to-one.
• Your own phone and laptop, every day: Send Anywhere's apps, especially with Wi-Fi Direct on Android.
• Live transfer, under 50 GB, both have the app: either works; Send Anywhere's key mode is excellent here.
• Live transfer, recipient cannot install anything: TransferFiles.net, or Send Anywhere's key mode only if the recipient is on a computer.
• Live transfer over 50 GB: TransferFiles.net, ideally receiving on desktop Chrome or Edge. Use the transfer time calculator first so you know how long both machines must stay awake.

The honest summary

Send Anywhere is not a pure upload service that happens to be called peer-to-peer, and it is not a pure peer-to-peer tool either. Its key mode is a capable direct transfer with a 50 GB ceiling, a 10-minute code and native apps. Its share link is a conventional cloud link whose free tier is restrained mainly by the 10 GB monthly download allowance. TransferFiles.net matches only the first of those, trading apps and offline links for zero installation and no size cap. For more on the architecture both share, see our guide to peer-to-peer file sharing.

Sources

• Send Anywhere: File size that can be transferred at one time
• Send Anywhere: What is 6-digit Key Transfer?
• Send Anywhere: How to send files
• Send Anywhere: What is Share-link?
• Send Anywhere: How long the transferred files are kept on the server
• Send Anywhere: Is it safe to transfer files with Send Anywhere?
• Send Anywhere: Do recipients need to install the app?
• Send Anywhere: Notice of Policy Change for Free Users (2023)
• Send Anywhere: Email Add-on release notice
• Send Anywhere: What is Send Anywhere Email Add-on?
• Send Anywhere on Google Play
• Send Anywhere on the App Store