13 Ways to Move Big Files on the Web

Whether you need to send a high resolution photo to a client or a flashy new video your co-worker, your average email service is just not going to be able to handle it. Most email services allow you to transfer 10MB at any given time and you don’t always know that your recipient even has that much available – all you know is that you have to get the files to them. Unless you both are very comfortable with FTP, you are going to have to find a better way to get the files from Inbox A to Inbox B in a timely manner.

There are plenty of applications available to help you move those big files – ranging from the free and easy to the expensive and decked out with extras. Here are the highlights on 13 services you can use to move big files:

Dropbox is my new favorite! Dropbox is an excellent option for moving your large files – whether you find yourself emailing yourself files regularly, relying on USB drives to move files from one machine to another or want to share photo albums. The free version allows up to 2GB of storage with a pro version that can handle 100GB. You can also sync your files online and across computers with Dropbox. Try their Pro Account for 14 days FREE.

YouSendIt – YouSendIt another one of my favorites – it has been around the longest, it’s easy to use and they have a solid free service. There is no software to download – everything is web-based. YouSendIt offers a variety of delivery options and packages for individuals, businesses and corporations. The totally free version has a limit of 100MB, requires no registration and offers some tracking options.

Send6 – Very similar to YouSendIt, Send6 allows you to transfer 10 files free per month, each with a limit of 100MB. They also offer online storage and tracking options. The free version does not require registration or software download. They do offer plans with more bells and whistles for individuals, businesses and corporations for a price.

TransferBigFiles – Send files up to 1GB via email with no registration required. TransferBigFiles uses Amazon’s S3 service to manage storage of files. Use their additional free services by registering and download the DropZone application for transfer management and storage options. Right now this is still a totally free service.

BigFileBox – Yet another UK-based service, BigFileBox is really geared toward the enterprise level solution. They offer secure Fileboxes that you can organize by project and issue security tokens to associates for project collaboration. No software to download. The Fileboxes have built in virus scanning and use the industry standard SSL technology.

PipeBytes – Still in beta, PipeBytes touts itself as the simple to use service. There is no limit to the file size you can send. The file is not shared on Internet – it is sent directly to your recipient. While the service appears to be free, there is something on the home page about a SpeedPass – but no real information to explain what it does for you.

DropSend – Not only can you use DropSend to email files up to 1GB each, you can also use it as your own file backup system (up to 250MB with the free plan). If you need more online storage, want SSL, or unlimited sends per month, then their business plan is the way to go.

MailBigFile – Simple and to the point, MailBigFile lets you send files up to 100MB for free with no software download or registration. The ProAccount offers faster upload speeds, address book capability, the ability to send the same 2GB file to 5 people at once, and other features. MailBigFile is a UK based service and the ProAccount can be paid for in dollars, Euros, or British pounds.

SendFile – While the file size threshold on the SendFile free service is rather low – only 5MB, the interface is nice, there is no registration and nothing to download. The upgraded service includes 1Gb file size, personalization of “File Send” system, file delivery notification and a user admin system to monitor file transfers and deliveries. You can purchase membership for a single day up to a year. Also a UK based service.

SendThisFile – You can use the SendThisFile service for free, but it does require registration first. They also host Fileboxes which are free inboxes so you can receive and track large files. Like the other solutions, SendThisFile has a variety of plans, with the higher priced plans offering customization, larger storage and transfer thresholds, and such.

Pando – Pando is more than just a way to move files, it is better suited for uploading and sharing media files such as video and audio. You can send files up to 1GB but you do need to download the Pando software. Pando allows users to subscribe to, share and download full screen Internet TV – it even powers the NBC TV downloads. If you are looking to share a variety of large media files on a regular basis, the $25 per year fee is well worth it.

HotShare – HotShare is an interesting service in that you can upload and share files with out registering, but you decide whether to share your file with the recipient only or with the world. The site is available in 21 languages and serves as a file directory as well. Search the HotShare site for video, audio, images, programs and more. When you upload a file it gives you code for inserting into a blog, forum, or email. It also allows you to email the file to a list of recipients, opt to share it with the world, tag it, and more. I am not sure how secure the site is, because the limitations as to what you can upload are pretty wide open. If you are downloading a file from HotShare, I would definitely be sure to scan it first.

Driveway - Driveway is another service to share your files via email or park them on the web for download by others. Send files under 500MB for free and no registration. The free account comes with 2 GB of storage space. While downloads are unlimited, individual file sizes still cannot exceed 500 MB. You can organize your files into folders, edit documents, and even import your address book for quick share capability. Driveway’s Plig-in (desktop app) and web widget make file sharing even easier.

Which of these services is the best? Unfortunately that is a loaded question and really comes down to your specific file movement needs and which interface you are most comfortable with. I am sure this list is just the tip of the iceberg! As consumers’ needs for file transfer and file sharing services become even greater the quality and availability of the free services is going to increase.

Needing to view audio and video over the internet? You can accomplish this and quite a bit more – transfer your video security camera images via the
internet when you utilize digital video
recording software. Capture photo’s of everything your cameras are observing for later review and study. Be sure to research online prior to purchasing your CCTV camera equipment.