WeTransfer Rival Launches, Offers Free Unlimited File Transfer Size and Longer Availability

Smash, a new file transfer service has launched, threatening competition such as WeTransfer by becoming the first to offer unlimited file size. The site also allows longer expiration times than WeTransfer’s standard 7 days.

Smash feels very similar in nature to WeTransfer. The concept is the same, with an easy-to-use interface which allows users to drag their files in instantly.

One of the biggest positives I noticed about using the service was its flexibility. First and foremost, even the free plan allows Smash users to modify the length of time they wish for their download link to stay live. The maximum period allowed is 14 days, which is pretty generous in terms of giving clients that extra chance to download. From my own experience, even despite clients often claiming pictures are required urgently, it's regularly the case that they miss the 7-day window for download offered by WeTransfer. What's more, you also have the option to restrict the download window with a shorter time frame should you have a project that requires it. Currently, WeTransfer only offers such a service to those who pay for WeTransfer Plus.

One big positive about Smash is that it fuses one of Dropbox’s best features – which is that it allows recipients to view their files before downloading. Most of Smash's peers show the file names, but that's not much use if you're on the receiving end of the transfer and the file names and numbers have zero context. With Smash, you can actually scroll through decent-sized thumbnails, allowing you to check that all the relevant files are present before download. It also means individual files can be selected for download, so you don't feel like you're overloading a client if you've uploaded potentially more files than necessary; they can just take what they need.

One other significant advantage that Smash offers over WeTransfer is the ability to send files of unlimited sizes. Currently, WeTransfer's free services caps at 2GB total size, whereas Smash lets you send as much as you like.

Another nifty feature is the ability to customise your download link. I may be nitpicking here - I admit I'm fussy - but I love sending short, clean links to clients. When using WeTransfer, I prefer to send the files to myself before copying the link received in the email, adding it into the existing email thread. This way, I can include the download link with any important details (such as when the images can be released publicly, any social media handles that need tagging, etc) all in one message, to avoid any miscommunication. Smash, however, goes a step further and allows you to customise your link, so you can even add the name of your client or project in there for extra efficiency.

Overall, the service feels undeniably similar to WeTransfer, but will undoubtedly attract those looking to send large file sizes, and those who would prefer to give their clients more than 7 days to collect files. It'll be interesting to see if Smash creates a distinction enough from its rivals to really take off, but I'll certainly be giving it a go. The ability to extend download time I can already tell will be beneficial to me. 

What I Liked

• Able to adjust (and extend) the length of time until files expire.
• View files and download individually as well as all at once.
• No file size limit.
• Lots of perks are included as part of the free service.

What I Didn't Like

• I'm definitely nitpicking, but the custom link URLs aren't in any way tied to your email address, but are instead shared by every user - this meaning that once someone else has taken that URL, you're unable to do so.

Smash is live and available for file transferring now.

What are your thoughts?

Lead image credit: rawpixel on Unsplash