Best Site for Anonymous File Sharing
Summary
The best anonymous file-sharing tool depends on the size and your trust model. OnionShare is the strongest privacy answer — runs over Tor on your own machine, files never touch a third-party server, sender and recipient learn nothing about each other's IP. Magic Wormhole and croc are command-line peer-to-peer tools that send files directly between two machines via a short human-readable code. For browser-friendly anonymous sharing with end-to-end encryption, Bitwarden Send (with a Bitwarden account) and Tresorit Send (no account) work for files up to a few GB. Avoid WeTransfer, Dropbox links, and Google Drive — they retain copies, log access, and require accounts that tie back to you. Distinct from [[sending-large-files]] which covers the general 'big file transfer' use case.
Top 5 at a glance
| # | Site | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OnionShare | Direct file sharing over Tor with no server in the middle | Free, open source |
| 2 | Magic Wormhole | Command-line peer-to-peer file send with a 5-word human-shareable code | Free, open source |
| 3 | croc | Friendlier peer-to-peer file send with a single-binary install | Free, open source |
| 4 | Bitwarden Send | Browser-friendly end-to-end encrypted file/text send for users with a Bitwarden account | Free tier supports text Send; file Send requires Bitwarden Premium ($10/year) or business plan |
| 5 | Tresorit Send (no account) | Browser-friendly E2EE file send with no account required | Free, up to 5GB per file |
Detailed rankings
OnionShare
Direct file sharing over Tor with no server in the middle
The default for genuinely anonymous file sharing. For one-off high-stakes transfers, this is the right tool.
Pros
- File transfer runs over a Tor onion service on your own machine
- Recipient connects via Tor Browser — no third-party host involved
- Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and as a Docker container
- Supports anonymous chat and anonymous website-hosting modes too
- Open source under GPLv3
- Built by Micah Lee (formerly The Intercept) — strong reputation
Cons
- Both sender and recipient need Tor Browser — friction for non-technical recipients
- Sender must stay online for the transfer to complete
- Throughput limited by Tor — large files take a while
- Recipient sees only an onion URL — they must trust it came from you
Price: Free, open source
Sources: onionshare.org, github.com
Magic Wormhole
Command-line peer-to-peer file send with a 5-word human-shareable code
The right pick for technical-to-technical file send. The 5-word code is genuinely usable in conversation.
Pros
- Direct peer-to-peer when possible, with a small relay (mailbox) for NAT traversal
- End-to-end encrypted using SPAKE2 key exchange
- 5-word human-readable code — easy to read over the phone
- Open source under MIT license
- Cross-platform via pip install
- Inspired several other 'send by code' tools
Cons
- Command-line only — no GUI app
- Default relay server is operated by the project — content is end-to-end encrypted but the relay sees metadata
- Recipient also needs Magic Wormhole installed
- Less active maintenance recently than some forks
Price: Free, open source
Sources: github.com
croc
Friendlier peer-to-peer file send with a single-binary install
The right pick when you want the Magic Wormhole experience but with easier install. Strong daily-driver for sharing between machines you control.
Pros
- Single Go binary — install via curl or brew, no Python dependencies
- Same 'code-phrase' UX as Magic Wormhole but simpler install
- End-to-end encrypted
- Cross-platform native binaries
- Supports resuming interrupted transfers
- Active maintenance by schollz
Cons
- Default relay operated by project maintainer (configurable)
- Command-line — no GUI
- Recipient must install croc too — friction for non-technical recipients
- Less academic-cryptography lineage than Magic Wormhole
Price: Free, open source
Sources: github.com
Bitwarden Send
Browser-friendly end-to-end encrypted file/text send for users with a Bitwarden account
The right pick when sender is already a Bitwarden user and recipient just gets a link. Vaultwarden self-host removes the size and pricing limits.
Pros
- End-to-end encrypted with key derived from a URL fragment never sent to server
- Optional expiration date, max access count, password
- Web-friendly — recipient just opens a link
- Run on Bitwarden's Premium tier or your own Vaultwarden self-host
- Audited open-source codebase
Cons
- Sender needs a Bitwarden account
- File Send is paid only on bitwarden.com — free on Vaultwarden self-host
- Server stores the encrypted blob — outage means lost transfer
- File-size limit on hosted Bitwarden (500MB on Premium)
Price: Free tier supports text Send; file Send requires Bitwarden Premium ($10/year) or business plan
Sources: bitwarden.com
Tresorit Send (no account)
Browser-friendly E2EE file send with no account required
The right pick for one-off browser-to-browser large file send when both ends want zero-install zero-account simplicity.
Pros
- No account on sender side — just upload and get a link
- End-to-end encrypted in the browser before upload
- Up to 5GB per send
- Operator is Swiss-based Tresorit — strong privacy reputation
- Optional password protection and expiry
Cons
- Closed source — encryption claims are not independently verifiable
- Encrypted blob stored on Tresorit servers temporarily
- Tresorit is now part of Swiss Post — corporate consolidation
- Free-tier-only — no power-user options
Price: Free, up to 5GB per file
Sources: send.tresorit.com
How we chose
- No third-party copy preferred — file should never touch a server you do not control.
- End-to-end encryption when relays are involved.
- No account requirement on at least one end.
- Tor support for sender-IP anonymity.
- Verifiability via short code or fingerprint, not arbitrary URL.
- Distinct from [[sending-large-files]] (WeTransfer-style general use).
Frequently asked questions
Why not just use WeTransfer or Dropbox?
WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive all retain copies of your files for at least some retention period, log who accessed the link, and tie the upload to your account. They are convenient but not anonymous in any sense. Use them when convenience matters and the file is not sensitive; switch to one of the tools above when the file actually needs to stay private.
What about Mozilla Send?
Mozilla shut down the official Send service in 2020 after abuse. Multiple forks (TimVisee/send, Tresorit Send) carry the spirit forward. Tresorit Send is in this ranking; community-run Send instances exist but the security and reliability vary by operator — verify before trusting one.
Does OnionShare leak my IP?
Not to the recipient when both sides use Tor Browser. The recipient sees only the onion URL of your machine, not your real IP. Your Tor entry guard sees that you are using Tor but not what you are doing. Your ISP sees encrypted Tor traffic — same as normal Tor use. This is among the strongest practical anonymity profiles for file sharing available.
Are these tools used for piracy?
Like any file-transfer tool, they can be misused. The tools themselves are general-purpose and were built for legitimate uses: source-to-journalist transfer, activist coordination, sending sensitive documents between trusted parties without third-party retention. The ranking here is from that perspective. Using them to share copyrighted content without rights is illegal regardless of the transport.
What about for very large files (50GB+)?
OnionShare handles arbitrary sizes but transfer over Tor is slow. croc and Magic Wormhole work but a 50GB transfer takes hours. For really large transfers, see [[sending-large-files]] which covers WeTransfer-class options including resumable uploads. The anonymous-share tools here are optimized for the typical document/folder size, not for hundreds of GB.