Relay
Live delivery
Relay is for live handoff when both sides are ready now and the file should move without adding it to your cloud drive.
A private cloud drive, divided by design.
Photon Vault can replace your cloud drive for your complete file collection while keeping personal, project, client, team, and family data in independent privacy boundaries. Vault Sync maps different local folders or data sets into different Vaults. Photon Transfer moves files when they should not stay. Paid Photon Vault has no per-file upload size restriction, so you can upload files of any size.
File Pass
Completion-gated delivery
A File Pass is consumed only after completed delivery. If a transfer fails before completion, the pass remains available for retry.
Vault
Private cloud drive, isolated by Vault
Use Photon Vault for your complete collection, with independent client-side encrypted Vaults for sharing, version history, Vault Intake, and per-Vault sync.
Ephemeral over storage
Backup is not delivery.
A legacy storage-first workflow makes sense for backup, shared folders, and long-term access. It is the wrong default for a one-time 50 GiB delivery. PhotonFile Relay is built for active delivery: encrypted bytes move through the live session instead of adding the file to your cloud drive.
Storage should be a choice
Do not burn storage to move data.
If the goal is "move this file now," PhotonFile does not force the workflow through Vault. Use Relay for live handoff, and use Vault as the private cloud drive for the files you choose to keep. Photon Transfer moves files. Photon Vault keeps them. Vault Intake collects them into the right Vault without collapsing its boundaries.
Storage is separate from transfer
Photon Vault keeps the files you choose to keep.
Relay and File Passes are built for moving files. Vault is a private cloud drive for the files you choose to keep, with usage based on how much you store, not the size of a single upload.
One sync folder vs isolated Vaults
Folders organize your files. Vaults isolate them.
Traditional cloud storage tends to put every folder under one broad privacy boundary. Photon Vault lets you choose where the hard boundaries go. A Vault can represent a personal collection, client, project, team, family data, or another data set, and Vault Sync maps each one to a different local folder or data set.
Compare by operational pain
| Operational pain | Sync.com-style legacy cloud sync | PhotonFile |
|---|---|---|
| One-time oversized delivery | Usually begins as stored cloud content or shared link. | Relay or File Pass live delivery. |
| Long-term storage | Core product model. | A private cloud drive for the full collection, split into independent Vaults. |
| External collection | File request workflow. | Vault Intake ingress into a Vault. |
| Team scale | Per-user team pricing model. | Owner-powered eligible teams. |
| Local boundaries | Legacy sync folder and cloud-file model. | Per-Vault desktop sync maps each work domain to its own local folder or data set. |
| Failed large send | Retry behavior depends on workflow. | File Pass consumed only after completion. |
Where PhotonFile wins
- Relay: live sender-to-recipient workflow when delivery, not cloud-drive storage, is the job.
- File Pass: completion-gated large file transfer for occasional oversized sends.
- Vault Intake: secure client upload into the right Vault workflow without workspace exposure.
- Per-Vault sync: map each Vault to its own local folder or data set.
- Account Region Move: documented region-control workflow when home-region needs change.
When Sync.com may still fit better
Sync.com is a good fit when the core requirement is legacy secure cloud storage, backup, shared folders, and long-term access.
PhotonFile is the better fit when you want a private cloud drive for your full collection, with isolated Vaults as well as a separate path for one-time transfers.
Choose the PhotonFile workflow
Need a cloud drive with isolated Vaults and live transfer?
A one-time 50 GiB send should not have to become cloud storage. Use Relay for live handoff, File Passes for occasional oversized delivery, and Vault as your private cloud drive for the files you keep.