Ferry vs Send Anywhere
Ferry vs Send Anywhere: file transfer with no app and no ads
Checked October 2026
The short answer
Both pair devices with a 6-digit code. Use Ferry if you want no app, no ads and no upload to a server. Use Send Anywhere if you want a native app on each device, or a stored link today without waiting for a Ferry account.
Send Anywhere has used 6-digit keys for years, and it is one of the best known ways to move a file between a phone and a computer. It is an app first, with a website alongside.
Ferry uses the same kind of code and works entirely in the browser.
Side by side
| Feature | Ferry | Send Anywhere |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to send and receive. Optional accounts have a free plan, and paid plans from $9 a month | Free with ads, and a paid plan |
| Account | Not needed to send or receive. Optional, for held files and a history | None |
| Install | Nothing. Runs in the browser | Apps for phones and computers, plus a website |
| Code lifetime | 24 hours, or until you end it | 10 minutes |
| Where files go | Directly between the two devices, never stored. A held send from an account is stored sealed until it expires | Direct when possible, through its servers when not. Links are stored |
| Encryption | End to end, with a 6-digit code both screens show | Encrypted in transit |
| Stored links | Held sends from a Ferry account, up to 7 days. Direct sends are never stored | Yes. Links last 48 hours |
| Ads | None | Shown in the free apps |
| No internet | Yes, on the same Wi-Fi or hotspot | Wi-Fi Direct between Android phones |
Choose Ferry when
- You do not want to install anything on a device, especially one that is not yours.
- You want no ads, and no account for direct sends.
- You want the files to go only between your devices, with a security code to confirm it.
- You need more than 10 minutes to get to the other device.
Choose Send Anywhere when
- You transfer often and want an app in the share menu of your phone.
- You want a stored link the other person can download over the next two days, and you do not have a Ferry account.
- You are sending between two Android phones with no network, using Wi-Fi Direct.
Apps and ads
Send Anywhere's free apps are paid for by advertising, and a paid plan removes it. Ferry is a web page with no advertising and no tracking scripts. On a borrowed or work computer, opening a page is often possible where installing an app is not.
Codes and links
A Send Anywhere key lasts 10 minutes. A Ferry transfer stays open for 24 hours, so you can start it on one device and walk to the other. Send Anywhere also offers stored links that last 48 hours. Ferry's direct sends never store files, and a Ferry account can hold a file for up to 7 days instead.
Where Send Anywhere is the better tool
A native app can sit in the share sheet, run in the background and use Wi-Fi Direct. If you send files every day from the same phone, that convenience is worth the install.
Common questions
Is there a Send Anywhere alternative without ads?
Yes. Ferry pairs devices with a 6-digit code in the same way, runs in the browser, and has no ads and no app to install, and needs no account for direct sends.
Does Ferry store my files like a Send Anywhere link?
Not for direct sends: they go from one device to the other while both are open. A Ferry account can also hold a file for up to 7 days, sealed so Ferry cannot read it.
How long does a Ferry code last?
24 hours, or until the sender ends the transfer. A Send Anywhere key lasts 10 minutes.
Sources
Details about Send Anywhere were checked in October 2026 and can change. Send Anywhere is a trademark of its owner, and Ferry is not affiliated with it.
Try it with the file you have now.
Open Ferry on both devices and connect them with a QR code or six digits. Direct sends need no account.