Updated Oct 21, 2026 ## Should you send client files with WeTransfer or Google Drive? Use WeTransfer for a one-off delivery the client downloads once, such as a big batch of final files. Use Google Drive when the client will come back to the files, or when you work on them together. If the client should simply open a PDF, video or image in the browser, and you want to know when they did, a link tool fits better than either. ### WeTransfer: fast one-off delivery Drop files, send a link, the client downloads them. No storage to manage. On the free plan a transfer stays online for up to 3 days, and you get up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in any 30 days. [Compare with WeTransfer](https://linkinseconds.com/wetransfer-alternative) ### Google Drive: files that stay Every Google account gets 15 GB of free storage, shared across Drive, Gmail and Photos. A shared file or folder stays until you remove it, and Docs, Sheets and Slides let you edit with the client. [Compare with Google Drive](https://linkinseconds.com/google-drive-alternative) ### A third option: a link the client opens Link in Seconds turns a file (up to 250 MB free, 500 MB on Pro) into a link that opens in the browser with no account, stays until you delete it, and tells you when it was opened. Password and expiry are free on every plan. [Send files to clients as a link](https://linkinseconds.com/send-design-files-to-clients) ### Before you choose Plans change. WeTransfer and Google revise their plans from time to time, so check their current pages before you rely on a number here. Size is where the link tool loses. Link in Seconds caps a file at 250 MB free and 500 MB on Pro, so multi-gigabyte raw footage belongs on a transfer service or in Drive. Co-editing is Drive's edge. If the client needs to comment inside a Google Doc or change a Sheet with you, keep the working file in Drive. ## WeTransfer vs Google Drive vs a file link WeTransfer vs Google Drive vs a file link | Feature | Link in Seconds | WeTransfer (free) | Google Drive (free) | | Client needs an account | Link in Seconds, Client needs an account: no | WeTransfer (free), Client needs an account: no | Not with "anyone with the link" | | Link still works next month | Until you delete it | No, up to 3 days | Google Drive (free), Link still works next month: yes | | Free allowance | 50 links, 500 MB | 10 transfers or 3 GB per 30 days | 15 GB, shared with Gmail and Photos | | Opens in the browser | Link in Seconds, Opens in the browser: yes | Built for download | Many file types | | Password | Free | Ultimate plan | Google Drive (free), Password: no | | Know when it was opened | Free, every view | Download emails | Not for anonymous viewers | | Co-editing | Link in Seconds, Co-editing: no | WeTransfer (free), Co-editing: no | Google Drive (free), Co-editing: yes | | Very large files | No, 500 MB max on Pro | Yes, on paid plans | Yes, within your storage | WeTransfer facts checked on 21 Oct 2026 in its help center (plan limits and transfer availability); Google Drive facts checked the same day on Google's storage plans page and Drive sharing help. Plans change, so check theirs before you decide. ## How it works - 1 ### Ask what the client will do Download once? WeTransfer. Edit with you? Drive. Open and look, maybe again later? A file link. - 2 ### Check the size Several gigabytes of raw files go on a transfer or in Drive. Up to 500 MB per file works as a link. - 3 ### Send and follow up Share the link, watch for the first open or download, and follow up while the work is fresh. ## What is WeTransfer best at? WeTransfer is best at handing over a batch of files once. You add the files, send a link or an email, and the client downloads them. There is nothing to organise and nothing left behind in your storage. The trade-off is time: on the free plan a transfer stays online for up to 3 days, and the free plan allows up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in any 30-day period. Paid plans raise those limits, and WeTransfer's Ultimate plan adds custom expiry and password protection. It can email you when a transfer is downloaded, but it is a delivery slip, not a page the client views. ## What is Google Drive best at? Google Drive is best at files that live on and change. A shared folder stays put, the client can come back next month, and Docs, Sheets and Slides let you both edit and comment. Every Google account starts with 15 GB, shared across Drive, Gmail and Photos, with paid Google One tiers for more. Sharing is where it can trip clients up. A link left on Restricted only opens for people you invited, so a client on another email sees a request-access screen. Switch the link to "anyone with the link" and it opens without a Google account, but then you have no record of who opened it. ## How long does each link last? A free WeTransfer link lasts up to 3 days; a Google Drive link lasts until you change the sharing or delete the file. That one difference decides a lot of client work. A final delivery that the client saves straight away is fine on a 3-day clock. A brand guide, a price list or a contract they will open again in a few weeks is not, and an expired transfer means sending everything again. Drive keeps the link alive, but the file takes up your storage the whole time. A Link in Seconds link also stays until you delete it, and you can still add an expiry date on any plan if you want one. ## When is a file link better than both? A file link is better when the client should look at the file, not manage it. Link in Seconds turns a PDF, video, image or ZIP into one link that opens in the browser with no account: PDFs in a viewer, video streaming with seeking. Every view is counted and you can get an email when it is opened. Password, expiry date, view-only mode and a custom link name are free on every plan, and an album puts several files behind one link. Replace the file and the same link serves the new version. The free plan keeps 50 live links, up to 250 MB per file and 500 MB in total; Pro is $9/month or $49/year with 500 MB per file. It is not built for multi-gigabyte transfers or for co-editing. ## Which one should you pick? Pick by what the client will do with the file. Many freelancers use two of them: Drive for working files, and a transfer or a link for what they hand over. - ·Pick WeTransfer if you are sending a big one-off batch, the client will download it right away, and an expired link is fine. - ·Pick Google Drive if the client comes back to the files, edits or comments on them with you, or already works in Google. - ·Pick Link in Seconds if the client should open the file in the browser with no account, the link must keep working, and you want to know when it was opened. Files up to 500 MB on Pro. acme-proposal.pdfPDF product-shot.jpgJPG media-kit.pdfPDF shoot-selects.jpgJPG assets-final.zipZIP acme-proposal.pdfPDF product-shot.jpgJPG media-kit.pdfPDF shoot-selects.jpgJPG assets-final.zipZIP acme-proposal.pdfPDF product-shot.jpgJPG media-kit.pdfPDF shoot-selects.jpgJPG assets-final.zipZIP acme-proposal.pdfPDF product-shot.jpgJPG media-kit.pdfPDF shoot-selects.jpgJPG assets-final.zipZIP event-recap.jpgJPG spec-sheet.pdfPDF final-cut.jpgJPG deck-v2.pdfPDF gallery-pack.zipZIP event-recap.jpgJPG spec-sheet.pdfPDF final-cut.jpgJPG deck-v2.pdfPDF gallery-pack.zipZIP event-recap.jpgJPG spec-sheet.pdfPDF final-cut.jpgJPG deck-v2.pdfPDF gallery-pack.zipZIP event-recap.jpgJPG spec-sheet.pdfPDF final-cut.jpgJPG deck-v2.pdfPDF gallery-pack.zipZIP 2,500+ people sharing files 4,800+ links shared 16,700+ times opened Keep reading [WeTransfer alternative](https://linkinseconds.com/wetransfer-alternative)[Google Drive alternative](https://linkinseconds.com/google-drive-alternative)[WeTransfer vs Smash](https://linkinseconds.com/wetransfer-vs-smash)[Send design files to clients](https://linkinseconds.com/send-design-files-to-clients)[WeTransfer vs Google Drive vs Dropbox](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/wetransfer-vs-google-drive-vs-dropbox)[Drive says “Request access”?](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/google-drive-link-request-access)[How long WeTransfer links last](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/how-long-do-wetransfer-links-last) Source: https://linkinseconds.com/wetransfer-vs-google-drive