Wormhole

End-to-end encrypted file sharing in the browser, with links that expire after 24 hours.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Wormhole

Wormhole is a free web service for sending files privately. Files are encrypted in your browser before they leave your device, and the key lives only in the share link, so the service can't read what you send. For files up to 5 GB, the encrypted data is stored on Wormhole's servers for 24 hours, so you can close the tab and the recipient can download later; larger files are sent peer to peer directly from your browser, which means keeping the page open until the download finishes. Recipients can start streaming video or downloading before the upload completes. There is no account, and links are deleted permanently after the 24-hour window or a set number of downloads. It was built by Feross Aboukhadijeh and the team behind Socket. The encryption library is open source, though the full service code isn't. The short retention and lack of mobile apps make it better for quick private sends than archive delivery.

Best for: Sending sensitive files quickly to someone who will download them within a day.

What works

End-to-end encrypted in the browser
No account needed
Recipients can start downloading before the upload finishes

Why people leave

Links expire after 24 hours
Files over 5 GB require the sender to stay online
No mobile app yet

Top Wormhole alternatives

See all 5

1
SwissTransfer
Longer retention up to 30 days and transfers up to 50 GB.
66.5
2
WeTransfer
Familiar link sharing with paid plans for longer storage.
62.6
3
FilePizza
Pure peer-to-peer browser sharing with no server storage at all.
59.6
4
Magic Wormhole
Similar idea on the command line, with short spoken codes.
57.2
5
Proton Drive
Encrypted cloud storage with expiring share links for longer-term needs.
47.8

Why people left Wormhole

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Wormhole: common questions

Is Wormhole free?

Yes, Wormhole is free to use.

Is Wormhole open source?

No, Wormhole is not open source. Open-source alternatives include FilePizza and Magic Wormhole.

What platforms does Wormhole run on?

Wormhole is available for Web.

What are the best alternatives to Wormhole?

The highest-ranked Wormhole alternatives right now are SwissTransfer, WeTransfer and FilePizza. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Wormhole alternatives

Wormhole facts

4 of 4 verified

End-to-end encryption: Yes; Checked Oct 25, 2026wormhole.app(opens source in a new tab); “Wormhole uses end-to-end encryption to protect your files”
Retention: 24 hours; Checked Oct 25, 2026wormhole.app(opens source in a new tab); “Files are permanently deleted from the server after 24 hours.”
Server storage limit: 5 GB, larger files go peer-to-peer; Checked Oct 25, 2026wormhole.app(opens source in a new tab); “For files larger than 5 GB, Wormhole uses peer-to-peer transfer to send your files directly from your browser to the recipient.”
Encryption: 128-bit AES-GCM; Checked Oct 25, 2026wormhole.app(opens source in a new tab); “Wormhole encrypts all files with 128-bit AES-GCM encryption before they leave the browser.”