If you need to send someone a big file, there are lots of option available. We tested seven free services that let you share files of 500MB and over.
GE.TT
What we liked:
Launched late last year, Ge.tt is one of the newest file-sharing tools, but has quickly become our favourite. Unlike rival services that clutter each page with ads, Ge.tt has a clean, streamlined interface that makes it very straightforward to use. You don’t need to install any software or plug-ins, and can upload massive files right off the bat. Officially, there’s no size limit but your browser may restrict you to 2GB(and don’t forget your ISP’s ‘fair usage’ policy).
Ge.tt doesn’t specify how much online storage you’re allowed, but reserves the right to set a limit, in its terms and conditions. To use Ge.tt, simply click the ‘select files’ button
on the homepage, find what you want to share and click open. Wait a few seconds and you’ll be a given a link to the uploaded file that you can post on facebook and Twitter or send n by email. Usefully, the recipient can view and play (if it’s an MP3) the file online, as well as save it to their hard disk. You can track how many times your files have been downloaded and use the search facility to find specific uploads.
on the homepage, find what you want to share and click open. Wait a few seconds and you’ll be a given a link to the uploaded file that you can post on facebook and Twitter or send n by email. Usefully, the recipient can view and play (if it’s an MP3) the file online, as well as save it to their hard disk. You can track how many times your files have been downloaded and use the search facility to find specific uploads.
Registering with Ge.tt increases the minimum time your files are stored for, from 30 days to three months. Premium options are planned soon, but it’s not yet clear what these will offer.
How it can be improved:
It’s a shame Ge.tt only lets you upload one item at a time, but the speed with which the service publishes files means it doesn’t take long to add a series of them. More support information would be good-what happens to your files if the service goes down?
Our Verdict
Ge.tt is a brilliant free service for sending people huge files with a minimum of fuss, It’s fast, easy and lets you share links to your files even before they’ve finished uploading.
Ge.tt is a brilliant free service for sending people huge files with a minimum of fuss, It’s fast, easy and lets you share links to your files even before they’ve finished uploading.
File-Sharing Services
Fileserve
What we liked:It took over a minute to upload a video file that took Ge.tt a matter of seconds-but the service offers an array of useful tools. The free version lets you share files of 1GB apiece, without needing to sign up.
Fileserve’s best feature is the ability to let you upload multiple files simultaneously, and if you register with the site you get 500GB of free online storage. Files are kept for 60 days after their last download before they are deleted. We like that fileserve gives you several option for sharing your files once they’re uploaded, including direct links, HTML code for embedding on a website or forum, and buttons for Facebook, Twitter and email. You can add files via FTP and earn money from your downloads via the site’s referrals scheme.
How it can be improved:
You need to upgrade to the premium version-from $9.99 per month-to enjoy decent download speed, ad-free use and no waiting times. The service persistently reminds
you to upgrade, which can become annoying.
you to upgrade, which can become annoying.
Our Verdict
Fileserve makes it easy to upload and download lots of at once, but you’ll need to pay for the best speeds.
Fileserve makes it easy to upload and download lots of at once, but you’ll need to pay for the best speeds.
Megaupload
What we liked:
Like Fileserve, Megaupload lets you share multiple files at once, but adding items from your hard disk isn’t quite as speedy as with our silver Award Winner. This is because you need to enter a description for every file you want to upload, which seems rather
pointless. On the recipient’s email address at the upload stage to save time later on.
Megaupload’s free option has a maximum file limit of 1GB,and gives you 200GB of online storage. Files are usually kept for 90 days after their last download, though they last deleted after 21 days if uploaded anonymously.
We like the Megaupload Mega Manager, a stand-alone program that uploads files faster than from within your browser, and which can resume broken toolbar also lets
you share files on the fly.
you share files on the fly.
How it can improved:
For all its great features, Megaupload isn’t particularly fast at uploading or downloading files, although Mega Manager does help. Unsurprisingly, these speed issues are solved
if you pay from $9.99 (about $8.89) per month for premium membership.
For all its great features, Megaupload isn’t particularly fast at uploading or downloading files, although Mega Manager does help. Unsurprisingly, these speed issues are solved
if you pay from $9.99 (about $8.89) per month for premium membership.
Our Verdict
Although it makes you and your recipient wait, Megaupload is a generous service with some very handy file-sharing tools.
Although it makes you and your recipient wait, Megaupload is a generous service with some very handy file-sharing tools.
Best of the Rest:
File Dropper
If size was everything, File Dropper-which lets you share files of up to 5GB-Would Win this huge capacity is offset by the lack of sharing features, the fact you can only upload one file at a time and that files are deleted after 30 days if no-one downloads them. Still, the site is very speedy and you don’t need to register to use it.
Dropsend
The free version of Dropsend lets you send files of up to 2GB,and provides 250GB,of online storage. But you can only share five files per month and speed isn’t great. You can get round these problems by upgrading to a paid-for account, from $5 (about $3.05) per month.
zShare
You don’t need to register to use zShare but there are pros if you do sign up for free-fewer adverts, faster uploads, and the ability to send multiple files of up to 1GB each. However, the service-around since 2005-is starting to show its age, and makes you wait 20 seconds before your downloads start.
RapidShare
RapidShare was once the file-sharing service of choice for savvy web users, but it looks rather old-fashioned next to the current crop of tools. Uploads are fast but downloads certainly aren’t, and you can ‘only’ share files of up to 500MB. We also found that some of the download links we created without registering with the site failed to work.
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