TransferNow vs HexaTransfer: Feature Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of TransferNow and HexaTransfer covering file limits, encryption, privacy policies, speed, and pricing plans.
TransferNow is a French file-transfer service offering up to 5 GB free without an account, 250 GB on Premium plans, email-based delivery with tracking, and TLS transport encryption. HexaTransfer offers 10 GB free, client-side AES-256-GCM end-to-end encryption, no account and no email required, and a 7-day retention window. TransferNow is the better pick if you need large-size paid plans, email-delivery receipts, and branded transfer pages. HexaTransfer wins on free-tier size, encryption model, and minimal metadata collection. Both are EU-based and GDPR-native.
Free Tier Head-to-Head
TransferNow's free tier allows 5 GB per transfer with a 7-day retention window, no account required. Files are delivered either via a shareable link or by sending emails directly from TransferNow's interface to recipients. Ads appear on the download page for free users.
HexaTransfer's free tier is 10 GB per transfer, 7-day retention, link-based sharing only (no email-delivery feature), no ads, no account. The free-tier size gap is significant: HexaTransfer's 10 GB handles a full Lightroom wedding export or a 4K Premiere project that would force TransferNow free users into splitting archives.
The Encryption Question
TransferNow uses TLS 1.3 for transport encryption. Files at rest on TransferNow's servers are encrypted with provider-managed AES-256, which means TransferNow holds the keys and can technically decrypt. This is typical for the category and adequate for non-sensitive sends, but it's not end-to-end encryption. TransferNow can read your files if they choose to or are compelled to.
HexaTransfer runs AES-256-GCM client-side via the WebCrypto API before upload. The decryption key is generated in the browser, placed in the URL fragment, and never transmitted to the server. The server stores only ciphertext. Under subpoena, only ciphertext can be produced. For GDPR Article 32, HIPAA ePHI, or PCI DSS 4.0 Requirement 3.5.1 scenarios, this distinction is decisive.
Feature Table
| Feature | TransferNow Free | TransferNow Premium | HexaTransfer | |---|---|---|---| | Max size | 5 GB | 250 GB | 10 GB | | E2EE | No | No | Yes (AES-256-GCM) | | Account required | No | Yes | No | | Email delivery | Yes | Yes + tracking | No | | Password protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Ads on download | Yes | No | No | | Retention | 7 days | Up to 365 days | 7 days | | Price | Free | €9–29/month | Free | | Jurisdiction | France (EU) | France (EU) | EU |
Size Ceiling Implications
For professional video work routinely moving 50-200 GB per send, TransferNow Premium's 250 GB ceiling is genuinely useful. Post-production houses, wedding videographers delivering raw 4K, and marketing agencies sending campaign master files all benefit from skipping the split-archive workflow.
Below roughly 10 GB, the size advantage evaporates. Most document-heavy workflows (legal discovery bundles, medical imaging sets, engineering drawings, photographer proofs) sit comfortably under 10 GB per send. HexaTransfer's free tier covers this range without forcing a paid tier.
Email Delivery: Feature or Data Collection
TransferNow's email-based delivery is a double-edged feature. Users appreciate being able to type a recipient address and have TransferNow deliver the link directly with a branded email template. Premium plans add open and download tracking, so you see when the recipient retrieved the file.
From a privacy perspective, this means TransferNow now holds: sender email, recipient email, transfer filename, transfer size, timestamps, and potentially IP addresses at download time. That metadata graph is sensitive intelligence even when file contents are innocuous. HexaTransfer's link-only model collects substantially less — no email addresses, no recipient tracking, just the transfer itself.
Which matters depends on your threat model. For a sales rep sending marketing collateral, delivery tracking is useful. For a journalist sending documents to a source or a lawyer sending privileged material, metadata minimization is the safer default.
Pricing Comparison
TransferNow Premium runs €9/month for 50 GB transfers, €19/month for 150 GB, and €29/month for 250 GB with branded transfer pages, delivery tracking, and extended retention up to a year. Annual plans knock roughly 20% off.
HexaTransfer's free tier covers 10 GB. There's no paid tier pressure for typical knowledge-work use. For organizations needing >10 GB sends or enterprise features (SSO, audit logs, BAAs), a different tool fills that gap — Tresorit Send or a self-hosted option rather than scaling up within HexaTransfer.
Speed and Infrastructure
Both services run on European infrastructure with reasonable CDN footprints. Practical speeds in 2026 tend to be bandwidth-limited on the sender's or recipient's side rather than the service's — a 5 GB upload on a 100 Mbps fiber connection takes roughly 7 minutes regardless of which tool. Client-side encryption on HexaTransfer adds a small CPU overhead (roughly 10-30 seconds of encryption time per 5 GB on mid-range hardware), imperceptible for most users.
TransferNow's email-delivery path can introduce brief queuing delays when sending to many recipients simultaneously. For one-to-one link sharing, both services feel instant.
Compliance Positioning
Both services are GDPR-native with EU hosting. TransferNow publishes a standard Data Processing Addendum and claims ISO 27001 certification for its infrastructure. HexaTransfer's minimal data collection produces a simpler compliance story — less data to process means fewer Article 30 records, fewer Article 33 breach scenarios, easier Article 17 erasure requests.
For HIPAA-regulated organizations, neither service publishes a standard Business Associate Agreement at the free tier; HIPAA workflows typically move to Tresorit Send, Paubox, or a purpose-built healthcare transfer service. For GDPR-only scope, both TransferNow and HexaTransfer are defensible.
Picking Between Them
Use TransferNow when you need >10 GB sends, when email-based delivery with tracking is part of your workflow, or when branded transfer pages matter for client presentation. Use HexaTransfer when end-to-end encryption is required, when minimizing metadata exposure is important, or when the transfer fits within 10 GB and you want zero-account simplicity.
Many users end up with both tools — HexaTransfer as the default for sensitive sends, TransferNow (or similar) when size demands it. For the E2EE default, try it at hexatransfer.com — free, no account, 10 GB max.
Send large files securely with end-to-end encryption
Transfer files up to 10 GB for free with end-to-end encryption. No account required. Your files are encrypted in your browser before upload — no one else can read them.
Send a file