FileSendX and WeTransfer both let you send large files by link. The practical differences are retention, hosting location, and price model. WeTransfer's free tier deletes a transfer after 3 days and caps it at 3 GB per send; FileSendX paid plans send up to 200–400 GB and keep files for 30 days. FileSendX is hosted exclusively in the EU (France) with files never replicated outside the EU; WeTransfer (Dutch-born, owned by Italy's Bending Spoons) is a larger service with a broader creative-tools suite that does not advertise EU-only hosting and relies on US cloud sub-processors. Choose FileSendX if you want longer retention, EU-only hosting, and a fair flat price; choose WeTransfer if you want the most recognized brand and its wider creative product range.
The question behind the question
Both services can move a big file. The question that matters is what happens to it after you hit send: how long it lives, where it lives, and who can reach it. Most "send a big file" tools gloss over that part, so this comparison is specific about it.
Retention: a few days vs 30 days
WeTransfer's free transfers are short-lived by design — 3 days, then deleted. You send a link, the recipient has a narrow window to download it, and then it's gone. For a one-off hand-off that's fine. It stops being fine the moment the recipient is on holiday, the link gets buried in an inbox, or someone needs the file again three weeks later.
FileSendX paid plans keep files for 30 days. The link you sent on the 1st still works on the 28th. You're not re-uploading because someone missed a window. If you send files to clients or a team every week, retention is the difference you actually notice — more than any file-size cap you hit once.
Hosting and GDPR: where the file actually sits
FileSendX is hosted exclusively in the EU (France) and built for GDPR from the start: files are stored in France and never replicated outside the EU. For teams in the EU, or anyone sending files that touch personal data, "where does this file sit" has a short, checkable answer.
WeTransfer is a larger service — born in the Netherlands, owned since 2024 by Italy's Bending Spoons — with a broader product range. It's compliant and widely trusted. But EU ownership is not EU hosting: WeTransfer does not advertise EU-only data residency and relies on US cloud sub-processors. If "the file never leaves the EU" is a hard requirement, hosting is the line to check.
Price: flat and legible
FileSendX is priced in flat euro tiers. You can read the pricing page and know what you'll pay. There's no usage meter waiting to surprise you and no creative-suite upsell bundled into the file-sending you came for. That's the trade: FileSendX is a focused tool that does one thing well, not a platform you grow into.
So which one
If you want the most recognized name and a wider set of creative tools around the file-sending, WeTransfer is the obvious pick. If you want longer retention, EU-only hosting, password protection without a paywall, and a flat price from the people who build and run the service — that's FileSendX. We built it for the second group, because that's the software we wanted and couldn't find.