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ToolGPA

Pixeldrain vs Smash (2026): which should you pick?

As of Nov 13, 2026, Pixeldrain grades higher than Smash: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.

Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA

Pixeldrain grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

Pixeldrain

File hosting and sharing with a free tier and paid plans in euros

Free plan · from €4/mo
Full detailspixeldrain.com

Smash

Browser-based file transfer with no sign-up and no paid size cap

Free plan · from $6/mo
Full detailsfromsmash.com

Which one is for you

Pick Pixeldrain if

  • Fits if you send large files and do not want an account
  • Works for developers who want an API to upload to

Look elsewhere if

  • Skip it if you need files kept for good on the free plan, as they expire after 60 days without a download
  • Tight if you share to many people, as free downloads stop at 6 GB a day per IP
  • Watch out: Pro is billed through Patreon, which adds fees and sales tax
  • Watch out: the home page gave us little text, so some terms come from the listing

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

2.8GPAPixeldrainGood2.4GPASmashFair
Value for money
BPro is EUR 4 a month or EUR 40 a year, inside the cheapest quarter. Prepaid is EUR 4 per TB stored plus EUR 1 per TB downloaded.
CPro is $6 a month billed annually ($10 monthly), between the category's $3.99 and $6.95 marks.
Free plan and trial
BFree uploads up to 10 GB a file with a 6 GB daily download cap per IP. Files expire after 60 days without a download.
CFree needs no sign-up but caps transfers at 2 GB and 7 days with no storage, and larger ones queue behind Pro.
Features
CUpload, share, filesystem and an API. No sync app or editing is listed.
CSending large files works, but it is transfer only, and storage is 1 TB on Pro and 2 TB on Team.
Ease of use
BNo store rating on record. Upload a file in the browser and share the link.
BNo store rating on record, but there is nothing to set up: open the page and send.
Platforms and integrations
BWeb with an API. No desktop or phone app is listed.
BWeb plus Mac, iPhone and Android apps, with 1 integration and no Windows app listed.
Best forquick file uploads with no trackingsending 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: Pixeldrain and Smash. How we grade

Price against what you get

Pixeldrain starts at about $3.72 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Smash starts at $6 a month and scores 2.7.

They score the same, and Pixeldrain starts $2.28 a month lower. Of the other file storage and sync services on the chart, 6 score higher than Pixeldrain for less, and 11 score higher than Smash for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$0.5$1$2$5$10$20$50$100$200More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessPixeldrainSmash

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
The full chart of file storage and sync services, and the best at every price

Where they differ

    In commonFree planWebPublic APIFile sharing

    At a glance

    PixeldrainSmash
    PricingFree planFree plan
    Starts at€4 per month or €40 per year (Pro)$6 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly)
    Free planFree: 10 GB per file, 6 GB per day of downloads per IP, files expire after 60 days without download.Free: no sign-up, 2 GB per transfer, transfers valid for 7 days, no storage. Beyond 2 GB, transfers queue behind Pro transfers.
    Free trialNone listedNone listed
    Web
    macOS
    iOS
    Android
    Made byFornaxian TechnologiesSmash & Co
    Price read frompixeldrain.comfromsmash.com
    CheckedNov 13, 2026Nov 12, 2026

    Worth knowing

    Pixeldrain

    • Free files expire after 60 days without a download.
    • Pro is billed through Patreon, which adds its own fees and sales tax.
    • Prices are in euros; a prepaid minimum of €0.01 a day applies.

    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

    Pixeldrain

    Large file uploads
    Free uploads up to 10 GB per file; paid plans allow 100 GB per file.
    Hotlinking and embedding
    Paid plans let you embed files in other sites and link them directly.
    Filesystem storage
    A filesystem feature for longer storage, with a 2 TB limit on Pro.
    API
    Documented API with keys and permissions for uploading and managing files programmatically.
    Customizable download pages
    Prepaid users can change the theme, background, header and footer image of download pages.

    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

    Pixeldrain

    • Free$0

      10 GB per file, 6 GB daily download limit, 60-day file expiry and no hotlinking.

    • Pro€4

      per month, or €40 per year, excl. tax

      100 GB files, 4 TB transfer per 30 days, hotlinking, embedding and 120-day expiry; managed by Patreon.

    • Prepaid€4

      per TB per month stored, plus €1 per TB downloaded

      Pay for what you use with no limits; files do not expire while the plan is active.

    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

    Pixeldrain

    • Annual discount

      €40 a year instead of €4 a month

      The Pro plan is listed at €4 a month or €40 a year, excluding tax.

    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, Pixeldrain or Smash?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, Pixeldrain is cheaper to start with: about $3.72 a month, against $6 a month for Smash. Pixeldrain starts at €4 per month or €40 per year (Pro), and Smash starts at $6 per month, billed annually ($10 billed monthly).

    Which has a free plan, Pixeldrain or Smash?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, both Pixeldrain and Smash have a free plan.

    Which platforms do Pixeldrain and Smash run on?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, only Smash lists macOS, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web 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.
    How we review and grade