Free business file sharing: a checklist before you pick
Seven checks for free business file sharing, how Tarkle Free scores on each, and when Pro becomes the next step.
Choosing free business file sharing comes down to how you really send files: how big they are, who may open the link, and what happens when you outgrow the limits. This checklist gives you seven checks to run on any free plan. Tarkle Free costs $0 and needs no credit card. Free includes 5 GB of storage. Uploads on Free go up to 1 GB. Free includes a custom domain and custom branding. You can protect shared files with a password. The comparison is Tarkle's own view, so check every number on the live pricing page before you decide.
What should free business file sharing include?
A free plan is good enough for a business when it lets you send a file to a client or supplier without making them create an account, lets you protect the link when the file is sensitive, and tells you plainly what happens when you hit a limit. It should also look like your business, not like a stranger's website.
Many free tools are built for a one-off send. A small business sends files again and again to the same people, so the checks below go further than the headline file size.
The 7-point checklist for free business file sharing
File size. What is the biggest single file you can upload? Read the number on the vendor's own page, because it differs by plan and often differs between a single file and a whole send.
Storage. Does the tool keep your files in your account, or only hold them until a link expires? A send-only tool cannot be your filing cabinet.
Who can open a link. Can you add a password? Can you set a date when the link stops working? Can the person downloading open it without creating an account?
Expiry. Can you choose the date a link stops working, or is the period fixed by the vendor? A fixed three-day link is a problem when a supplier opens it after a long weekend.
Branding. Do your clients see your logo and your own address, or someone else's name? Check whether the vendor's name stays on your pages.
Data location. Can you say in which part of the world your files are stored? Some clients ask, and a vague answer costs you the job.
What happens when you outgrow it. What changes with a second person, a bigger file or a client who wants a login? Does the free account get deleted if you stop using it?
Write down your three biggest real files from the last month before you compare tools. The largest one decides whether a free size limit is enough, and it takes two minutes.
What does Tarkle Free include?
Tarkle Free costs $0 and needs no credit card. It covers 1 workspace for 1 person. Free includes 5 GB of cloud storage. The upload limit is up to 1 GB per file. You can share and request files. You can collect client feedback and approval on images and PDFs. You can use a custom domain and custom branding. You can protect shared files with a password. Free also lets you import files from Dropbox or Google Drive.
Here is how Free scores against the checklist.
Check | Tarkle Free |
|---|---|
File size | Up to 1 GB per file and per transfer |
Storage | 5 GB in your workspace |
Who can open a link | Password protection on shared files. Recipients need no account to download. |
Expiry | You set the date a transfer or request link stops working (link expiration) |
Branding | A custom domain and custom branding. The "Powered by Tarkle" line stays on your pages |
Data location | Chosen when you create a workspace, from the regions in Tarkle's privacy policy |
Outgrowing it | One person on Free. Pro adds unlimited team members, the client portal and larger files |
Two details are easy to miss. First, file requests are on Free, so a client can upload documents to you through one link instead of emailing attachments. Second, Free includes a custom domain, so your links can open on an address you own. If you want to see how a transfer link works before you sign up, read about sharing files by link.
Set an expiry date on every transfer that holds contracts, invoices or ID documents. A link that stops working on its own is safer than one that sits in an old email for years.
Where does Tarkle Free stop?
Free stops in a few places, and it helps to know them before you share your first link.
One person. Free is for one person. A second staff member needs Pro, which includes unlimited team members.
Upload size and storage. Uploads go up to 1 GB. Storage is 5 GB. When you reach a limit, uploads may stop until you free up space or upgrade. The Terms of Service say that reaching a limit does not delete existing files.
"Powered by Tarkle" stays on Free. On Free the line is locked on your pages. On Pro, billed monthly or yearly, you can switch it off. Agency replaces it with your agency name.
Review boards are capped. Free allows 5 active feedback boards in each workspace, and Pro and Agency have no board limit. Archive a board to free a slot. Read feedback plans and limits.
Client portal on Pro. A branded place where each client signs in and finds what you shared comes with Pro. See the client portal page.
Shorter recovery. Deleted items wait in a recovery bin, 30 days on Free and 90 days on Pro. See file retention and recovery.
One more rule applies to every Free account. Free accounts with no sign-in or workspace activity for 6 consecutive months may be deleted, and Tarkle sends at least one notice first (section 14.6 of the Terms of Service). Keep a copy of anything you need somewhere else too.
When is Pro or Agency the better fit?
Pro costs $29 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly ($228 a year). Pro includes everything in Free, plus:
2 workspaces
3 TB of cloud storage
An upload limit of up to 200 GB
File versioning
Unlimited team members
Team folders
The fully branded client portal
90-day file recovery
Priority support
Pro fits a business with several staff, large files, or clients who should sign in to find their documents. If large files are the main reason you are looking, the guide on how to send a large file to a client shows what to do today.
Agency costs $59 a month, or $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year). Agency includes everything in Pro, plus:
6 TB of storage
20 workspaces for clients
A 100% white-label platform
On Agency, "Powered by Tarkle" becomes your agency name. It fits agencies that run file sharing for their own clients on their own domain. Read more on white label for agencies.
A solo owner can start on Free with real files and stay on it as long as it fits. Pro is the next step when you regularly send larger files. Pro is the next step when you need a second person in the account. Pro is the next step when you want clients to sign in. You buy Pro and Agency at checkout and pay by card. For how this works for agencies, read free file sharing for agencies.
Free business file sharing: a short checklist to print
Before you commit to a tool, run through this list:
Write down your largest file from the last month and compare it with the free upload limit.
Decide whether you need storage or only a send link. The difference is explained in file sharing vs cloud storage.
Check whether you can set the expiry date yourself, and whether clients can open the link without an account.
Confirm you can add a password and set the date a link stops working.
See whether clients will see your own domain, and whether the vendor's name stays on your pages.
Ask where your files are stored.
Read what the first paid plan adds, what it costs and what the free plan does after six quiet months.
What to remember about Tarkle
Tarkle Free costs $0 with no credit card. One person gets 5 GB of storage. Uploads go up to 1 GB. Free includes a custom domain and custom branding. You can protect shared files with a password. Recipients need no account to download. When you outgrow Free, Pro adds unlimited team members. Pro also adds uploads up to 200 GB. Pro also adds the client portal. Start for free or compare the plans.