WeTransfer vs tosstome
WeTransfer uploads your files, stores them, and emails or links them to the other person, who can download them later. tosstome never stores anything: the file goes from one device to the other while both are online. That one difference decides which one you want.
What WeTransfer Free includes
From wetransfer.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-29):
- "Share and receive up to 3 GB / month" and "10 transfers per month".
- "Transfer expiry up to 3 days".
- "For individual, non-commercial use only". Paid plans start at $10 a month for 300 GB.
- Recipients do not need an account: "anyone can download your files".
- Files "are encrypted when they are transferred (TLS) and when they are stored (AES-256)". End-to-end encryption is listed on the Enterprise plan.
Side by side
| WeTransfer Free | tosstome | |
|---|---|---|
| Files stored on a server | Yes, up to 3 days | No |
| Monthly limit | 3 GB and 10 transfers | None set |
| Receiver can download later | Yes | No, both devices must be online |
| Commercial use on the free tier | No | Yes |
| Encryption | TLS in transit, AES-256 at rest | End to end when direct (DTLS); TLS through the relay |
| Receive on a headless computer | Not described | Yes, tosstome listen |
When WeTransfer is the better choice
When the other person is not there right now. Send it, and they pick it up tomorrow from an email. A peer-to-peer tool cannot do that. WeTransfer is also the better fit for client deliveries, where branded pages and download receipts matter.
When tosstome is the better choice
When you are moving files between your own devices, or the other person is online at the same moment. There is no monthly cap to hit, nothing waits on a server, and nobody needs an account. For very large files, receive with the command line tool so the file goes straight to disk. See sending large files.
What tosstome does
- Runs in the browser. Nothing to install on the sending side.
- Devices on the same network see each other automatically. On different networks, one device shows a 6-digit code and the other types it in.
- Files go device to device over WebRTC when the networks allow it. If a direct connection does not come up within a few seconds, they go through a relay on Cloudflare that forwards the bytes and keeps nothing.
- An optional command line tool,
tosstome listen, keeps an always-on inbox on a computer. It prints a link and QR code; open it on a phone and files land in a folder on that computer, with no browser open on the computer side. - Text messages and links travel the same way as files, with a Copy button on the receiving side.
- Nothing is stored. If the receiver is offline, nothing is sent.
What tosstome does not do (yet)
- The relay is protected by TLS between each device and Cloudflare, but it is not end-to-end encrypted yet. Direct WebRTC transfers are encrypted end to end by the browser (DTLS).
- A receiving browser keeps the file in memory until you save it, so very large files are better received with the command line tool, which writes straight to disk.
- Both sides must be online at the same time. There is no "upload now, download tomorrow".
- It is new. Browser-side device pairing and end-to-end encryption on the relay are still being built.
Related
- Send large files without uploading them
- Send Anywhere vs tosstome
- ToffeeShare vs tosstome
- Snapdrop alternatives that still send peer to peer
Last checked 2026-10-28.