Name: PhotonFile
Brand: PhotonFile

PhotonFile has two core file workflows. Relay is for live, in-memory file transfer that operates ephemerally by default. Photon Vault is for persistent client-side encrypted storage when files need to remain available after upload.

Relay transfers always travel over encrypted connections, and in supported browsers you can optionally enable client-side encryption so only someone with your key can decrypt the file. Vault applies client-side encryption before upload and is designed so PhotonFile stores encrypted data rather than plaintext vault contents.

Your username is a private login alias. It is not used as your public identity on Vault Share pages, Secure Inbox pages, team permission decisions, or audit/activity logs. PhotonFile uses your account identity and email address for recovery, permissions, ownership, and security-sensitive attribution.

Vault branding is separate from your account username and is intentionally user-controlled. If you change your username, the old username may become available to another account, but that does not transfer your vaults, teams, permissions, ownership, audit history, or account identity.

For Relay, PhotonFile is designed to avoid stored delivery. The relay holds file bytes in memory only long enough to move them from sender to receiver, then clears transient state when the session ends.

For Photon Vault, the answer is different: Vault is persistent encrypted storage by design. Files you choose to keep in Vault are stored as encrypted data so authorized clients can access them later, while PhotonFile is designed not to have the keys required to decrypt vault contents.

Photon Vault is persistent client-side encrypted storage for files you want to keep. It is built for long-term protection, private collaboration, scoped sharing, Secure Inbox, and versioning.

Where Relay is designed for live delivery, Vault is designed for retention. Files are encrypted on your device before upload, stored as encrypted data, and later decrypted only by authorized clients.

Read the Vault overview Read the Vault guide Technical security details

Photon Vault is designed so PhotonFile does not have access to the plaintext contents of vault files. Files are encrypted on the client before upload, and authorized clients decrypt them later.

PhotonFile still needs limited operational metadata to run the service, such as vault and object identifiers, file sizes, transfer activity, and share-link or upload events.

Read the technical security overview Read the Vault guide

File Passes are pay-per-file. They are best for one-off large sends, with no ongoing commitment.

Subscriptions include a monthly pool of relay bandwidth for regular use, with overage billed at the same rate.

You can use both: if a file exceeds your plan's per-file limit, you can apply a File Pass for that transfer.

View pricing Compare plans

A File Pass lets you send files larger than what's allowed in the free tier, using the same Ephemeral File Transfer relay. Each pass covers one file.

File Passes can also be used alongside a subscription for occasional oversized transfers that exceed your plan's per-file size limit.

View File Pass tiers

The practical limit is usually your browser, disk, and network, not an arbitrary server-side cap. Subscription plans include a per-file limit (shown on the pricing page), and File Passes can be used for occasional oversized transfers. For very large files, Tier 4 uses a base price plus a metered portion beyond the included size.

If something breaks mid-transfer, you can retry. For File Pass transfers, the pass is only consumed once both sides have fully transmitted all required bytes through the relay and nothing remains in flight. If the transfer fails, your pass stays valid and you can try again.

As many as you need. We log retry counts only to improve reliability, not to limit you. If a transfer ever fails, both peers see exactly what happened. No guessing, no hidden throttles, and no silent timeouts.

Yes. For supported browsers, PhotonFile can encrypt your file in the browser before it ever leaves your machine. The decryption key is encoded into the URL fragment (the part after #...), which never gets sent to the server.

That means the relay only sees encrypted chunks, and only someone you share the full link with can decrypt the content. If you want to understand the details, check the Technology page for diagrams and implementation notes.

Anything you're legally allowed to share. You are responsible for the content you transmit and for complying with local laws and our Terms of Service.

Because many "file transfer" services rely on stored delivery, throttle speeds, track users, or cap file sizes.

PhotonFile is built around an ephemeral-by-default model.
We built an Ephemeral File Transfer relay that keeps bytes in memory while they are moving, offers optional client-side encryption, and avoids surveillance economics.

No. PhotonFile is funded by paid usage (subscriptions and File Passes), not by selling your data.

We do not inspect your files, sell file contents, or mine your transfers for marketing profiles. We may use limited measurement to understand whether ads are working, but this does not inspect your files and is not used to build cross-site behavioral profiles.

You can send files up to 10 GiB.

Free transfers use our standard pool and may be queued during periods of high demand. If you send large files regularly, check Pricing and Plans for options that include higher priority and additional features.

PhotonFile

What is PhotonFile?

What is my username used for?

Do you store my files on your servers?

What is Photon Vault?

Can PhotonFile read my Vault files?

Should I use a File Pass or a subscription?

What's a File Pass?

Is there a max file size?

What if my transfer fails?

How many retries do I get if there's a connection issue?

Do you support client-side encryption?

What can I send?

Why did you build this?

If it's free, am I the product?

What are the limits of the free tier?