Filemail vs Hightail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Filemail grades higher than Hightail: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Filemail grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Filemail
Large file transfer by email or link, free up to 5 GB
Hightail
Large-file sharing with creative review and project tracking
Which one is for you
Pick Filemail if
- Fits if you send the odd big file and don't want an account to manage
- Works for someone who needs Mac, Windows and phone apps for transfers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you send to many people: free is 3 recipients and 10 downloads a transfer
- Skip it if you need permanent links, as availability past 30 days starts at Pro
- Watch out: Business shows no per-user price, only 1 TB a user
- Watch out: yearly billing is advertised as 2 months free, but no yearly price is stated
Pick Hightail if
- Fits if you send big creative files and want comments on them
- Works for freelancers who can live with 2 GB free
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you send big files free: Lite stops at 100 MB a file and links expire in 7 days
- Pricey if you pay monthly: Pro is $15 against $144 for the year
- Watch out: custom branding and Uplink are add-ons, not included on Pro, Teams or Business
- Watch out: Teams covers 1 to 30 users and Business starts at 3, so larger groups go to sales
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFilemailFair | 2.2GPAHightailFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPersonal is $6 a month billed monthly, between the category's $3.99 and $6.95 marks, and Pro is $14. | CPro at $12 a month billed annually ($15 monthly) sits in the dearer quarter of the category but under its $16.50 dearest-tenth line. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic is free for 5 GB a transfer, with 3 recipients, 10 downloads, 7-day availability and 2 sessions every 24 hours. | CLite is free with 2 GB, files up to 100 MB, 7-day links and limited previews. |
| Features | CSending large files with tracking and apps is covered, but it is a transfer tool, not storage, and files last 30 days on Personal. | CSending, review and project tracking are covered, but custom branding and Uplink are add-ons and sending is capped at 100 recipients a send. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but you open the page and send a file with nothing to set up. | CNo store rating on record, and review and project features to learn. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android apps, with 1 integration listed. | BWeb and an iPhone app, with 7 integrations listed and no desktop app. |
| Best for | sending big files by email or link | sending files and getting creative work reviewed |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Filemail and Hightail. How we grade
Price against what you get
Filemail starts at $6 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hightail starts at $12 a month and scores 2.3.
Filemail scores higher and starts $6 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 10 score higher than Filemail for less, and 22 score higher than Hightail for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Filemail is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Hightail also covers documents.
At a glance
| Filemail | Hightail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $6 per month, billed monthly | $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Basic: 1 user, 5 GB per transfer, 5 GB storage, 7-day availability, 3 recipients and 10 downloads per transfer, 2 sessions per 24 hours. | Lite: 2 GB storage, files up to 100 MB, send links expire after 7 days, limited previews, and 30 recipients per send. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on paid plans | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Filemail AS | Open Text Corporation |
| Price read from | filemail.com | hightail.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Filemail
- Free transfers are limited to 3 recipients, 10 downloads and 2 sessions every 24 hours.
- Personal files are kept for 30 days; permanent availability starts at Pro.
- Prices were read from the monthly toggle; yearly billing is advertised as 2 months free without a stated price.
- Business shows no per-user price, only that storage is 1 TB per user.
Hightail
- The free Lite plan caps files at 100 MB and expires sends after 7 days.
- Online purchases are limited to 200 file-send recipients a day, and 100 per send on paid plans.
- Custom branding and Uplink are add-ons on Pro, Teams and Business rather than included.
- Teams covers 1 to 30 users and Business starts at 3 users; larger groups go through sales.
Key features
Filemail
- Email and link transfers
- Send files and folders by email or share link, with a free account sending up to 5 GB and paid plans going much higher.
- Desktop apps and resume
- Windows, Mac and Linux apps resume interrupted transfers and can download shared files automatically.
- File requests and upload forms
- Pro adds file requests. Business adds an upload form you can place on your own website.
- Branding and subdomain
- Pro includes a custom subdomain and branding options for download pages.
- Security controls
- Plans list antivirus scanning and HTTPS. Business adds end-to-end encryption, 2FA, SAML single sign-on and audit logs.
- Outlook add-in and API
- An Outlook add-in sends end-to-end encrypted transfers, and an API is available for developers.
Hightail
- Large file sending
- Send limits are 100 MB on Lite, 25 GB on Pro, 50 GB on Teams and 500 GB on Business, with send tracking and delivery notifications on paid plans.
- Expiry and passwords
- Lite sends expire after 7 days. Paid plans can set an expiration date or keep files indefinitely, and add password protection.
- Precise comments
- Reviewers can comment on a specific point in a file. Teams and Business add version control and side-by-side version comparison.
- Project management
- Teams and Business include to-dos, advanced approval routing and personal and team dashboards for creative projects.
- Adobe and cloud integrations
- Photoshop and Illustrator plugins are listed on every plan, along with syncing from Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.
Plans
Filemail
Basic$0
1 user, 5 GB per transfer, 5 GB storage, 7-day file availability.
Personal$6
per month, billed monthly
Individual use: 5 GB per transfer, 250 GB storage, files kept 30 days, unlimited transfers.
Pro$14
per month, billed monthly
Individual use: 250 GB per transfer, 1 TB storage, permanent availability, file requests and branding.
Business$24
per month, billed monthly (user basis not shown)
Multi-user and multi-admin, any file size, 1 TB per user, end-to-end encryption, SSO and audit logs.
Enterprise MFTCustom
Managed file transfer with custom storage, compliance support and premium support.
Hightail
Lite$0
2 GB storage, 100 MB files, 7-day expiry, limited previews and precise comments.
Pro$12
per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Unlimited storage, 25 GB files, configurable expiry, password protection and 5 nested folders.
Teams$24
per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
1 to 30 users, 50 GB files, version control, approval routing, dashboards and phone support.
Business$36
per user / month, billed annually ($45 billed monthly)
For 3+ users: 500 GB files, 30 nested folders, enterprise-grade security and a dedicated support team.
Ways to pay less
Filemail
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly billing
The plans comparison page labels yearly billing as 2 months free for Personal, Pro and Business.
Hightail
- Annual discount
Roughly 20% off with annual billing
The pricing FAQ gives Pro at $144 a year, Teams at $288 per user and Business at $432 per user, and says annual billing saves about 20% a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Filemail or Hightail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Filemail is cheaper to start with: $6 a month, against $12 a month for Hightail. Filemail starts at $6 per month, billed monthly, and Hightail starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Filemail or Hightail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Filemail and Hightail have a free plan.
Which platforms do Filemail and Hightail run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Filemail lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps. Both list a web app and an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.