Some files should move live. Some should stay encrypted. Some should be collected from outsiders. Some should sync to one machine but not another. PhotonFile separates those jobs.
Best when both people are online and the goal is delivery, not retention. PhotonFile relays data live through encrypted memory and operates ephemerally by default.
Best when files need to remain available after upload, when you need to receive files safely from outside users, or when the workflow is upload now and access later. Photon Vault is client-side encrypted storage built for long-term retention, collaboration, scoped sharing, versioning, and Secure Inbox.
A common upload-now, download-later workflow. Photon Vault can handle this too, but traditional transfer tools usually stop at a hosted stored link instead of adding persistent encrypted storage.
PhotonFile separates file movement, intake, storage, desktop sync, team access, billing, and region control instead of collapsing every job into one hosted bucket.
| Workflow | Traditional model | PhotonFile |
|---|---|---|
| Live delivery | Stored pickup link. | Live Relay through encrypted memory. |
| Persistent storage | Storage is often the default. | Vault keeps retained files encrypted when retention is the job. |
| External intake | Shared-folder workaround risks workspace exposure. | Secure Inbox gives ingress-only upload. |
| Desktop sync | Broad synced tree. | Per-Vault sync domains. |
| Team access | Access can spread too broadly. | Team membership and Vault access are separate. |
| Billing | Per-seat expansion. | Eligible teams run under the owner's plan. |
| Large one-off files | Failed attempts may still cost money. | File Pass consumed only after completed delivery. |
| Region control | Region often feels fixed or opaque. | Account Region Move is a documented workflow. |
| Need | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Both users are online and the file should not remain stored by default | PhotonFile Relay | Live, in-memory relay designed for ephemeral delivery. |
| Files need to stay available after upload | Photon Vault | Persistent encrypted storage with sharing, versioning, secure inboxes, and usage based on stored capacity. |
| Someone needs to upload now and the recipient or team can review or download later from an encrypted destination | Photon Vault | Vault supports async handoff without reducing the workflow to a generic stored transfer page. |
| Recipient will pick up a stored copy later from a hosted link or encrypted destination | Photon Vault | Vault fully supports upload-now, download-later workflows while adding persistent encrypted storage, sharing, and access control. |
| Need stronger privacy over who can decrypt stored files | Photon Vault | Encryption happens on the client before upload and authorized clients decrypt later. |
| Need to safely collect uploads from outside users | Photon Vault | Secure Inbox isolates inbound uploads from existing vault contents. |
What matters most is what happens to the file after upload. Relay is built for live delivery when both sides are online. Vault is built for the broader platform job: secure intake, async handoff, controlled sharing, and long-term encrypted storage. Traditional stored-delivery tools are just one version of that workflow.
Choose the outcome you need: live delivery with Relay, or Vault for upload-now access-later, receiving files, sharing securely, and persistent encrypted storage in one system.
In a stored-delivery model, the provider commonly manages the storage layer and retention policy. That may protect the storage media, but it does not automatically mean the provider lacks access to decrypted content.
These pages break down the clearest PhotonFile fit for live delivery, secure intake, async handoff, and persistent encrypted storage.
