Wormhole made encrypted file sharing popular with its clean interface and end-to-end encryption. But it has two constraints that send people looking for an alternative: files up to 10 GB are stored on Wormhole's servers for 24 hours, and there's a size ceiling. If you want file sharing that never touches a server at all, ZetaShare takes a different approach.
How Wormhole works vs. how ZetaShare works
Wormhole is a hybrid: smaller files are uploaded (encrypted) to their servers so the recipient can download later, while very large files stream peer-to-peer. That server storage is convenient, but it means your encrypted data sits on infrastructure you don't control, and it's why the cap exists.
ZetaShare is P2P only. Every transfer goes directly from your browser to the recipient's browser over WebRTC, secured with DTLS 1.3 encryption. There is no server-side copy — encrypted or otherwise — because there is no upload step.
Feature comparison
| Wormhole | ZetaShare | |
|---|---|---|
| Size limit | 10 GB (stored) | None |
| Server storage | Up to 24 hours | Never |
| Encryption | End-to-end | DTLS 1.3, end-to-end |
| Account required | No | No |
| Password protection | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free | Free |
When ZetaShare is the better fit
- Huge files. Video projects, disk images, datasets — anything past 10 GB transfers without splitting.
- Sensitive files. Since nothing is stored anywhere, there is no server copy to worry about, ever.
- Password-protected links. Add a password so only the intended recipient can start the transfer.
When Wormhole still makes sense
If your recipient is offline and needs to grab the file within the next day, Wormhole's 24-hour server storage is genuinely useful. P2P transfer requires both sides to be online at the same time — that's the trade-off for never touching a server.
For everything else, try a transfer on ZetaShare — no limits, no signup, nothing stored.