Clipcroft vs Send Anywhere

Send Anywhere has been a popular cross-platform file-sharing service since 2011, with native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and a web client. Clipcroft is browser-only with a real-time clipboard model. They overlap on the "send a file across devices" problem, but they pursue it from different angles.

Feature comparison

Note: feature details for third-party services change. The numbers above reflect what was publicly documented at the time of writing; check Send Anywhere's site directly for current limits.

Where Send Anywhere wins

• Async transfer to an offline receiver. When direct device-to-device fails or the receiver isn't online yet, Send Anywhere can stash a file on its servers so the receiver can grab it later. Real UX advantage for "leave a file for someone, they'll fetch it later" — but it's a trade-off: it requires the file to live on Send Anywhere's infrastructure for that window, with whatever trust assumptions that implies. Clipcroft's design rejects that trade-off — files travel directly between browsers and never reach our servers in any form. The cost is that both devices must be online during the transfer.
• Mature native apps. Decade-plus of polish on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.

Where Clipcroft wins

• Multi-file transfer queue in the browser. Drop any number of files; each one tracks its own status (Queued, Preparing, Connecting, Transferring, Retrying, Completed, Failed, or Canceled). Cancel one without affecting the rest of the queue. Retry a failed file without re-selecting it. Send Anywhere has a polished queue in their native app, but the browser flow is closer to one-transfer-key-per-batch.
• No per-file or per-day size cap. Send Anywhere caps each free transfer at 10 GB via the sharing-link flow (the typical web flow most users hit) and at up to 50 GB via the direct device-to-device flow available in the native apps; Clipcroft has no per-file cap regardless of flow. A single short ad once cumulative session traffic passes 5 MB opens one hour of unlimited transfers, and the cycle repeats. For repeat heavy use (sending many large files in one sitting), Clipcroft is the unlimited option without a paid tier.
• Persistent clipboard history. Thousands of items per clipboard, automatically organised into Texts, URLs, Files, and Images sections, with bulk operations per category. Send Anywhere is one-shot per transfer key.
• Zero install. No app on either side. Open the URL on both devices and you're connected.
• Cleaner privacy story. No file ever leaves the sender for our servers — direct browser-to-browser via WebRTC. With an optional clipboard password, contents are also end-to-end encrypted before transmission.
• Real-time clipboard sync. Paste text on one device and it appears on the others. Send Anywhere is built around discrete file transfers; Clipcroft is built around a continuously synced clipboard.
• Items don't expire after 10 minutes. They stick around for 3 days by default — handy if you want to upload from one device and grab from another later.
• Up to 20 devices on the same clipboard simultaneously, with deletions synced live.
• AutoForget idle auto-lock on protected clipboards. Configurable idle timer (default 5 minutes, up to 24 hours) drops the encryption key when you step away; modal re-prompts on next interaction. Active transfers defer the lock cleanly and the window restarts when the transfer drains. Send Anywhere has no protected-session concept in either the web flow or the native app.
• Multiple clipboards per device. One browser holds many independent clipboards (work / personal / family / project), each with its own history, password, retention, and device list. No account required. Send Anywhere is structured around discrete transfer keys, not reusable contexts.

Use-case recommendations

Use Send Anywhere when: you have a very large file (multi-gigabyte), you want it stored briefly so the receiver can grab it later, and you don't mind installing the app on at least one side.

Use Clipcroft when: you want zero install, real-time clipboard sync between multiple devices, transfers that resume on disconnect, or a cleaner privacy guarantee with no server-side caching.

Frequently asked questions

Does Send Anywhere work without an app?

Send Anywhere has a web interface, but for the full experience — and for sending from many devices — it expects you to install the native apps for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac. Clipcroft is browser-only on every platform.

Which has the bigger free tier?

Different shapes of free. Send Anywhere's free tier caps each transfer at 10 GB when you create a sharing link (the typical web flow), or at up to 50 GB when you use the direct device-to-device flow in the native apps; the six-digit transfer keys expire after about 10 minutes. Clipcroft has no per-file cap and no per-day or per-month cap — the ad-supported model gates with a single short ad once cumulative session traffic passes 5 MB, granting one hour of unlimited transfers, and the cycle repeats. For repeat heavy use, Clipcroft is unlimited GB; for a single asynchronous send to someone who'll grab it later, Send Anywhere's cloud relay is the easier shape.

Is Send Anywhere end-to-end encrypted?

Send Anywhere documents end-to-end encryption for direct device-to-device transfers, but files routed via their cloud relay rely on transport encryption plus their server-side handling. Clipcroft transfers files peer-to-peer via WebRTC; if you set an optional clipboard password, contents are end-to-end encrypted before they leave the sending device.

Do Send Anywhere keys expire?

Send Anywhere's free six-digit transfer keys expire after about 10 minutes — if the receiver doesn't grab the file in that window, you have to start over. Clipcroft items stay accessible to all devices on the clipboard for 3 days by default, configurable in Settings.

Which one should I use?

Send Anywhere is better when you have a very large file (multi-gigabyte), you want it stored briefly so the receiver can grab it later, and you don't mind installing an app. Clipcroft is better for zero-friction multi-device clipboard sync where you want everything to live in the browser.