WeTransfer cloud storage review

WeTransfer rose to file sharing fame with a quick and easy-to-use tool that transferred files using only the recipient's and sender’s email addresses. Now, WeTransfer not only offers a richer set of file-transfer features, including download and contact management, but also provides cloud storage for photos, slides, and other creative content via apps including Collect and Paste.

The best cloud storage and best file sharing solutions depend on business or individual requirements, such as the breadth of collaboration features, so keep reading our WeTransfer review to see if this product fits your needs. We cover pricing plans, main features, interface, support and security options, as well as comparing it to the competition.

WeTransfer: Plans and pricing

There are three products included in both free and premium WeTransfer plans: the WeTransfer file sharing tool, the Collect photo and document storage app, and the Paste slideshow creation app.

The free plan lets you send 2GB per transfer to a maximum of three email recipients, with files stored and available for download for up to a week. In Collect, you can save and share up to 5GB of files, but cannot sync boards, and in Paste, you can create and share up to three decks. 

For $12 a month or $120 a year, WeTransfer Pro allows up to 200GB per transfer to a maximum of 10 recipients, counting towards 1TB of cloud storage, with customizable passwords and expiry dates. Collect storage also increases to 200GB of synced content, and Paste has unlimited decks.

WeTransfer: Features

WeTransfer makes it easy to save files over the cloud and share them securely. Additionally, it has attractive features for creative professionals with Collect’s content storage and management.

You can transfer files on WeTransfer without an account by adding the recipient’s email address or generating a transfer link. However, when logged in, you have extra features, such as the ability to track downloads, store files, and save contacts, plus—on Pro—to brand download pages, and set file passwords and expiry dates. 

Whether sending files by email or link, your transfers are saved in your WeTransfer account, accessible from any device with a browser. You can see if they’ve been downloaded and by whom, delete them to prevent further downloads, or forward them to more people. For extensions including .jpg, .png, .tif, and .mp3, you can preview sent files from your browser.

WeTransfer’s storage app, Collect, is available on Android, iOS, and browser extensions. With Collect, you can create different buckets of content—called boards—which, unlike traditional cloud storage solutions, can also include web links such as newspaper articles. You can share the contents of your boards with collaborators, and—on Pro—you and your team can also co-create boards.

WeTransfer: Interface and in use

Sending files on WeTransfer is easy and, provided you’ve got good internet connectivity, fairly quick: you upload them on wetransfer.com, then send directly to the recipients’ emails or copy a transfer link. There is no mobile app for WeTransfer’s file-sharing tool.

When logged in, you can track download status under Transfers and make any changes, such as editing transfer titles or recipients. On WeTransfer Pro, the Branding tab is where you edit the look and feel of the email and download pages accessed by recipients, storing up to five backgrounds.

Collect storage is kept separate from the WeTransfer website, but you can use the same login credentials. Installing Collect from the App Store or Google Play is straightforward, and you can start using it immediately. 

You can populate your Collect content from your local storage and photo app, organizing it into interest boards and accessing it from three views—"All items", "Boards", and "Sort later". From third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, you’ll have the option to save items directly to Collect. Boards can be shared with view or edit permissions, but adding items collaboratively to boards is reserved for Pro users.

WeTransfer: Support

WeTransfer staff respond to support tickets quickly and effectively: while it has a three-business-day guarantee, we’ve received a reply by email within three hours. There’s also an online knowledge base with detailed product descriptions, but it isn’t directly accessible from the main site; all support functions are on WeTransfer’s Zendesk site. The main thing missing here is phone support, which WeTransfer says it’s unable to offer with a small team.

WeTransfer: Security

Data transferred and stored with WeTransfer must comply with the European Union’s GDPR laws and is encrypted with TLS and AES-256 encryption, which are among the best protection methods for large file transfers. 

Users can also manually activate two-factor authentication on their accounts. Additionally, when sending files over WeTransfer Pro, you can restrict download access by setting passwords and custom expiry dates.

Alternatives to WeTransfer

WeTransfer’s cloud storage competition, including OneDrive and Dropbox, offer complex features to organize and collaborate on documents, while WeTransfer’s products center on ease of transfer and download tracking. 

For instance, Dropbox allows just 100MB per file transfer on its free plan, but its 2GB storage can be viewed and edited in real-time with collaborators, without expiration dates. If you’re willing to invest, an attractive premium plan is OneDrive’s $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, which is particularly useful for Microsoft users, as it offers a one-year MS Office subscription along with 1TB of cloud storage, and includes password-protected file sharing, 30-day version history, and offline access to files.

That said, WeTransfer’s products lead with simplicity and are better suited to users more interested in item delivery than collaboration; for example, freelancers sharing results with clients. Furthermore, the wider product portfolio is designed for creative professionals. Collect, for instance, is made for quickly storing and accessing inspiring content in a neat and visual way.

The verdict

WeTransfer should be on your radar if you’re looking for an easy-to-use solution combining file transfer and cloud storage. Aimed at creative use by individuals and small teams, WeTransfer covers the basics of secure file sharing, download tracking, and managing recipients, while accompanying products, such as Collect and Paste, help to create and store photos, decks, and other items.

If a collaboration-oriented storage solution is what you’re after, then WeTransfer may not tick your boxes. Features like in-app document editing, real-time collaboration, shared folders, and protected vaults are not included. But WeTransfer offers more than enough file sharing and branding tools for quick, effective interaction with clients or a small team.