How to Use WeTransfer vs It's Best Alternative: Smash
Don’t get stuck in WeTransfer’s expensive, size-limited, and unintegrated ecosystem when there’s a better option.
Sending a large file using a file transfer service has, for a long time, meant using WeTransfer. Though long a market leader, a suite of competitors have arisen that have developed commercial and consumer offers that not only rival WeTransfer, but often leave it for dead. When WeTransfer goes down again or when WeTransfer asks for more and more personal information just to use its base service (bye-bye unregistered use…), those alternative services emerge from the crowd to show what they’ve got.
Smash is one of the leading alternatives to WeTransfer – and with good reason. Capable of transferring files of any size, fully encrypted and password protected, at lightning speeds and using a web of serves worldwide and all for free, Smash has rapidly established itself as the best alternative to WeTransfer.
So how do the two services stack up? In this article we consider both services from a variety of perspectives: what file size limits are enforced; does it integrate with leading email clients; can it manage large video files; does it work well on mobile devices; and, what happens if you choose not to create an account on the service.
Here’s how to use WeTransfer and Smash, and why you should be choosing the latter over the former.
WeTransfer vs Smash: File Size Limits
When you have a large file to transfer you really only want an answer to one question: how do I share this file? What you don’t want to consider is if your file is too big to share; you want it shared securely and rapidly, and you don’t want to be worrying about whether it is a little over some file transfer service’s arbitrary file size limit.
Luckily, with Smash and WeTransfer there are no file size limits to worry about – though there is a catch with WeTransfer. At WeTransfer, the only way to access the unlimited file size transfer tier is to pay for it – and it can be a lot, too. You’ll pay more than €200 a year for the right to send files of any size with WeTransfer, and even the chance to send a 3GB file will cost you more than €100 a year! At Smash, on the other hand, unlimited means unlimited: even if you never pay a cent and never even open a Smash account, you’ll be able to send a file of any size to any recipient anywhere in the world.
| WeTransfer | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| File Size Limits | 2GB / 200GB / Unlimited | Unlimited |
WeTransfer vs Smash: Outlook Integrations
The world’s leading office application suite? Microsoft Office and Office 365. The email client common to both and powering more than 40% of all email and a bigger share of business communication? Microsoft Outlook. Outlook serves as the home base for many millions of business users across all industries with calendar, email, and instant messaging integrations – but by itself it remains limited by the size of files it can transfer and anything over 25MB means you’re out of luck.
Luckily, file transfer services can step into this obvious void. Smash offers a Microsoft Outlook plugin that integrates perfectly with Office and Office 365 to make sharing large files a breeze. No matter how large the file, the Smash plugin can generate a shareable URL that is quickly copy-and-pasted into an Outlook message and voila: the file is on its way. Unfortunately, WeTransfer doesn’t offer this functionality. While it is possible to open the WeTransfer webpage, go through the process of logging in, uploading, generating sharing links and heading back to Outlook to share, it’s nowhere near as smooth a user experience. On this one, Smash emerges a clear leader in the space.
| WeTransfer | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook Integrations | None | Outlook Plug In Available |
WeTransfer vs Smash: Large Video Files
When you want to send a large video file, a file transfer service is probably your best bet. Sure, you can try and compress it to a zip archive or share with a file storage service, but the best tool for the job is going to be the one that is purpose-built for getting a large file where it needs to be. File transfer services are streamlined technology products adept at moving large video files from one machine to another without impacting the resolution of the video or the quality of the footage.
When you choose to send a large video file via WeTransfer you need to keep in mind the file size limits (as low as 2GB, not a lot in a 4K and 8K video world) and also the fact that WeTransfer doesn’t allow recipients to preview video files. With Smash on the other hand, there are no file size limits to worry about and common video file formats such as MP4, MOV, and M4V can be previewed before downloading on the web, on iOS and Android, and on the Smash Mac app.
| WeTransfer | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| Large Video Files | Size Limits by Tier; No Previews | No Size Limits + Preview |
WeTransfer vs Smash: Mobile Devices
So much of our daily computing is done not at the desktop but on the devices that we carry in our hip pockets. The capacity to send a large file on the go without having to return to your home, office, or workspace is a huge bonus, and it aligns perfectly with our modern anytime, anywhere digital lifestyle.
Both WeTransfer and Smash have strong mobile computing games. The two services offer native Android apps in the Google Play Store as well as iOS apps in the Apple App Store. Both are also available on the mobile web so, no matter what browser you are using on your smartphone or tablet, you’ll have no problem sharing your large files from the palm of your hand. On this criterion, then, it’s a wash: you get best-in-class service no matter which of the file transfer options you choose.
| WeTransfer | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Devices | iOS / Android / Web | iOS / Android / Web |
WeTransfer vs Smash: No Account
There are many reasons why you might not want to open an account with yet another online service. Perhaps it is privacy, perhaps it is security, or maybe you just don’t want to trade your identity details to a service you might only use once to transfer a large file. Luckily, both WeTransfer and Smash are available to users that don’t want to open an account – but there is a catch when it comes to the former.
WeTransfer allows for 2GB file transfers without any password protections for users who choose not to open an account. Smash, on the other hand, allows users to send a file of any size to any recipient and with full password protection as standard. If you are hesitant to trade your personal details for the chance to send a file, Smash is the better bet to send a large file for free.
| WeTransfer | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| No Account | 2GB + No Password Protection | Unlimited + Password Protected |
WeTransfer vs Smash: And the Winner Is…
Compare WeTransfer and Smash and, well, it’s no comparison: Smash is out in front.
| WeTransfer | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| File Size Limits | 2GB / 200GB / Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Outlook Integrations | None | Outlook Plug In Available |
| Large Video Files | Size Limits by Tier; No Previews | No Size Limits + Preview |
| Mobile Devices | iOS / Android / Web | iOS / Android / Web |
| No Account | 2GB + No Password Protection | Unlimited + Password Protected |
While both services have the capacity to send files of any size, WeTransfer charges big bucks to do so while, at Smash, it’s all included – even on the free tier! Smash is integrated with leading office applications such as Microsoft Outlook where the free plugin helps transfer large files right from the application. Moving a large video file with Smash means never having to worry about file size limits and offering previews to your recipients, two things that WeTransfer doesn’t offer as standard. And while both services have comparably strong mobile offers, only Smash password protects their no-account tier transfers and, yes, those free transfers don’t have any size limits.
Try Smash today on one of the native iOS and Android apps, on the native Mac menu bar app, over the API for developers, or on any web browser at fromsmash.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No! The file transfer service’s marketing department probably wants your personal account details so they can shower you in email advertisements and file you in their CRM system under the appropriate demographic profile. With Smash, though, you don’t need to trade your personal details and create an account just to send a file. A few clicks, and you’re done – and without ever creating a personal account.
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Sure, you can, it’s just not as convenient as Smash’s integrated Outlook plugin alternative. Opening a new window, creating an account, logging in, uploading the file, grabbing the URL, and then clicking back over to Outlook? Yeah, it can be done – but wouldn’t it be easier just to do everything without leaving the window you’re in?
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It is – visit the Smash website, upload a file of any size, and send it anywhere you like. It’s free, fast, completely secure, and end-to-end encrypted. You don’t pay for the privilege of password protecting your file transfers, and you don’t have to pay to get your file where it needs to go. Smash is free, and always will be.
