file.io built its reputation on ephemeral sharing: upload a file, share the link, and the file deletes itself after one download. It's a clever model — but your file still gets uploaded to and stored on their servers until someone downloads it. If "ephemeral" is what you're after, there's a stricter version: never storing the file anywhere in the first place.
The gap in "self-destructing" file sharing
Self-destruct services delete files after delivery. Between upload and download, your data lives on a third-party server: subject to their retention policies, their security, and their size limits (file.io caps free uploads at 2 GB). For genuinely sensitive files, that window is exactly the exposure you're trying to avoid.
How ZetaShare removes the window entirely
ZetaShare uses WebRTC to open a direct, DTLS 1.3–encrypted channel between your browser and the recipient's. The file streams across that channel in real time:
- Nothing is ever stored. Not for a day, not for a minute. There is no server copy to delete because none is created.
- No size limit. Without server storage, there's nothing to cap. Send files of any size.
- One-time by nature. When the transfer finishes and you close the tab, the link is dead. That's stricter than any self-destruct timer.
- Optional password. Lock the transfer so only someone with the password can receive it.
Side by side
| file.io | ZetaShare | |
|---|---|---|
| Free size limit | 2 GB | None |
| Server storage | Until downloaded | Never |
| Recipient can download later | Yes | No — live transfer |
| Signup required | No | No |
The trade-off to know about
Because there's no server in the middle, both you and your recipient need to be online at the same time — the transfer happens live. If your recipient checks messages hours later, a store-and-forward service fits better. But when you can coordinate a live handoff, nothing beats a transfer that leaves zero trace.
Start a transfer — free, unlimited, and never stored.