PhotonFile

Plans

Relay is for moving files live. Vault is for keeping files securely. This page shows how the current PhotonFile plan families fit together.

Ephemeral by default. Persistent by choice.

Choose by intent

Start with the product model that matches what you want to happen to the file.

Relay plans Vault plans File Passes

Need live delivery

Choose a Relay plan when both sides are online and you want PhotonFile's live, encrypted relay.

Need persistent encrypted storage

Choose a Vault plan when you want to keep files, organize them into vaults, share selectively, or collect uploads.

Relay plans

All Relay plans use the same live, in-memory relay architecture. The main differences are scale, concurrency, queue priority, collaboration, and resume behavior.

Feature	Lite	Pro	Studio
Intended use	Daily, frequent transfers	Team workflows and large projects	Production and high-throughput workflows
Monthly relay bandwidth	250 GiB	1 TiB	3 TiB
Max file size	250 GiB	400 GiB	400 GiB
Concurrent uploads (shared)	1	Up to 3	10+
Queue priority	Standard	Priority	Never queued
Teams (count)	—	1 team	Unlimited teams
Team members (per team)	—	Up to 25	Unlimited
Desktop app	Lite mode (coming soon)	Pro+ mode (coming soon)	Pro+ mode (coming soon)
Resume support	Session-based	Durable	Durable
Vault included	Yes, 3 GiB	Yes, 150 GiB	Yes, 350 GiB

Vault plans

Photon Vault is persistent encrypted storage for files you want to keep. It starts free, expands with eligible Relay subscriptions, or can be purchased as a standalone offering.

Secure inboxes are included with Relay Pro, Relay Studio, and Vault Standalone.

Vault Free

Included

$0 / month

Available to every PhotonFile account.

Vaults 1 included

Storage Up to 3 GiB

Cleanup window 3 days

Secure inboxes Not included

Best for trying Vault or keeping a small amount of encrypted storage without a subscription.

Vault for Relay subscribers

Best fit

$0 base / month

Available with an active Relay Lite, Pro, or Studio subscription.

Relay Lite

Vault included

3 GiB

Secure inboxes not included

Relay Pro

Vault included

150 GiB

Secure inboxes included

Relay Studio

Vault included

350 GiB

Secure inboxes included

Additional storage $0.04 / GiB-month

Best for Relay subscribers who want Vault included with storage by plan, plus secure inboxes on Pro or Studio.

Vault Standalone

Standalone

$9.99 / month

Full Vault access without needing a Relay subscription first.

Included storage 350 GiB

Secure inboxes Included

Additional storage $0.04 / GiB-month

Access Full Vault features

Best for users who want persistent encrypted storage, secure intake, and full Vault access without a Relay subscription.

Feature	Vault Free	Vault with Relay	Vault Standalone
Monthly price	$0	$0 base with Relay	$9.99 / month
Included storage	Up to 3 GiB	3 GiB, 150 GiB, or 350 GiB by Relay plan	350 GiB
Vault count	1 vault	Unlimited vaults	Full Vault access
Secure inboxes	No	Lite: No Pro and Studio: Yes	Yes
Cleanup window	3 days	Persistent storage	Persistent storage
Additional storage	Not applicable	$0.04 / GiB-month	$0.04 / GiB-month

Included Vault storage by plan

Free

1 vault and up to 3 GiB. Files are automatically marked for deletion after 3 days.

Relay Lite

Includes 3 GiB across unlimited vaults. Secure inboxes are not included.

Relay Pro

Includes 150 GiB and secure inbox access.

Relay Studio / Vault Standalone

Includes 350 GiB and full Vault access, including secure inboxes.

Vault storage is billed over time at $0.04/GiB-month once you go beyond the included amount for your plan. Charges are based on the average amount stored during the billing period, not just month-end usage.

About resume support

Resume behavior depends on both your plan and the environment used for the transfer.

Session-based resumes allow transfers to continue through temporary disconnects while the relay session remains active. This is ideal for quick interruptions like network drops or tab suspensions.

Durable resumes persist transfer progress and use heroic measures to continue transfers across disconnects and client restarts in supported environments. Browser-based transfers resume on a best-effort basis.

Teams without per-seat pricing

PhotonFile teams are designed differently.

A team is a shared workspace where members operate under the team owner's entitlements while working inside that team. The owner's plan determines capabilities like concurrency, priority, and durable resume behavior.

There is no per-seat billing. You can invite teammates, contractors, or collaborators without your cost increasing for every additional person.

• Team members inherit the owner's plan benefits while working in that team
• The team owner is the only paid account required for team benefits
• Members can still use PhotonFile outside the team under their own limits
• Creating teams is reserved for eligible plans, but joining a team does not require an upgrade

Team limits by plan

Pro: 1 team up to 25 members
Studio: unlimited teams and unlimited members

Teams are a collaboration feature, not a meter running in the background.

Desktop app behavior (coming soon)

PhotonFile will provide a single desktop application that adapts to your entitlements. Desktop app support is coming soon.

• Lite plans run in a lightweight mode suitable for individual use
• Pro and Studio unlock advanced resume durability and batching
• File Passes can be used within the desktop app for one-off transfers

File Passes

File Passes are per-file purchases designed for occasional large transfers. They provide full priority and reusability for the specific file size purchased, without requiring a subscription.

Using File Passes with subscriptions

File Passes can be used alongside any subscription to send files that exceed your plan's per-file size limit.

• If a file is larger than your plan allows, you can apply a File Pass for that transfer
• The transfer uses File Pass pricing for that file only
• Your subscription remains active and unchanged
• Transfers that use a File Pass do not count against your subscription's monthly relay bandwidth
• File Passes retain full priority and reusability guarantees

This lets you stay on the right subscription tier for your regular workflow while still handling occasional oversized transfers without upgrading.

Queue priority and routing

Queue priority determines how transfers are admitted and routed when relay capacity is constrained.

Standard priority transfers may be queued during periods of high demand. This ensures fair access across all users while protecting overall system stability.

Priority transfers are admitted ahead of standard traffic and are less likely to be queued during peak usage.

Never queued transfers are admitted immediately and are not placed behind other traffic. Studio plans are designed to avoid queueing even during periods of high demand, making them suitable for production and time-critical workflows.

Queue priority affects admission and routing order, not file inspection or data handling. All transfers use the same encrypted, in-memory relay architecture.

View pricing Vault overview