ZiggSend vs WhatsApp · Head to head

ZiggSend vs WhatsApp

Sending to yourself on WhatsApp is convenient. It is also the path that turns a sharp video into a blocky one, every time it goes as media.

What it does well

  • Everyone already has it
  • Works across any network
  • “Document” mode keeps the original up to 2 GB

Where it stops

  • Photos and videos sent as media are compressed (even the “HD” option is not the original file)
  • 2 GB per file as a document
  • Everything passes through their servers, end-to-end encrypted

Side by side

CriterionWhatsAppZiggSend
DevicesPhone + WhatsApp Web/DesktopiPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
Original qualityOnly as “document”Always, verified byte for byte
Size limit2 GB per fileNone
Needs the cloudYesNo
VerificationNot advertisedSHA-256 on every file
PriceFreeFree with 1 phone; Pro $39/year

When to use which

WhatsApp for a photo someone will look at on a phone. ZiggSend for anything you will edit, print, archive or deliver: the exact file, any size, 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.

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Questions people actually ask

How much does WhatsApp compress video?

Enough to see: resolution and bitrate are reduced for anything sent as media. Sent as a “document” the file is untouched, up to 2 GB.

Does WhatsApp Web transfer originals to the PC?

Only if they were sent as documents. Media saved from WhatsApp Web is the copy that was sent, compressed when it went as media.

Is ZiggSend private?

Files go straight from one device to the other over your network. Nothing is stored on any server.

Related guides

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

Compared with

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