WeTransfer alternative for photographers
Deliver photos to clients without a link that expires in days: a gallery with favourites, downloads and an access date that you decide.
Almost everyone starts the same way: shoot finished, folder exported, transfer link sent. It works right up to the moment a client writes back two weeks later to say the link no longer opens. This page explains why a transfer service is the wrong building block for delivering a shoot, and what a client gallery does instead.
Sending is not delivering
A transfer service solves a different problem: moving one large file from A to B, once. Delivering a shoot is not transport, it is several steps: look, choose, download, come back later. According to WeTransfer itself (October 2026):
- The link expires. On the free plan it lasts three days at most. A gallery still gets opened on the first anniversary.
- There is a monthly cap. The free plan allows up to 10 transfers and 3 GB per 30 days. One wedding goes past that easily.
- The client receives a package, not a gallery. To replace a single frame you send everything again.
- There is no way to choose. The answer comes back as a message: "0412, 0418 and the one with the dog."
What a client gallery does instead
- A permanent address for each gallery: it stays up until you take it down.
- You set the access date, not the service, so the client knows how long they have to download.
- Favourites in the browser with no account to create, on every plan.
- ZIP of the whole gallery or of the selection only, as originals or a lighter version for the phone.
- A password per gallery from the Starter plan.
- Watermarks and download statistics on the Professional plan.
Where the photos are stored
At Gallery4you, the application, the database and the image files all sit in Frankfurt — images in the AWS eu-central-1 region, application and database in the host's data centre there, with daily backups in France. All three are inside the EU. What that does not mean is that no American company is involved: AWS is a US company operating European data centres. We would rather state that here than bury it in the small print. Since the EU renewed its adequacy decisions for the UK, EU-hosted storage is a straightforward arrangement for a UK photographer rather than something to work around.
Switching without risk
- Register for free, with no card.
- Deliver one real job through a gallery alongside whatever you do now.
- After two weeks, check whether the client had to ask you anything.
None of this is a verdict on WeTransfer: for sending a file to a colleague once, it is a good tool. Delivering a shoot to a client needs a different one.
Common questions
How do I send a large set of photos to a client?
Publish it rather than send it. A gallery shows the photographs at a size people can actually look at, offers single-photo or ZIP download, and stays online.
Does the same apply to Google Drive and Dropbox?
Largely, yes. Both are file stores: the client sees folders instead of photographs, there is no selection tool, and the sharing settings are exactly where mistakes happen.
Do clients need an account?
No. They open the link in a browser. If you set a password, they enter it once.
What does it cost to start?
Nothing. The free plan includes 2 GB of storage, up to 2 galleries and 600 photos per gallery, with no card required.