ZiggSend vs Send Anywhere · Head to head

ZiggSend vs Send Anywhere

Send Anywhere’s six-digit key is a clever idea for sending to anyone. Between your own devices it adds ads on the free tier, a key to type every time, and no resume or check of what arrived.

What it does well

  • Works across networks with a key, device to device
  • Apps for most platforms and the web
  • Free tier exists

Where it stops

  • Links and “send to device” upload to their servers (kept up to 48 hours)
  • Ads on the free tier
  • Verification: not advertised

Side by side

CriterionSend AnywhereZiggSend
DevicesAlliPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
Original qualityYesAlways, verified byte for byte
Size limitKey: none; free link: 10 GBNone
Needs the cloudOnly for linksNo
VerificationNot advertisedSHA-256 on every file
PriceFree with ads; paid add-on removes themFree with 1 phone; Pro $39/year

When to use which

Sending to a friend in another city: Send Anywhere’s key is handy. Your own phone to your own computer: ZiggSend, on your own network, no ads, with resume and every file verified.

Measured, not promised. 22 GB in 184 files with 0 failures from an Android to a Mac over a USB 2 cable (about 28 MB/s); an 806 MB video over home Wi-Fi in 46 s; up to 49.7 MB/s over Wi-Fi from a Mac to an iPhone. Every file is checked against the original on arrival. How we measure.

Free forever with 1 phone. Pro when you need it.

The phone apps are free. So is the computer app, with one paired phone. Pro — several phones, full history, automatic folders, up to 3 computers — is $39 a year, or $19 once for the first 1,000 founders.

Get ZiggSend

Questions people actually ask

Does Send Anywhere upload my files?

With the six-digit key, no: the file goes device to device and is not stored on their servers. With a link or “send to device”, it is uploaded and kept for up to 48 hours.

Does ZiggSend work across the internet?

No — same Wi-Fi (or a cable, Android to Mac), by design. That is why your files never leave your network.

Is there a file count limit in ZiggSend?

No. Thousands of files at once — and, from the computer, whole folders.

How does Send Anywhere work?

The sender picks files and gets a 6-digit key (or a link); the receiver types it within 10 minutes. With the key the file goes device to device and is not stored on their servers; with a link it is uploaded and kept for up to 48 hours. Free tier with ads. Between your own devices, a transfer on your own network, with resume and a check of every file, is the sturdier path.

Can I send files without being on the same network?

Not with ZiggSend, by design: it only moves files between devices on the same Wi-Fi (or, from Android to a Mac, a cable), so your files never leave your network. For sending to someone on another network, use a cloud link (Drive, WeTransfer) or WhatsApp as a document — and mind their limits: every limit for a large video.

What does Reddit recommend for this?

The usual thread ends in three answers: LocalSend for casual sharing, a cable for bulk, and “just use the cloud”. Each is right for a case, and each has a cost — recompression, MTP stalling on big folders, upload time. ZiggSend exists for the case Reddit keeps re-asking: originals, any size, verified, no cloud.

Related guides

Videos from Android to iPhone without compressionVideos from a phone to a PC or laptop without compressionVideos from Android to a Mac or MacBook without compression

Compared with

ZiggSend vs AirDropZiggSend vs Phone LinkZiggSend vs LocalSendZiggSend vs Snapdrop and PairDrop