What is a file request?

A link you send so people can add files to one folder of yours. They can upload but cannot see, open or delete anything else.

Does the sender need an account?

Not for Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or Loop. WeTransfer makes the sender confirm an email, which creates a free account if they do not have one. Google Forms makes the sender sign in to Google.

How do I create a file request link on Box?

Open the folder, create a link under File Request, add a title and instructions, and copy the link. You need a Box Business plan or higher.

How do I enable file requests in SharePoint?

Your administrator turns on file requests in Microsoft 365. You then choose a folder in OneDrive or SharePoint and press Request Files. Microsoft's support pages have the admin steps.

Is a file request free?

Dropbox, WeTransfer and Google Forms have free versions. OneDrive needs a business plan, from $64.80 a year, and Box needs a Business plan with at least 3 users. Loop is $49 once.

Do the files count against my storage?

In Dropbox and WeTransfer, yes, their pages say so. In Loop they go to your own Cloudflare storage, which is free up to 10 GB. We did not find a line on the request pages for OneDrive or Box.

Can I set a deadline?

Dropbox can on Standard and other business plans, Box has an optional link expiry date, and Loop has a closing day. WeTransfer lets you write a date in the instructions only. We found none for OneDrive.

Can I put a password on it?

Dropbox can. We found no password on OneDrive, Box or Loop requests.

Where do the prices and facts on this page come from?

From each vendor's own pages, read on 23 October 2026: Dropbox , Microsoft , Box , WeTransfer and Google's question types guide . Loop's own facts come from the app and its request page. Dropbox's price is from an archived US copy of 23 October and OneDrive's from an archived copy of Microsoft's US page of 15 October, because Microsoft's live page blocks automated readers. We could not read Box's current price because its page asks visitors to verify they are not a bot, so we do not quote one. All prices are before tax.

File Request: Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and More Compared

File Requests

A file request is a link you send so people can add files to one folder of yours. They can upload, but they cannot see, open or delete anything else. It replaces the email thread where files arrive as attachments across many messages.

Most cloud storage has one built in. The catch is different in each, so the sections below run the same five checks on every tool.

Five Things to Check

Does the sender need an account?
Where do the files land, and do they count against your storage?
Is there a limit on file size for your plan?
Does the link stop on a date?
Do files expire after they arrive?

Tools

Tool	Sender needs	Cost, one person
Loop	No account, any file	$49 once
Dropbox	No account, size by plan	Free, or $180 a year
OneDrive	No account, business plans	$64.80 a year
Box	No account, business plan	Business plan, 3 users
WeTransfer	Sender verifies their email	Free, $84, or $228
Google Drive	Sender signs in to Google	Free

These are US dollars for one person, billed yearly, before tax. WeTransfer's are from its US prices read on 23 October 2026, OneDrive's from an archived copy of Microsoft's US page dated 15 October, and Dropbox's from an archived copy of its US plans page dated 23 October. Dropbox Standard is the cheapest plan with a deadline. OneDrive is Microsoft 365 Business Basic without Teams. WeTransfer Starter is $84 a year and Ultimate is $228.

Dropbox

Anyone can send you a file, whether they have a Dropbox account or not. Files land in a folder in your Dropbox and count against your storage; if there is no room, the sender gets an error. Basic, Plus and Family accounts take files up to 2 GB, and Standard and other business plans take up to 250 GB. A deadline, with late uploads optional, is on Standard and the other business plans, not Plus or Family, and you can add a password and get an email for each upload. See Dropbox's file request help. Standard is $15 a user a month billed yearly, $180 a year.

OneDrive and SharePoint

Anyone with the link can send you a file without OneDrive, and if they are not signed in they are asked for a first and last name, which is not validated. Senders can only upload, and each file gets a prefix naming the uploader. File requests are for OneDrive for Business and SharePoint, and your administrator has to turn them on; they are not available on OneDrive for home. Microsoft's page does not mention a deadline, a password or a size limit. See Microsoft's file request guide. Microsoft 365 Business Basic without Teams is $5.40 a user a month paid yearly, $64.80 a year.

Box

No one needs a Box account to open the form and upload. You build a form with a title, instructions and extra fields, and you can require a Box login instead. Uploads go to a folder, up to 500 files at a time, and the per-file limit is set by your plan. A link expiry date is optional. File Request needs a Box Business plan or higher, with a minimum of 3 users, and we could not read Box's current price or confirm whether the cheapest Business plan includes it. See Box's file request guide.

WeTransfer

Request Files is on the free, Starter and Ultimate plans. Files land in your WeTransfer account and count toward its storage, and received files expire after 3 days on Free or Starter, extendable to 30 days on Ultimate. A deadline is only a line of text in your instructions. To upload, the sender confirms their email address with a code, and WeTransfer creates a free account for them if they do not have one. Starter is $84 a year, and Ultimate adds your own branding at $19 a month billed yearly, $228 a year. See WeTransfer's guide to requesting files, its guide for the sender and its pricing.

Google Drive

We found no file request feature in Google Drive. The built-in route is a Google Forms form with a file upload question. It is free, but Google's help says responders must sign in to a Google Account to answer it, the files go to a new folder in your Drive, and the question cannot be used in a form stored in a shared drive. See Google's guide to question types. File Request Pro is a paid add-on for Drive, from $19 a month.

Loop

Loop is a Mac app that turns a file into your own branded link, and the same app makes request links. The page a sender opens shows your logo and name. They type their name and email, drop their files and press Send, with no account.

Your own storage. Files go into your own Cloudflare account and stay until you delete them. We found no expiry on received files.
Limits you set. A total of 1, 5, 10 or 50 GB or no limit, with 10 GB by default, and up to 2,000 files a request.
A closing day. Never, or after 1, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days, or on a date you pick. The page then says the request has closed.
Specific People. Restrict senders to email addresses or whole companies.
A notification. Loop shows "Files Received" on your Mac, naming the sender and the request, while Loop is running.
Pay once. $49 for one person with a 14-day free trial.

For the full steps, signing and what Loop leaves out, see our guide to document collection.

Try Loop free for 14 days

Your own branded link, with notes on the exact second. $49 once.

Download for Mac

Limits

Loop's request is simple on purpose, and these gaps matter:

No password on a request. Dropbox has one.
No custom fields or required files. A request is a name, a note, the people, a closing day and a size.
No list of who has not sent, and no reminders to senders.
The sender's email is format-checked only, not confirmed with a code.
Notifications are on your Mac only, and Loop must be running.
Mac only on your side, and a Cloudflare account. Loop sets the project up for you, and senders use any browser.

Use Dropbox, OneDrive or Box if you want your files in the storage you already pay for, a password on the link or a form with required fields. Loop fits when you want a branded page, no storage plan to buy and a one-time price.

Cost

For one person for one year, Loop is $49, paid once. Dropbox file requests are free, or $180 a year on Standard for a deadline. OneDrive is $64.80, WeTransfer is free, $84 on Starter or $228 on Ultimate, and Google Forms is free. Box needs a Business plan with at least 3 users. The yearly prices come back every year, while Loop does not renew.

Loop's files are stored in your own Cloudflare account, free up to 10 GB, and Cloudflare bills you past that. Cloudflare may also ask for a card when you switch storage on.

Loop includes a 14-day free trial that starts on first run, and Loop asks for no payment to begin it. During the trial a small "Shared with Loop" badge shows on the pages your clients see, and it goes with a licence.

Request Wording

A good request saves a round of chasing. Name the files you need, such as "your signed contract and a photo of your ID". Say the type and size, such as "PDF, under 20 MB". Give the date you need them by.