sto.care vs TransferNow
Same 5 GB, different account expectations · Updated May 2026
- Use TransferNow with an account if you specifically need password-protected delivery and recipient download tracking.
- Use sto.care if you want 5 GB without ever creating an account.
- Use TransferNow free if you can't share an email and only need 5 GB once.
TransferNow and sto.care look nearly identical on the surface: 5 GB free, 7-day expiry, no recipient signup. The differences are in what TransferNow asks of the sender. The basic anonymous send is real, but the better controls (early revoke, transfer history, longer expiry, password protection) all sit behind an account, and several of them sit behind a paid plan after that. sto.care doesn't have an account at all: the controls live in your confirmation email, on every transfer.
Below is the head-to-head with sto.care.
Feature ComparisonSide-by-side breakdown
| Feature | sto.care | TransferNow |
|---|---|---|
| Free per-file size limit | 5 GB | 5 GB |
| Sign-up to send | Never | Optional, but unlocks features |
| Account required (recipient) | ✗ | ✗ |
| Default expiry | 7 days | 7 days |
| Maximum expiry (free) | 7 days | 7 days |
| Revoke link on demand | ✓ | Account-only |
| Recipients per transfer | 1 email | Up to 250 |
| Ads on download page | ✗ | ✓ |
| Encryption at rest | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple downloads | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly cost | $0 | $0 to $9+ |
The account driftHow TransferNow free turns into TransferNow registered
TransferNow's homepage advertises "no registration required" for the basic 5 GB / 7-day transfer (TransferNow). The fine print is that anything you actually want to do with a sent file (pull it back, see whether it was downloaded, extend the expiry, set a password) requires a registered account, and several of those controls only exist on the paid tiers above the free account.
sto.care has no account to register and no paid tier to upgrade to. There's a per-IP rate cap of 10 uploads per hour to prevent abuse, and that's the only gate. The 11th transfer of the hour is the only friction; the 1st works exactly the same as the 10th.
Lifecycle ControlWhere the controls actually live
TransferNow does support early-revoke and transfer management, but only if you've created an account and the transfer is tied to it. Anonymous transfers (exactly the ones their marketing emphasises) can't be revoked early. If you mistype an email and want to take it back, you're stuck waiting out the 7 days unless you'd already signed up.
sto.care's revoke is in the confirmation email. Every transfer, account or no account. One click and the share is dead. The control isn't a paid feature; it's the default.
Where TransferNow has the edgeMulti-recipient sends
TransferNow allows up to 250 recipients per single transfer, sending notification emails to each. sto.care currently supports one recipient email per upload. If your use case is fan-out (sending one file to a class, a client list, a team of 50) TransferNow handles that natively where sto.care would require generating one upload per recipient.
When TransferNow is better
- You're sending a single file to many recipients (up to 250)
- You're willing to register for an account and want a transfer dashboard
- You want the paid tier's extra features (longer expiry, password protection)
- Your recipients are used to TransferNow's branded download page
When sto.care is better
- You don't want to register for an account, ever
- You want one-click revoke on every transfer without a dashboard
- You don't want ads on the recipient's download page
- You're sending one file to one (or a small number of) people
FAQCommon questions
Does TransferNow really require a sign-up?
Not for the basic 5 GB / 7-day transfer (their homepage explicitly says no account needed). What an account unlocks is the part most senders end up wanting: a transfer dashboard, early-revoke, longer expiry windows, password protection, and higher per-transfer caps. The marketing puts the 'no signup' message first; the useful controls sit behind registration. sto.care never asks for an account, ever.
Can I delete a TransferNow file before its 7-day expiry?
Only if you've registered and the transfer is in your account dashboard. Anonymous transfers can't be revoked early. sto.care includes a one-click revoke link in your upload confirmation email on every transfer: no account, no dashboard.
What's TransferNow's free file size limit?
5 GB per transfer on the free tier, identical to sto.care. The differences are around what surrounds the upload (account requirements, ads, dashboard gating), not the file size itself.
Does TransferNow show ads to recipients?
Yes. TransferNow's free download page includes display advertising. sto.care's download page is plain: no ads, no tracking pixels.
How many recipients can I add to a single TransferNow transfer?
TransferNow allows up to 250 recipients per free transfer, sending an email to each. sto.care currently supports a single recipient email per upload. If you need to fan one file out to many addresses, TransferNow is the better fit.
Why use sto.care over TransferNow when the file size matches?
Because the controls live in different places. On TransferNow you get a basic anonymous send for free, then any management feature (revoke, history, longer expiry) requires creating an account, and several of those features sit behind a paid plan after that. On sto.care the revoke is in the confirmation email by default, the rate limit is the only gate, and there's no paid tier to climb toward.
No account, no dashboard. The revoke link is already in your inbox.
UPLOAD A FILE →Comparing more options? See sto.care vs WeTransfer and sto.care vs Filemail, or read our guide to free file sharing without signup.