[All articles](https://linkinseconds.com/blog) # Filemail alternative: a free link that doesn't expire after 7 days [Sunny](https://linkinseconds.com/about#who-runs-this)·October 23, 2026· 6 min read [#send](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/topic/send-large-files)#comparison#filemail#alternative Filemail links die in 7 days. Fix that project-files.zip Live lisview.com/filemail-alt If you need a Filemail alternative because your link keeps dying after a week, you need a file host, not another transfer service. Filemail's free plan sends **up to 5 GB per transfer and keeps the files for 7 days**; even the paid Personal plan keeps them for 30. Link in Seconds gives each file a permanent link that never expires on the free plan, at the cost of a much smaller file size limit. Below is an honest comparison: where Filemail is the better tool (big files, today) and where a link that stays online is. Filemail figures are from filemail.com as listed in October 2026. ## Filemail vs Link in Seconds at a glance | | Filemail (free) | Link in Seconds (free) | | Free size limit | 5 GB per transfer | 250 MB per file, 500 MB total | | Free link lasts | 7 days | Until you delete it | | Paid plan keeps files | 30 days on Personal | Until you delete it | | What the recipient sees | A download page | The file itself: PDFs, video, images and HTML open in the browser | | Reading analytics | Not its focus | Views, time, pages read, device, city | | Password and custom expiry | On paid plans | Free on every plan | | Change the file later | Send a new transfer | Replace the file, keep the same link | Free plans compared, checked October 2026. Filemail figures from filemail.com. Daily transfer counts and paid prices left out: Filemail's own pages disagree on the first, and the second varies by term and currency. ## When is Filemail the right tool? Try it while you are reading Upload a file and get a clean, trackable link with a QR code. Free, and no account for whoever opens it. [Create a link](https://linkinseconds.com/) Give Filemail its due: for a one-off hand-over of a large file, it is one of the most generous free options there is. - **Multi-gigabyte sends.** Raw video, a full photo shoot or a large project archive fits in one 5 GB transfer. That is far more than a free Link in Seconds file (250 MB), and more than our paid per-file limit (500 MB) too. - **Send and forget.** If the recipient downloads the file today and you never need the link again, a 7-day lifetime is a feature: nothing lingers online. - **Built for transfers.** Filemail offers a desktop app and an API for people who send big files as part of their work. **Honest verdict:** if your file is several gigabytes, use Filemail (or another transfer service). Link in Seconds is not built for that size. We compare the rest of the transfer field in [WeTransfer alternatives compared](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/wetransfer-alternatives-compared). ## Why does a 7-day link cause problems? A transfer is built to disappear. That is fine for a hand-over and wrong for anything people open on their own schedule: - A portfolio, resume or rate card you send to different people over months. - A menu, flyer or manual behind a printed QR code, which cannot be reprinted every week. - A proposal the client opens two weeks later, after the link has already expired. - A course handout, press kit or price list you would otherwise re-send again and again. Paying for Filemail stretches the timer to 30 days on Personal, but it is still a timer. When the job is "this file needs an address", a longer countdown does not fix it. ## How is Link in Seconds different? ### The free link does not expire A link stays live until you delete it, on every plan. No 7-day countdown, no reminder to re-send. You can still set an expiry date or a view limit when you want a file to vanish, and both are free. More on that default in [share links that never expire](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-links-that-never-expire). ### It opens instead of downloading A Filemail link lands on a download page. A Link in Seconds link opens the file itself: PDFs page through in the browser, videos play with seeking, images show full size and an HTML file renders as a page. You can turn downloads off for a view-only link. That is a deterrent, not copy protection: anyone can still take a screenshot. ### You can see who read it Every link has analytics on every plan: views, unique visitors, time spent, how far people read (page by page for a PDF), device and city. Add an email gate if you need to know _who_ opened it. See [how to track a shared file](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/track-who-opened-a-shared-file) for what each number means. ### You can fix it after sending Found a typo? Replace the file behind the link and everyone who already has it sees the new version, with the same URL and the same QR code. With a transfer you send a second link and hope people open the right one. ## What do you give up? - **Size.** 250 MB per file and 500 MB in total on the free plan; Pro raises that to 500 MB per file and 15 GB in total. Still far below a multi-gigabyte transfer. - **An account to upload.** You sign in with Google or an emailed code before the first upload, because a permanent link has to belong to someone who can update, lock or delete it. Your viewers need no account. - **A cap on live links.** 50 live links at a time on the free plan. Delete one and the slot comes back. ## Which should you use? - **A file of several gigabytes, sent once:** Filemail. - **A file that must work next month, or that you want to track:** a permanent link. [Upload a file](https://linkinseconds.com/) and share the link it gives you. - **Not sure?** Our [guide to which way to send a file](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/which-way-to-send-a-file) walks through it by size and purpose. ## Quick answers ### How long does Filemail keep files on the free plan? Seven days. Filemail's own pages say files sent on the free plan are available to download for up to 7 days, after which the link stops working. Its paid Personal plan keeps files for 30 days. ### What is the Filemail free limit? 5 GB per transfer, per Filemail's own site as checked in October 2026. That is large for a free plan and fits most video, photo and design hand-overs in one go. ### Is there a Filemail alternative where the link does not expire? Yes, a file host instead of a transfer service. Link in Seconds links never expire on any plan, open in the browser and show who viewed them. The trade-off is size: a free file can be up to 250 MB, not 5 GB. ### Is Filemail better than Link in Seconds? For sending multi-gigabyte files once, yes. Filemail is built for big transfers and handles sizes Link in Seconds does not. For a file that has to stay online, open without a download, or tell you whether it was read, a permanent link fits better. ### Do I need an account to use Link in Seconds? You need a free account to upload (Google sign-in or an emailed code, no card). The people you send the link to need no account to view it. ## Go deeper - [TransferNow alternative for links that last](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/transfernow-alternative) - [WeTransfer alternatives compared](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/wetransfer-alternatives-compared) - [WeTransfer alternative with permanent links](https://linkinseconds.com/wetransfer-alternative) ## Keep reading - [A QR code you can update after printing menu.pdf Live lisview.com/menu-qr Hovercode alternative for PDF and video QR codes that never expire 5 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/hovercode-alternative) - [WeTransfer vs Drive vs Dropbox final-cut.mp4 Live lisview.com/send WeTransfer vs Google Drive vs Dropbox: which should you actually send with? 8 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/wetransfer-vs-google-drive-vs-dropbox) - [Free file sharing limits, side by side limits.pdf Live lisview.com/limits Free file sharing limits compared (2026): size, expiry and tracking for 14 services 6 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/free-file-sharing-limits-compared) ## Turn any file into a link in seconds Upload a PDF, image, video, or ZIP and get a clean, trackable link with a QR code, free. [Try Link in Seconds →](https://linkinseconds.com/) Source: https://linkinseconds.com/blog/filemail-alternative