Christian Schmid founded RapidShare in Mulheim, Germany, first as ezShare and then as RapidShare, a file hosting service for his RapidForum web forum hosting services. He founded RapidShare AG in 2004, which went online in August 2004 and then relocated to Baar, Switzerland in 2006. Schmid stays out of the spotlight, but he took over management of the company in April 2010 after longtime CEO and COO Bobby Chang stepped down.
RapidShare.de was the company’s first website. [number six] RapidShare.com, a second platform, was launched later. For many years, it ran in tandem with RapidShare.de. RapidShare.de was shut down on March 1, 2010, and visitors were redirected to RapidShare.com. RapidShare.de files were no longer available for download.
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RapidShare was reportedly one of the top 50 most popular websites in 2010 with hundreds of millions of monthly users.
RapidShare had to change its business model as a result of lawsuits filed by proprietary content owners and the takedown of file hoster Megaupload. The company shifted its emphasis to B2B cloud storage services, but a decline in sales resulted in a three-quarters reduction in staffing in May 2013. Its Alexa ranking had dropped below 1,400 by 2014.
Based on information from a former RapidShare employee “MarkusP,” the website PCTipp.ch reported in late February 2014 that RapidShare had issued a “leave or be fired” ultimatum to 23 of its 24 workers (down from 60 just two years before) and that the majority had resigned. With the exception of one, all of their contracts were terminated.
RapidShare was confirmed to have only one employee as of mid-March, a support person who answered the phone and handled customers and accounts. The product creation group had disbanded.
RapidShare announced a 150 percent price increase for its paid services on March 13, 2014. RapidShare will continue to be available to free users, but their download speeds and bandwidth would be severely limited.
RapidShare revealed on its home page on February 10, 2015 that its services will be permanently shut down on March 31, 2015. After that date, none of the data it hosted, including that uploaded by customers, will be available. [nine] [nine] The site’s home page showed a note about the service’s closure on March 31, 2015.
Thankfully, there are several Rapidshare alternatives, and file sharing has advanced significantly in recent years. Many services allow you to transfer files quickly and easily while still providing a variety of other benefits.
We disclose our top Rapidshare alternatives in this article, along with why each one could be a good match for you.
1. Dropbox
One of the most well-known names in the file-sharing industry is Dropbox. With over 500 million subscribers, this service has plenty of social evidence to back it up.
Dropbox is a file-sharing service that is suitable for both personal and business use. You can access your Dropbox folders using any web browser or by installing the Dropbox app on your most frequently used computers. You don’t have to think about who has the most up-to-date version because files sync across devices.
2 GB of free disk space, syncing, and shared files and links are all included in the free plans. Dropbox now has a new Dropbox Paper feature, which is similar to Google Docs. Paid plans start at $9.99 per month and include 1 TB of storage as well as extra features like remote device wipe and mobile offline folders.
There are no free business plans, but a 30-day trial is available. When payments begin, business packages start at $12.50 per month per user (minimum of three users) and provide at least 3 TB of storage space.
Also check: Best Dropbox Alternatives for Business Professionals and Project Managers
2. Volafile
Volafile is suitable for groups or teams since it combines synchronized file sharing and chat in one platform. Users build their own “rooms” in which to store their files, each with its own chat function. You can share your room’s unique URL with as many people as you want.
This is a fully free service. You can upload files up to 20 GB in size, but they only have a two-day lifespan. This is an excellent service for study groups or brainstorming sessions, but it is not suitable for long-term storage.
3. Tresorit
Tresorit is a well-known file-sharing service with a reputation for high security. It allows you to sync and share folders with zero-knowledge encryption, which means no one knows what you’re sharing, except inside the company.
Tresorit stores your data in EU data centers that are continuously monitored. Message authentication codes are added to each file, ensuring that the files cannot be changed even if the device is compromised.
Many of these security features come at a significant cost. Individuals can use Tresorit for free to send files up to 5 GB in size, but there is no data storage and some security features with a free account. Prices start at $10.42 per month for 200 GB of storage and additional features including deleted file restoration, two-factor authentication, and version recovery.
4Shared differs from the majority of the others on this list in that it also functions as a public file database. You can look through files, such as music, video, and book files, as well as apps, in this section. You can also upload and store your own files in the cloud, which you can keep private or share publicly.
The free plan includes 15 GB of storage, but the maximum file upload size is 2,048 MB. Paid plans (starting at $6.50 a month) provide 100 GB of storage and a 100 GB file upload limit. A premium plan also includes, among other things, ad-free sharing, faster download speeds, SSL data encryption, a file recovery option, and direct download links.
Zippyshare is an entirely free file sharing service. With no upsell opportunity, this service doesn’t come with a nice shiny interface and is very basic in what it has to offer. That being said, if you just need to quickly upload and share some files, then it does the job.
Your files will be made public by default, but you can change this to private before uploading. After you’ve finished uploading, you’ll be given a unique connection that you can share with whomever you like. Zippyshare does not require registration, provides unlimited disk space, and does not impose any download limits. However, the maximum file size is 500 MB, and files can only be saved for 30 days if there is no operation.
6. Mediafire
Moving on to a more advanced platform, Mediafire is an easy-to-use file-sharing service with a lot to offer. Free accounts come with up to 10 GB of storage and a 4 GB file size limit. You have unlimited storage, downloads, and sharing links for your files.
Bulk file uploading, also thousands at a time, is possible with apps, and the file manager makes organization a breeze. One-time links are a useful function that allows you to send links that can only be accessed by the primary recipients, which is perfect if you’re sending confidential files.
You get 1 TB of storage and an ad-free experience with a Pro account. It also lets you insert links directly in your website, tweets, or social media messages, avoiding the need for recipients to visit the Mediafire website. Bulk downloads and direct uploading from website links are also available. The monthly fees for the Pro plans begin at $3.75.
7. Yandex desk
Yandex Disk is a picture and video storage service that allows you to store up to 10 GB of files for free. Short links can be used to share files with others. Yandex provides free access to Microsoft Office Online (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) from inside your browser, which is a bonus.
Yandex Pro costs $2 a month and comes with extra storage (ranging from 100 GB to 1 TB depending on the plan), no advertising, priority support, and a few other perks.
8. MEGA
Mega is a secure cloud storage service that also helps you to share data, but not as easily as other services. It does have a reasonable amount of free storage, which is currently 10 GB per plan, although this seems to change on a regular basis.
MEGA was once a very appealing choice because it provided users with 50 GB of free storage. However, it changed its model slightly in 2018, and now only provides the space to users who pay a licensing fee or complete tasks like inviting other MEGA users.
9. Sync
Sync places a significant emphasis on privacy and protection. End-to-end encryption, password authentication, expiration dates, and permissions are all included. All uploaded files are synced, as the name implies, so you can access modified files in real-time from anywhere on any computer. Sync is known for its excellent in-house support, which is particularly beneficial to new users.
Sync’s free version includes 5 GB of storage and simple sharing capabilities. Individual plans start at $49 per year for 500 GB of storage and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plans for businesses begin at $8 per month for 2 TB of storage.
Jumpshare is unique among the apps on this list in that it is mainly focused on providing a forum for creatives to share their work. It lets users access over 200 different file types, including images, huge papers, and presentations.
People who need to work on visual and audio projects will benefit from this service. Capturing and annotating screenshots, documenting your screen with audio, and real-time commenting on files are just a few of the benefits. Slack, Trello, and Asana are only a few of the applications Jumpshare interacts with.
2 GB of data, a 250 MB upload size max, and 30 seconds of screen recording are included in the free plans. The lowest tier paid plan (Plus) starts at $8.25 per month and includes 1 TB of storage, a 20 GB file upload limit, and unrestricted screen recording, among other things.
11. PixelDrain
PixelDrain is a totally free service that allows you to share files easily. You can upload files up to 5 GB in size and get a shareable connection right away. Uploads are stored for up to 60 days since the last time they were displayed.
The platform is currently run by a single individual, and although it is free to access, donations are welcome and appreciated. This isn’t the safest way to share information, but it’s fast and easy. You do not need to create an account, and your files are saved locally in your web browser.
12. Ge.tt
In concept, Ge.tt is similar to PixelDrain. It has a very user-friendly GUI that makes it quick to get started with. Simply start dragging and dropping files onto the homepage, and you can share them without even having to create an account. To begin storing files, you must first sign up, and Ge.tt offers up to 2 GB of free storage.
Starting at $1.99 a month, you can get 50 GB of storage, a 1 GB upload size limit, and a 500 GB regular download limit with a premium account. Starting at $3.99 a month, the Premium Plus package offers 1 TB of storage.
This is a good choice for storing and sharing a limited number of files, but it lacks the bells and whistles of many of the other options on this list.
File Sharing Tips
Although it can be useful to share work files with coworkers and entertaining to share photos, videos, and other files with friends, file sharing is not without danger. Before you go nuts with sharing, keep the following in mind:
Copyright laws: There are likely stringent laws governing the distribution of copyrighted works, depending on what you’re sharing and where you live. Make sure you have permission to share or download a file before doing so, or you could end up in legal trouble.
Malware: It can be distributed anywhere files can be uploaded and downloaded publicly, making it easy for cybercriminals to spread malware. Make sure the file you’re downloading is from a reputable source.
Public vs. private sharing: Certain file-sharing services allow you to share files either publicly or privately. Before sharing, make sure you know what settings you’ve reviewed, particularly if the files are sensitive. Other safeguards, such as one-time connections, password authentication, and expiry dates, should also be included.
Encryption: Several file-sharing platforms have end-to-end encryption, but if yours doesn’t or you want an extra layer of protection, you can encrypt your confidential files before uploading them to the cloud. The contents of the file can only be seen by anyone who has the decryption key.
