Wormhole vs Smash
Wormhole and Smash are two of the best free ways to send large files without an account. Wormhole focuses on encryption and speed, Smash on unlimited size.
Use Wormhole when privacy matters and files are under 10 GB. Use Smash when a file is bigger than that or you want the link to last a week.
Side by side
| Wormhole | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| Max size | 10 GB | No limit |
| Encryption | End-to-end encrypted | Encrypted in transit and at rest |
| Link lifetime | Up to 24 hours | 7 days on the free plan |
| Speed | Recipient can start downloading during upload | Slower for huge files on free plan |
| Previews | Basic | Nice previews for photos and video |
| Category | Sharing | Sharing |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Account | Not required | Not required |
| Works locally | No | No |
| Open source | No | No |
| Mobile friendly | Yes | Yes |
Choose Wormhole if
You want end-to-end encryption and speed.
Choose Smash if
Your files are bigger than 10 GB.
Wormhole pros and cons
- Strong privacy
- Large file size limit
- Very fast to share
- Links expire within 24 hours
- Very large files may stream peer-to-peer and need you to stay online
Smash pros and cons
- No size cap even on the free plan
- Nice download page with previews
- European data storage
- Files over 2 GB may be queued on the free plan
- Links expire after 7 days
Wormhole vs Smash FAQ
Is Wormhole better than Smash?
Use Wormhole when privacy matters and files are under 10 GB. Use Smash when a file is bigger than that or you want the link to last a week.
Are Wormhole and Smash free?
Wormhole is free with no account. Smash is free without an account for transfers of any size, kept for 7 days. Paid plans add priority and longer storage.
Do Wormhole and Smash need an account?
No. Wormhole works without signing up, so you can open wormhole.app and start using it right away. No. Smash works without signing up, so you can open fromsmash.com and start using it right away.