Ferry and the alternatives
There are a lot of ways to move a file from one device to another. Most of them are fine. This page is about which one fits which situation — including the ones where Ferry is not the answer.
Side by side
| Route | Works on | Account | Where the file ends up | Encryption |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry | Any browser: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | None | Nothing stored; direct browser to browser | End to end, AES-256-GCM, verifiable by four words |
| AirDrop | Apple devices only | Apple ID for some settings | Nothing stored; direct device to device | Yes, within Apple's system |
| Quick Share / Nearby Share | Android, ChromeOS, Windows | Google account for some modes | Nothing stored; direct device to device | Yes, within Google's system |
| Snapdrop / PairDrop | Any browser | None | Nothing stored; direct browser to browser | Yes, over WebRTC |
| WeTransfer and similar | Any browser | Optional or required, by tier | Uploaded to their servers, kept for days | In transit and at rest, on their keys |
| Cloud storage link | Any browser | Required | Held on their disks until you delete it | In transit and at rest, on their keys |
| Messaging apps | Where the app runs | Required, usually a phone number | In chat history on both devices and often their servers | End to end in Signal and WhatsApp |
| Emailing it to yourself | Anywhere | Required | On the mail servers at both ends, indefinitely | In transit only, in practice |
Products change. Treat this as a description of how each approach works rather than a specification of any one service, and check the current terms of anything you are relying on.
Against AirDrop and Quick Share
Both are excellent inside the world they were built for. AirDrop between two Apple devices is faster than Ferry, is built into the share sheet, and needs no browser. Quick Share does the same for Android, ChromeOS and Windows.
The problem they share is the edge of that world. AirDrop will not talk to a Windows laptop; Quick Share will not talk to an iPhone. Ferry only asks for a browser on each end, so the two operating systems never have to agree on anything — and it works between devices that are nowhere near each other, which neither of those can do at all.
Against Snapdrop and PairDrop
These are the closest relatives: open-source, browser-based, peer-to-peer over WebRTC, no account. If they work for you, they are a good choice, and PairDrop in particular is actively maintained.
Ferry differs in how the two sides find each other and what that buys. Those tools show you the other devices on your local network and you pick one. Ferry pairs on a ten-character code instead, so the two devices do not have to be on the same network, and the key agreement is salted with that code — which is what lets both screens show four words you can compare to prove nobody is in the middle. Ferry also treats the relay as hostile by design: it is given a hash of the code rather than the code, and even the WebRTC handshake is encrypted before it is handed over, so the relay never learns your local network addresses.
Against WeTransfer and cloud storage links
Upload-and-share services are the right tool for sending something to other people, especially several of them, especially something large. They will carry files far past 250 MB, the link keeps working after you close your laptop, and the recipient needs nothing but a browser and patience.
The trade is that your file is on somebody else’s disk, held under their keys and their retention policy, and the link is the secret — anyone who ends up with it has the file. For moving something between two devices you already own, that is a long way round with a copy left at the end of it.
Against messaging apps and email
Signal and WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted and perfectly reasonable for sending a file to a person. Used on yourself, they leave the thing sitting in a chat history on both devices, which is the opposite of what you want for a password or a recovery code. Email is worse: it lands on at least two mail servers and stays there until you go and delete it from both.
When Ferry is the wrong choice
Ferry is built for one narrow job, so it is worth being clear about where it does not fit.
- Files over 250 MB. A single transfer is capped there. Use a service built for large files, or split it.
- Sending to someone who is not with you. Both sides have to be at their device at the same time, and you need a way to get the code across. There is no inbox and no link that still works tomorrow.
- Anything you need to keep. Nothing is stored, on purpose. Ferry is a crossing, not a folder.
- Many recipients. A room holds exactly two devices.
- Browsers without WebCrypto or WebRTC. Rare, but some locked-down corporate builds and very old browsers qualify.
When Ferry is the right one
Two devices, one of them yours, something you would rather not leave a copy of: a password out of a manager and onto a phone, a document onto a machine you do not own, a photo off a phone at local network speed, a config snippet between a work laptop and a personal one. No account to make, nothing installed, nothing left behind.