If you’ve ever had to send a large file to someone, you know the hardships that arise. Email services keep strict limits on attachment sizes. What’s more is that it’s often hard to send more than one attachment at a time. This kind of disservice has made email quite unpopular for sharing files- and thus, we have entered the age of hybrid email. The premise is simple: cut out the bulk, and just give us an easy way to send files over the internet!

Yousendit

Yousendit.com might not have been the first, but it is certainly one of the best. It certainly does host a plethora of options as well- offering password delivery, return receipts, tracked delivery, and quite a bit more. The main selling point here is that file sizes can range up to a hefty 2 GB- although you will have to pay for some plans. But don’t worry- the basic free plan still allows for 100 MB uploads and plenty of features.

FileFactory

FileFactory.com is interesting- it sports a Facebook application, a desktop client, and many image editing features. You must register to take advantage of most of these features, but it seems like a small price to pay for the extra options. Like Yousendit.com, they have limits on free accounts- but they are still quite functional nonetheless.

DropSend

Dropsend.com is a prime example of commercialization. The interface is sleek, the features are endless, but there’s a catch: the free version is quite limited. To actually get much functionality out of this service, you’ll more than likely be giving up a section of your wallet in exchange. Even with their most expensive plans, DropSend seems to limit things too much. The $99 plan, for instance, only enables a user to download a certain file 7 times in total. Pass.

SendSpace

SendSpace.com mimics Yousendit.com it many ways: it’s easy, fast, and quite durable. They also offer paid services like Yousendit.com, and they are fairly cheap. In fact, the $7 plan from SendSpace.com offers much more convenience than the $99 counterpart from DropSend.com. The free version isn’t too limited- it’ll let uses send a 300 MB file without any difficulty. It doesn’t have the features FileFactory.com does, but then again, who needs glitter and text effects?

StoreAndServe

Storeandserve.com is another no-frills file upload service. What we liked best was that as long as the file is downloaded once per month, the file will stay on their servers forever. It isn’t as convenient as other alternatives, since most others allow you to send and upload the file all in one form. With Storeandserve.com, you must upload and then send it. Could’ve been more redundant, but still a good service to keep in mind.

zUpload

zUpload.com is a barebones file sending service: and we couldn’t be happier. It has a 500 MB file upload limit and has support for unlimited downloads. It is a nice service to get in and out- easy to load, easy to send, easy to get what you need done. In that respect it is a lot like Yousendit.com, only it is completely free.

MailBigFile

Mailbigfile.com is a lot like zUpload.com, only it is a little more accustomed to web 2.0 principles. It’s a very pleasing looking design, but in the end, only does as much as zUpload. zUpload actually has a larger file size limit, so technically it is the better choice. The pro version is around $20 a year, which isn’t bad, but then again: it’s not free. The free version has a 100 MB limit, which is still ok for typical usage.

Which Service to Use
So which service should you use? If you’re looking for features piled on thick, go straight for FileFactory.com. If you are looking for a popular, easy to use solution, check out Yousendit.com or zUpload.com. As for the other services, they seem to be lacking in one department or another as far as free versions go, and we don’t necessarily recommend them.

In the end, it’s a matter of choice. But as you’ll soon see, the giants such as Yousendit.com and FileFactory.com are popular for a reason- and are well worth a try.

[tags] sending large files, yousendit [/tags]

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