Photon Transfer: Live + Cloud. Send live. Share for later. Use Photon Vault for ongoing storage, sharing, and sync.
Use Photon Vault as a private cloud drive for your complete file collection, without putting everything behind one privacy boundary. Create client-side encrypted Vaults for personal files, projects, clients, teams, and family data, then sync different folders or data sets into different Vaults.
Best when both sides are online and the goal is immediate handoff, not long-term retention. Relay moves file data live through TLS and operates ephemerally by default. Client-side encryption is on by default for single files and required for multi-file sends. Independent concurrent streams keep multi-file work under one shared link and can use more available bandwidth. Capacity depends on the plan or File Pass.
Keep your complete file collection available without handing the service the keys to decrypt it. Each Vault is an independent privacy boundary for the files you want to keep separate.
Best when the priority is a polished hosted delivery page and familiar recipient downloads. WeTransfer uses transfer and storage encryption, but it is not positioned as zero-knowledge Vault storage.
Encryption model
Photon Vault encrypts files client-side, and PhotonFile does not hold the keys needed to decrypt your Vaults. That privacy foundation lets you use Vault as your everyday cloud drive not only for a few files while Relay and Vault Intake handle the times files need to move.
| What you need | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Store a complete collection without one privacy boundary | Photon Vault | Vault encryption is client-side, so PhotonFile does not hold the keys needed to decrypt your files. Separate Vaults keep personal, client, project, and team data isolated. |
| Send immediately while both sides are online | PhotonFile Relay | Live relay is built for immediate handoff without turning every send into stored delivery. |
| Collect uploads without exposing existing content | Vault Intake | Vault Intake is built for inbound intake with access codes, expiration, sender notes, instructions, and a controlled public upload surface. |
| Keep files available after upload, including very large files | Photon Vault | Vault is a private cloud drive for the full collection, not just transfer completion or a small set of documents. |
| Use controlled links and light branding without building a full client portal | Photon Vault | Scoped share links, revocation, expirations, and public share or intake branding cover the practical controls many teams need. |
| Prioritize a branded hosted delivery page with preview-first downloads | WeTransfer | That workflow is centered on recipient presentation and later downloads from a hosted transfer page. |
If your team primarily needs a polished hosted delivery page with a brand-forward recipient experience, WeTransfer may still be the cleaner fit.
PhotonFile is a better fit when you want a private cloud drive for your full collection, with isolated Vaults, controlled links, Live + Cloud delivery, secure intake, web and desktop access, or very large files.
Use Relay when the job is immediate delivery. Use Vault as your private cloud drive, with independent boundaries for the data you want kept apart. PhotonFile gives you both in one platform, with browser and native desktop access.