Updated Oct 21, 2026

## Is there a Smash alternative where the link doesn't expire?

Use Smash for one-off deliveries of very large files, since it has no size cap, and you are happy for the link to expire (7 days on Free, 30 days on paid plans). Use Link in Seconds when the link needs to keep working, when the recipient should watch or read it in the browser rather than download it, or when you want a view count. Files go up to 500 MB on Pro.

### Links that do not expire

Smash keeps files 7 days on Free and 30 days on paid plans, right for a transfer that gets downloaded and forgotten. Links here do not expire on any plan, so a portfolio link, a price list or a deck still works weeks later.

[Share links that never expire](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-links-that-never-expire)

### Opens in the browser, no download

A transfer ends in a download. A link here ends in the file itself: a PDF opens in a real viewer, a video streams with seeking, photos open full size in an album. You can still leave downloads on, or turn them off to make a link view-only.

### A view count on every link

Smash puts transfer tracking on its paid plans. Here every link has a view counter and a QR code for free, and every plan includes notifications on open, device and country breakdowns, passwords, expiry dates, view limits and an email gate.

[See pricing](https://linkinseconds.com/pricing)

### When the file really is huge

Our per-file ceiling is 500 MB on Pro, which covers documents, photos and most edited video but not raw footage. For those, be honest with yourself: use Smash, or try Direct Send, our browser-to-browser transfer over an encrypted channel with no size cap. Both of you need to be online at the same time.

[Try Direct Send](https://linkinseconds.com/transfer)

### What a link does not do

A per-file size ceiling. 500 MB per file on Pro. Smash has no hard cap, so for raw footage it is the better tool.

No file requests. People cannot upload files to you through a link here. Smash offers file reception on its paid plans.

An account to publish. You sign in with Google before a link goes live. Smash lets you send without signing up.

## Link in Seconds vs Smash at a glance

Link in Seconds compared with Smash

| Feature | Link in Seconds | Smash |

| Free size limit | 250 MB per file, 500 MB on Pro | 2 GB per transfer, bigger ones wait in a queue |

| How long it stays up | Never expires on its own | 7 days free, up to 30 days on Pro |

| Without an account | No, you sign in with Google first | Yes, no sign-up to send |

| What the recipient gets | A viewer, player or album in the browser | A download page |

| View-only, downloads off | Link in Seconds, View-only, downloads off: yes | Smash, View-only, downloads off: no |

| Password protection | Link in Seconds, Password protection: yes | Yes, on the free plan too |

| Update it, keep the same link | Replace the file, free | Send a new transfer |

| Cheapest paid plan | Pro, $9/month or $49/year | Pro, $10/month with no commitment |

| Branded transfers & file requests | Branding on any plan, no file requests | Both on Pro |

Competitor facts checked on 6 Oct 2026 on fromsmash.com/pricing. Our numbers come from our plan page. Plans change, so confirm current pricing before you decide.

## How it works

- 1 ### Check what you are sending If it is a document, a set of photos, a demo video or a deck, it fits: up to 250 MB per file on a free sign-in and 500 MB on Pro. If it is a multi-gigabyte raw export, a transfer service or our peer-to-peer Direct Send is the better route.

- 2 ### Upload once, get a link that stays Drop the file, or several files to make one album. The link opens in any browser: PDFs in a viewer, video streaming with seeking, images full size. Nothing counts down to a deletion date.

- 3 ### Send it and see when it is opened Paste the link into email or chat, or use the QR code. The view counter shows when it has been opened, and if you need to fix the file later you can replace it and keep the same link.

## What Smash does better

Smash is very good at the thing it is for. Its pricing page says the free plan needs no sign-up, lets you password-protect a transfer, and has no hard size limit: transfers over 2 GB simply wait in a queue behind Pro transfers. Pro removes the queue and adds transfer tracking, custom branding, file reception (people can send files to you) and an Outlook integration. If you regularly move tens of gigabytes of footage or raw files, Smash handles sizes we do not.

## Expiry: 7 days, 30 days, or never

Smash keeps files available for 7 days on the free plan and 30 days on its paid plans. That is the right design for a transfer: the file is meant to be downloaded and then forgotten. It is the wrong design for anything you send and expect to still work later, such as a portfolio link in a job application, a price list you share on WhatsApp, a manual behind a QR code or a deck an investor opens two weeks after your meeting. Links here do not expire on any plan unless you set an expiry date yourself, which is free on every plan.

## Opening versus downloading

A transfer ends in a download. A link here ends in the file itself: a PDF opens in a real viewer, a video streams with seeking so nobody downloads a whole file to watch ten seconds, and photos open full size in an album. For a client reviewing a cut, a buyer flicking through a brochure on a phone or a teacher opening a student's project, not having to download first is most of the value. You can still leave downloads on, or turn them off to make a link view-only.

## Tracking, and what it costs

Smash puts transfer tracking on its paid plans; its help centre lists Pro at $10 a month, $72 a year or $115.20 for two years, excluding VAT. Here every link has a view counter and a QR code, and every plan includes notifications on open, device and country breakdowns, passwords, expiry dates, view limits and an email gate.

## When the file really is huge

Our per-file ceiling is 500 MB on Pro, which covers documents, photos and most edited video but not raw footage. For those, be honest with yourself: use Smash, or try Direct Send, our browser-to-browser transfer, which moves the file device to device over an encrypted channel without storing it and without a size cap. Both of you need to be online at the same time for that one.

## Which one should you pick?

Pick Smash for large, one-time deliveries where expiry is a feature, or if you want people to upload files to you. Pick Link in Seconds when the thing you send needs to keep working, needs to open in the browser, or needs to tell you it was seen. Many people use a transfer for the raw files and a link for the finished result.

price-list.pdfPDF

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deck-final.pdfPDF

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deck-final.pdfPDF

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report-q3.pdfPDF

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2,600+

people sharing files

5,100+

links shared

17,700+

times opened

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Source: https://linkinseconds.com/smash-alternative