Send videos online without re-encoding or signing up
Original bitrate, original format, 5 GB per upload · Updated May 2026
We don't re-encode your video. The file your recipient downloads is bit-for-bit the file you uploaded, in the same codec, at the same bitrate.
- 5 GB per upload, fits ~12 minutes of 4K iPhone footage
- No re-encode, no transcode, no quality loss
- Original codec preserved (H.264, H.265, ProRes, AV1, anything)
- Free, no signup, 7-day expiry with revoke
Source-quality video is heavy. A minute of 4K H.264 from an iPhone is roughly 250 MB; a minute of ProRes 422 HQ at 4K is over 5 GB. Most consumer tools either compress on the way out (Messages, WhatsApp media), force a re-encode on the way in (YouTube), or cap free uploads in the low double-digits of MB (Discord). If the point is that the recipient sees the file the way you shot it, those pipes are wrong by design.
The problemWhy other tools don't work for source-quality video
iMessage compresses on send: Apple's iPhone user guide notes that iPhone may compress photo and video attachments and that carriers can layer their own size limits on top. No toggle for a single send. Practical ceiling before heavy compression or Mail Drop hand-off is around 100 MB. WhatsApp behaves similarly: per WhatsApp's help centre, videos sent inline through chat are compressed automatically; the media path caps around 16 MB on older limits or 100 MB on newer ones. Sending as a document preserves original quality (up to 2 GB), but the default path strips quality.
YouTube is most explicit. Their upload encoding settings page states plainly that YouTube always re-encodes uploads to optimise playback. Correct for distribution, wrong for source delivery: a colourist or editor receiving a YouTube link is looking at YouTube's codec ladder, not yours. Discord caps free uploads at 10 MB per file (briefly 25 MB in 2024, rolled back), so a single 4K iPhone clip hits the wall before the upload dialog finishes.
Bitrate mathHow big is "a video" really
The 5 GB ceiling sounds enormous until you see real bitrates. Reference points:
- iPhone 4K H.264 at 30 fps: ~50 Mbps, ~250 MB/min. 5 GB fits 18 to 20 minutes.
- iPhone 4K HEVC (default recent iPhones): ~25 Mbps. 5 GB fits 30 to 40 minutes.
- Sony A7S III 4K 10-bit 4:2:2: up to 200+ Mbps. A few minutes per 5 GB.
- ProRes 422 HQ at 4K: ~735 Mbps, ~5.5 GB/min. Under a minute per upload. Use ProRes LT or Proxy for longer takes.
- BRAW / camera RAW: multiples higher. Split or transcode to a delivery codec.
For H.264 or HEVC delivery, 5 GB is generous. ProRes or RAW for editorial: send shot by shot rather than reel by reel.
How to do itHow to send a video through sto.care
- Drop the file (any container, any codec, under 5 GB). The browser uploads directly to S3 via multipart presigned upload.
- Enter recipient emails (or your own, then forward).
- We mail the recipient a download link and you a confirmation with a one-click revoke. Recipient clicks, file streams from S3, original codec preserved.
ComparisonFive video pipes side by side
Frame.io and YouTube are platforms: take the file, transform it, host it inside a workflow. Correct for review-and-approve or public distribution, wrong for "send the master and walk away". WeTransfer, Mail Drop, and sto.care are pipes: move the bytes, get out of the way. Files travel over TLS; S3 encrypts every object at rest with AES-256 server-side keys (AWS-managed). Server-side, not end-to-end. Uploads rate-limited to 10/hour per IP. Bucket lives in eu-west-1 (Ireland); 7-day DynamoDB TTL plus S3 lifecycle rule. Click revoke and the purge runs immediately.
FAQCommon questions
Does sto.care re-encode my video?
No. The file your recipient downloads is bit-for-bit identical to what you uploaded: same container, same codec, same bitrate, same audio track. We treat the video as an opaque blob, push it to S3 over multipart presigned upload, and hand the recipient a presigned download URL. No transcode, no quality ladder, no preview render.
What's the maximum video length I can send?
It depends on bitrate, not duration. Ceiling is 5 GB per upload. At iPhone 4K H.264 (around 50 Mbps, roughly 250 MB/min) that's about 18 to 20 minutes. At iPhone 4K HEVC (around 25 Mbps), 30 to 40 minutes. At ProRes 422 HQ 4K (around 5.5 GB/min), under a minute.
Can I send ProRes or BRAW source files?
Yes, if the file is under 5 GB. ProRes and BRAW are just bytes to S3, no different from H.264. A ProRes 422 HQ 4K clip fits for short takes (under a minute); ProRes LT or Proxy for longer ones. For a multi-minute 4K HQ master, split the file or step down before sending.
Will YouTube look the same as my uploaded file?
No. YouTube re-encodes every upload to its own codec ladder. Their support docs are explicit: YouTube always re-encodes uploads to optimise playback. Fine for distribution, wrong for source delivery. If you're handing a master to a colourist or editor, send the original through a tool that doesn't transform it.
Is there a download speed cap?
No. Downloads stream from S3 in eu-west-1 over a presigned URL. Speed is bounded by the recipient's connection and AWS egress, not a free-tier throttle. No queue, no waiting room, no upgrade interstitial.
What happens after the recipient downloads it?
The file stays in S3 until the 7-day timer hits zero (lifecycle rule sweeps it) or you click revoke in your confirmation email (immediate purge). The recipient can download more than once during the window. After expiry the link 404s with no recovery tier.
Send the original. 5 GB. No re-encode. No account.
UPLOAD A VIDEO →Hitting platform walls? Read file too big for iMessage, file too big for WhatsApp, sto.care vs WeTransfer, or the send large files free overview.