compare
tapeshelf or WeTransfer for sending videos
WeTransfer is the classic way to send a big file. For videos you'll want to show more than once, a shelf works differently.
| What you need | tapeshelf | WeTransfer |
|---|---|---|
| Private until you share it | Yes, every upload | Anyone with the link, unless you limit it |
| Links that expire | Video links: from 1 hour to 1 week | Yes, after 3 days on the free plan |
| A link for one person only | Yes, with a code sent by email | Yes, a list of email addresses |
| A password on a link | On Pro | Yes, on every plan |
| A link to a whole collection | Yes, to your shelf; on Pro also anonymous, without your nickname | One link per transfer, with several files in it |
| Viewers need no account | Yes | Yes |
| Watch in the browser | Yes, an encrypted stream | A preview for supported formats |
| Trade videos | Yes, one for one | No |
| Organize a collection | Categories, stacks, your own order, covers, hidden videos | No: free transfers disappear |
| Friends and messages | Friends, messages with videos, “What's new” | No |
| No ads | Yes, on every plan | No: the free plan shows ads |
| Open source, your own server | Yes, AGPL; your own server soon | No |
| Free plan | 1 GB per video, 20 GB in all, no ads | Transfers of up to 3 GB |
What WeTransfer does well
WeTransfer is built to deliver files: you upload, the other person downloads, and on the free plan the transfer disappears after three days. A transfer can have a password and a list of email addresses allowed to download it, and supported videos can be previewed in the browser. For a single file sent once, it's quick and simple.
How tapeshelf is different
- The video stays on your shelf after a link runs out, so you can share it again next month without uploading it again.
- People watch an encrypted stream in the browser and can download the videos too, one by one or as a ZIP.
- Free links can work for up to a week.
- Someone with an account can add the videos to their own shelf and keep them.
- The place, date and camera details are stripped from every upload.
- You can trade videos one for one, with people who have an account and with people who don't.
- Categories with their own rows and tile sizes, stacks, your own order, covers and names, and hidden videos only you see.
- Friends and messages, with videos right in the chat, and “What's new” on the shelves you follow.
- On Pro, a video editor right on your shelf: crop, cut, blur, timers, captions and sound.
- A free browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and other browsers downloads videos from other sites and can save them straight to your shelf.
- The code is open under the AGPL, and soon you'll be able to run tapeshelf on your own server.
- No ads on any plan.
When WeTransfer is the better choice
To send one big file once, especially something that isn't a video, WeTransfer is the more direct tool. Its free transfers can also be larger than a single video on tapeshelf's free plan (1 GB).
Facts about other services come from their own help pages and plan descriptions, checked in October 2026. Plans change, so check their sites for the latest. Names of other services belong to their owners.
Questions
- Can I send several videos in one link?
Yes. Select them on your shelf and make one temporary link. The person can watch them, download them one by one or get them all as one ZIP.
- How big can a video be?
Up to 1 GB on the free plan and 5 GB on Pro. If the connection drops, the upload carries on from where it stopped.