Hightail vs Smash (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Smash grades higher than Hightail: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Smash 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.
Hightail
Large-file sharing with creative review and project tracking
Smash
Browser-based file transfer with no sign-up and no paid size cap
Which one is for you
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
Pick Smash if
- Fits if you send a file now and then and want no account
- Works for a team that sends to clients and wants a branded page on Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you send over 2 GB free: larger transfers queue behind Pro
- Skip it if you want storage, as the free plan keeps nothing
- Watch out: Team costs more as accounts grow, $25 a month for 10 and $125 for 50 on monthly billing
- Watch out: prices exclude VAT, and the two-year Pro term bills $115.20 up front
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAHightailFair | 2.4GPASmashFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPro is $6 a month billed annually ($10 monthly), between the category's $3.99 and $6.95 marks. |
| Free plan and trial | CLite is free with 2 GB, files up to 100 MB, 7-day links and limited previews. | CFree needs no sign-up but caps transfers at 2 GB and 7 days with no storage, and larger ones queue behind Pro. |
| Features | CSending, review and project tracking are covered, but custom branding and Uplink are add-ons and sending is capped at 100 recipients a send. | CSending large files works, but it is transfer only, and storage is 1 TB on Pro and 2 TB on Team. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and review and project features to learn. | BNo store rating on record, but there is nothing to set up: open the page and send. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and an iPhone app, with 7 integrations listed and no desktop app. | BWeb plus Mac, iPhone and Android apps, with 1 integration and no Windows app listed. |
| Best for | sending files and getting creative work reviewed | sending files from the browser with no sign-up |
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: Hightail and Smash. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hightail starts at $12 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Smash starts at $6 a month and scores 2.7.
Smash scores higher and starts $6 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 22 score higher than Hightail for less, and 10 score higher than Smash 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
- Hightail also covers documents.
At a glance
| Hightail | Smash | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | $6 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Lite: 2 GB storage, files up to 100 MB, send links expire after 7 days, limited previews, and 30 recipients per send. | Free: no sign-up, 2 GB per transfer, transfers valid for 7 days, no storage. Beyond 2 GB, transfers queue behind Pro transfers. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Open Text Corporation | Smash & Co |
| Price read from | hightail.com | fromsmash.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Smash
- The free plan has no storage and caps transfers at 2 GB and 7 days.
- Team prices step up with the number of user accounts: $25 a month monthly for 10, $125 for 50.
- Prices are shown ex-VAT; the page says VAT may apply, and the two-year term bills $115.20 up front for Pro.
- Storage is 1 TB on Pro and 2 TB on Team, and the free plan stores nothing.
Key features
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.
Smash
- Sign-up-free sending
- The free plan needs no account or payment. Transfers go out by email or share link and expire after up to 7 days.
- Unlimited transfer size
- Pro, Team and Enterprise have no per-transfer cap and keep files up to 30 days. Free transfers above 2 GB queue behind paid ones.
- Customization and branding
- Paid plans change send, receive and download pages with a logo and background, and add a custom subdomain. Enterprise adds a CNAME.
- File reception
- Paid plans create drop-off links so other people can send files to you, and transfers sent and received appear in a manager.
- Tracking and security
- Views and downloads are tracked on paid plans. The plan table lists password-protected transfers, antivirus scanning and 256-bit AES encryption.
- Outlook add-in and API
- A plug-in sends large files from Outlook, and a developer API and SDKs are listed on the site.
Plans
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.
Smash
Free$0
No sign-up. 2 GB per transfer, available 7 days, no stored files.
Pro$6
per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
1 user, unlimited transfer size, 30-day availability, 1 TB storage, customization and file reception.
Team$15
per month for 10 accounts, billed annually ($25 monthly)
10 to 50 user accounts, 2 TB storage, user management and Pro features. Larger tiers cost more.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users, custom quote, single sign-on, SCIM provisioning and a custom CNAME domain.
Ways to pay less
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.
Smash
- Annual discount
40% off with annual billing
The pricing page shows Pro and Team about 40% cheaper per month on annual billing, and 52% cheaper on a two-year term.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hightail or Smash?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Smash is cheaper to start with: $6 a month, against $12 a month for Hightail. Hightail starts at $12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly), and Smash starts at $6 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Hightail or Smash?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Hightail and Smash have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hightail and Smash run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Smash lists macOS 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.