OneTimeSend big files from your own server. Resumable uploads, expiring links, no subscription.
WeTransfer Pro charges $12/month, forever, to move files through their storage. Droplink does the same job from your own $5 VPS or desktop: chunked resumable uploads with no practical size limit, expiring share links with password gates and download limits, and a clean download page for recipients. Your client files never touch a third party.
Droplink in 60 seconds
Everything in the box
Self-hosted WeTransfer — chunked resumable uploads, password links, download limits.
Chunked, resumable uploads
Files slice into 5MB chunks with per-chunk retry. Drop your connection mid-upload and it resumes exactly where it left off — a 50GB file is as safe as a 5MB one.
Transfers with real terms
Expiry (default 7 days), optional bcrypt-hashed password, optional max-download count, optional message to the recipient.
Clean share links
File list with sizes, live expiry countdown, password gate, inline preview for images and PDFs, per-file download plus streamed "Download all as ZIP".
Email the link
Compose recipients + a note straight from the transfer page using your own SMTP credentials — no third-party mail service.
Auto-cleanup
A sweep runs every 5 minutes deleting expired or limit-hit transfers — database rows and files on disk.
Storage quota
Set a quota and get a used/free bar; over-quota uploads are rejected up front, not halfway through.
Admin dashboard
Every transfer with files, size, downloads/limit, expiry, one-click link copy, and a full download event log (timestamp + IP).
100% local & private
One SQLite file + a files folder, no telemetry, no external services except the SMTP server you configure yourself.
Droplink vs WeTransfer
WeTransfer charges $12/mo. Here's what actually differs.
| Droplink | WeTransfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 once | $12/mo ($144/yr, forever) |
| File size limit | None — your disk is the limit | 200GB (Pro) |
| Resumable uploads | Yes | No |
| Where files live | Your own server | Their storage |
| Download limits per link | Yes | No |
| Password-protected links | Yes | Pro only |
| Ongoing cost after year 1 | $0 | $144+/yr |
| Source code | MIT, on GitHub | Closed |
Pays for itself in 6.6 months versus WeTransfer Pro — and stays free forever after that.
Pick how you pay
Subscriptions if you want them — but the whole point is the lifetime tier.
Up and running in three steps
Buy once on Whop
One-time $79 for the packaged Windows desktop app plus guided VPS deploy, lifetime updates.
Run it anywhere
Desktop app for occasional sends, or docker compose up on a $5 VPS with your own domain when links need to be public.
Upload, set terms, share
Drop the files, set expiry/password/download limit, copy the link or email it via your own SMTP.
Fair questions
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — the full source is MIT at github.com/bensblueprints/droplink-mvp, always. $79 buys the packaged installer, guided deploy and lifetime updates instead of building it yourself.
Do I need a server?
For public share links, yes — a $5 VPS with the included Docker Compose setup does it, with Caddy or nginx in front for TLS. Desktop mode runs the identical app in an Electron window for local use. WeTransfer's zero-setup convenience is real; the trade is you rent it forever.
What happens if an upload drops at 90%?
It resumes. The server tracks exactly which 5MB chunks it already has, so a refresh or dropped connection continues instead of restarting — verified in the test suite with a sha256 byte-identical check, not just eyeballed.
What about download speed and bandwidth?
It's your server's bandwidth — a decent VPS handles client-file delivery fine, but a global CDN like WeTransfer's will be faster for recipients on the other side of the world. For freelancer/agency client work, one good server covers it.
Can recipients preview files before downloading?
Images and PDFs preview inline on the download page. Everything downloads per-file or as a single streamed ZIP that's never buffered in memory.
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More about Droplink
Every page we publish about this app — comparisons, personas, platforms and the problems it solves.
App profile
Stop renting. Own Droplink.
Self-hosted WeTransfer — chunked resumable uploads, password links, download limits.
Get Droplink — $79 forever