Link in Seconds vs Netlify Drop, for people who just want it online
Netlify Drop is the drag-and-drop door into a full developer platform. Link in Seconds is a file-to-link tool that can also host a built site. Both get a folder online fast; they differ on what surrounds that moment.
See who opened it, and whenLock it with a passwordPrint or share it as a QR code
Drop your file here
Drop several at once and they become one album link
Files up to 250 MB free·
FreeNo sign-up to view250 MB freeWorks in your browser, nothing to install
ImagesPDFsVideoAudioSlidesCodeSites
Netlify Drop or Link in Seconds: which one should you pick?
Pick Netlify if the site will grow into a real project: builds, serverless functions, forms, deploy previews and Git all live there. Pick Link in Seconds if you want to publish a finished site or a single HTML page and share it like a file, with a QR code and view counts, no build pipeline and no monthly usage credits to watch. Single HTML pages work on any plan, and multi-file ZIP sites are a Pro feature.
Public the moment you publish
Netlify's no-account drop protects the URL with a temporary password until you claim it with an account, so it is a preview rather than a place to leave a site. Here you sign in with Google first, one tap, and the link is live and public straight away.
A flat plan, not credits
Netlify's plans are credit-based, and when a team uses up its monthly credits its projects pause until the next cycle or an upgrade. Link in Seconds is a flat price with no bandwidth meter and no visit cap, so a link that gets popular keeps serving.
Every plan lets you add a password or an expiry date to a site, a single HTML page or any file, and every link has a view counter and a QR code. That matters for a client preview, a landing page mock-up, a prototype exported from an AI tool, or a coding assignment.
Sites and files in one place
Most people who reach for Drop have a thing to show someone. Here the same account handles the site, the PDF brief that goes with it, the demo video and the ZIP of source files, each as its own link with a proper preview. You can also bundle several files into one album.
No build step. Upload the built output, not the source. We serve files exactly as they are in the ZIP.
No functions, forms or server code. Sites are static. Anything that needs a backend, an API route or form handling belongs on a platform like Netlify.
ZIP sites need Pro. Single HTML files work on any plan, but multi-file ZIP sites are a Pro feature.
No Git or deploy previews. Updating means uploading a new ZIP. There is no branch preview, rollback history or team review flow.
Link in Seconds vs Netlify Drop at a glance
Link in Seconds compared with Netlify Drop
Feature
Link in Seconds
Netlify Drop
What you upload
One HTML file on any plan, a ZIP site on Pro
A site folder or ZIP
Upload size
250 MB free, 500 MB on Pro
Drops under 50 MB work best, bigger via CLI
Without an account
No, you sign in with Google first
Yes, behind a temporary password until claimed
Link lifetime
Never expires on its own
Unclaimed sites are suspended, then deleted
Password protection
Link in Seconds, Password protection: yes
Pro plan only
Custom domain
Link in Seconds, Custom domain: yes
Yes, with SSL, on the free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Pro, $9/month or $49/year
Personal, $9/month
QR code for the link
Link in Seconds, QR code for the link: yes
Netlify Drop, QR code for the link: no
Framework builds, redirects & functions
Link in Seconds, Framework builds, redirects & functions: no
Builds when logged in
Competitor facts checked on 6 Oct 2026 on netlify.com/pricing and docs.netlify.com. Our numbers come from our plan page. Plans change, so confirm current pricing before you decide.
How it works
1
Build it first, then zip the output
We serve files as they are and do not run a build. Run your build locally and zip the output folder (dist/, build/ or out/), or zip the plain folder with index.html in it. A single self-contained .html file does not need a ZIP at all.
2
Upload the ZIP
Drop it on the upload card. We find index.html at the root or in a common build folder, and relative links between pages and assets just work. Single HTML pages work on any plan, and multi-file ZIP sites are a Pro feature.
3
Share it, or put it on your domain
The site goes live on its own address with SSL. Share the link or its QR code, connect your own domain on Pro, and re-upload a new ZIP whenever you change something: the address stays the same.
What Netlify does better
Netlify is a developer platform, and Drop is just its quickest entrance. According to Netlify's docs, if you are logged in you can drop a project that still needs a build step and Netlify detects the framework and builds it for you. Around that sit serverless functions, forms, deploy previews, Git-based deploys, team features and a CLI. The free plan already includes custom domains with SSL. Link in Seconds has no build step, no functions and no forms. If your site needs any server-side logic, Netlify is the better home.
Dropping without an account
Netlify's docs say that if you drop without signing in, your project URL is protected with a temporary password until you claim it with an account, and anonymous deploys from the CLI can be claimed within one hour. That is a sensible guard against abuse, and it means the no-account path is a preview rather than a place to leave a site. Here you sign in with Google before publishing, one tap, and the link is live and public straight away.
Credits versus a flat plan
Netlify's current plans are credit-based: Free includes 300 credits a month, Personal is $9/month for 1,000 and Pro is $20/month for 3,000. Its pricing page lists production deploys at 15 credits and bandwidth at 20 credits per GB. Netlify's docs explain that when a team uses up its monthly credits, its projects are paused until the next cycle or an upgrade, and the free plan cannot buy extra credits. Link in Seconds is a flat monthly price with no bandwidth meter and no visit cap, so a link that gets popular keeps serving.
Password, expiry and view counts
On Netlify's credit-based plans, password protection for a whole site is a Pro plan feature. On Link in Seconds, every plan lets you add a password or an expiry date to a site, a single HTML page or any file, and every link has a view counter and a QR code. That matters for the things people most often drop: a client preview, a landing page mock-up, a prototype exported from an AI tool, a coding assignment.
Sites and files in the same place
Most people who reach for Drop are not running a web project; they have a thing to show someone. Here the same account handles the site, the PDF brief that goes with it, the demo video and the ZIP of source files, each as its own link with a proper preview. You can also bundle several files into one album. That is the part Netlify does not try to do, because it is not a file-sharing tool.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Netlify when you need a build, functions, forms, previews per branch or a team workflow; its free plan is generous for that and the platform scales with you. Pick Link in Seconds when the site is finished, you want it online on a stable link with a QR code and a view count, and you would rather not think about credits. Plenty of developers use both: Netlify for the product, Link in Seconds for the one-off things they send to people.
Set an end date or a view cap and the link stops on its own. Send a quote that expires Friday, or a preview that closes after five opens, without remembering to delete it.
Zip the dist/ or build/ folder and share the finished site on a stable link, no deploy pipeline.
Designers and studios
Send a landing page mock-up or a client preview with a password and a view count, no credits to watch.
AI-tool builders
Export a prototype from an AI tool and put it online on a clean link, without a build pipeline.
Students and job seekers
Submit a coding assignment or a portfolio page on one link anyone can open on any device.
What people say
In their words
“The admin interface is incredibly intuitive and set up exactly how a user actually thinks. My students all said it was easy to use and worked perfectly.”
JJasonTeacher · shares class materials
“The app is genuinely nice and easy to handle. I keep all my different app links in one place, my App Store and Play Store screenshots, and I organise my images and PDFs into albums with tags. The big storage means everything just lives here.”
EEvelynApp developer
“I handle contracts, invoices and legal files for several different organisations, so almost everything I send is password protected. Link in Seconds makes that simple, and I run my portfolio on a custom domain. It is easy to use and genuinely affordable.”
GGuy HenryFreelancer · contracts and invoices
Every link feature is free. Pro adds room and website hosting.
Drop the built output, not the project. Run your build, zip the dist/ or build/ folder and upload it. We serve the files as they are; we do not install packages or run a build for you.
Yes, a Google sign-in before you publish. In exchange the link is public and permanent straight away, rather than a temporary preview waiting to be claimed.
No. There is no bandwidth meter and no visit cap on any plan, so a busy link keeps serving.
Yes, on Pro. Point a domain or subdomain at the site and SSL is provisioned automatically. Netlify includes custom domains on its free plan, which is a real point in its favour.
Yes. A single self-contained .html file is served live on any plan. Multi-file ZIP sites are the Pro feature.
Not supported. Sites here are static files only. If you need a form handler, an API or server-side code, Netlify is the better tool.
Your built site, one stable link, in seconds
Upload a single HTML page or a ZIP of your built site and share a link anyone can open, with a QR code and a view count. No build pipeline, no usage credits.
