WeTransfer vs Google Drive: which one to send client files with
WeTransfer sends a file that the client downloads before the transfer expires. Google Drive keeps the file in your storage and shares it for as long as you like. Both work, but they suit different jobs. Here is an honest side-by-side, and a third option for files the client should open in the browser.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mockups and drafts the client should look at work best as a link; source files and fonts go in Drive or a transfer.
Photographers & videographers
Full-resolution delivery fits a transfer; a preview the client watches on a phone fits a link.
Agencies
Shared working folders live in Drive; reports and proposals the client opens again live better as links that do not expire.
Consultants & coaches
A plan or a recording sent as a link tells you when the client opened it, so you know when to follow up.
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.
Yes, there is still a free plan, but it is tighter than many people remember. When we checked WeTransfer's help center on 21 Oct 2026, the free plan allowed up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in any 30-day period, and a free transfer stays online for up to 3 days. Password protection and custom expiry are on its paid Ultimate plan. Check WeTransfer's own pages for the current limits.
It depends on whether the client comes back. Drive is better when the files must stay available or you edit them together, since a shared link lasts until you change it. WeTransfer is better for a one-off batch the client downloads straight away, since nothing stays in your storage. For a file the client should just open in the browser, a file link is simpler than both.
Not if you set general access to "anyone with the link": Google's help says anyone with the link can then open the file without signing in. If the link stays on Restricted, only people you invited can open it, and everyone else sees a request-access screen.
With WeTransfer you can get an email when a transfer is downloaded. With Drive, an "anyone with the link" share gives you no record of who opened it. A Link in Seconds link counts every view on every plan, free included, and can email you when it is opened.
Only up to a point. Files go up to 250 MB each on the free plan and 500 MB on Pro, which covers most PDFs, decks, images and edited videos. For multi-gigabyte raw footage, a transfer service or Google Drive is the better tool.
Send a file the client simply opens
Upload a file and share one link that opens in any browser, with no account for the client and a view count for you.
