Open-source alternatives to WeTransfer
The best open-source alternatives to WeTransfer are Gokapi and PsiTransfer. Gokapi is my pick: it's light, has proper user accounts, and files delete themselves after a set number of downloads or days. PsiTransfer is simpler but has no accounts. If you already run Nextcloud, just use its share links.
Last reviewed by Rob Sherwood.
At a glance
| Tool | Licence | Self-hosting difficulty | Who it suits | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gokapi | AGPL-3.0 | Easy: one Docker container and a setup wizard, from 256 MB of memory | Small teams sending large files to customers regularly | Auto-expiry by downloads or days, user roles, end-to-end encrypted uploads, file requests, S3 storage, REST API |
| PsiTransfer | BSD-2-Clause | Easy: one Docker container with a writable data folder | Someone who wants the plainest possible WeTransfer replacement | No accounts, resumable uploads and downloads, password-protected downloads, one-time downloads, phone-friendly |
- Gokapi: AGPL-3.0. Licence checked 31 October 2026.
- PsiTransfer: BSD-2-Clause. Licence checked 31 October 2026.
WeTransfer is brilliantly simple. Drop a file in, get a link, send it. The free plan is tight, though: 10 transfers or 3 GB in any 30-day period, whichever you hit first. If you regularly send video, artwork or big drawings to customers, you'll hit that fast. Even the paid Starter plan caps you at 10 transfers in 30 days, and you have to move up to Ultimate for unlimited transfers.
This is a job that doesn't need much software. If you've got a small server, you can run your own version for very little.
One thing before we start. If you already run Nextcloud, you probably don't need either of these, because its share links do much the same job. See my Dropbox and Google Drive page.
Gokapi
Gokapi is a small self-hosted file-sharing app, built as an alternative to the old Firefox Send.
- Files clean up after themselves. Set a share to expire after a number of downloads or days, and it's removed automatically.
- Proper user accounts, with roles and permissions. Only registered users can upload, so strangers can't fill your server.
- File requests, so a customer can send files to you through a link. That's the handy one.
- End-to-end encrypted uploads are built in.
- Your choice of storage. Local disk by default, or S3-compatible cloud storage such as Backblaze B2 for big files.
- A REST API for connecting it to other systems.
It's very light. The minimum is 1 CPU core, 256 MB of memory and 100 MB of disk plus your files, though they recommend 2 cores, 512 MB and an SSD. It runs as one Docker container, and a setup wizard handles the rest. Single sign-on through OpenID Connect is there if you want it.
PsiTransfer
PsiTransfer is simpler still, and closer in spirit to WeTransfer. There are no accounts and no logins.
- Resumable uploads and downloads, so a dropped connection doesn't mean starting again. That's useful on large files.
- Password-protected downloads, and one-time downloads.
- Expiry times on each upload.
- Download everything as a zip or tar.gz, though those can't be resumed.
- Works on a phone.
- A basic admin page, once you've set an admin password.
It runs as a single Docker container too, with a data folder for files. You can restrict uploads with one shared password, and you really should. There's no way to give each person their own login, so everyone shares it.
Download passwords use AES encryption, but the README says there's no end-to-end encryption yet, so the security of your server matters more.
What it costs
WeTransfer
Self-hosted, run for you
- No per-user fees. Adding people doesn't add licence costs.
- Setup: a one-off fee to set it up and move your data across.
- Hosting and care: a fixed monthly fee covering every app on your server.
- I'll quote once I know what you need.
Paid tool prices exclude VAT unless stated.
The UK angle
For most small firms, WeTransfer is fine for ordinary work files, and I wouldn't change because of where it's hosted.
It's worth stopping to think about what's inside the files, though. Payroll exports, contracts and customer lists are personal data. With a self-hosted tool, those files sit on your own UK server, for exactly as long as you say. Automatic expiry helps too, because you're not leaving old files lying around.
But a link is still a link. Anybody who gets hold of it may be able to download the file, so use a password or Gokapi's encryption for anything sensitive. Self-hosting won't save you from emailing a payroll link to the wrong person.
Honest drawbacks
- These are small projects. As far as I can see, neither has a company like WeTransfer's behind it. If the maintainer moves on, you'll need a plan.
- Storage is yours to pay for. Big video files fill a small server quickly, and you pay for bandwidth too.
- Your server has to face the internet, and PsiTransfer needs that upload password set, or anyone can use your disk.
- Less polish. WeTransfer's look and paid extras aren't here.
- Support is on you. There's no helpdesk to contact.
- Someone has to run it: updates, backups, and checking the disk isn't full.
Which one?
My pick is Gokapi. User accounts, automatic expiry and file requests cover what a small business actually needs, and it barely needs any server at all. The main drawback is that it's a small project without a company behind it, as far as I can see.
PsiTransfer is the realistic alternative if you want no accounts at all. And Nextcloud's share links are the better choice if you've already got it.
Need it built or customised?
If you want file sharing built into your own customer portal or systems, the team at Dev Partners can build that for you.
Sources
Want it set up for you?
I set up open-source tools on a UK server, move your data across and look after it, with no per-user fees.