Open Source ShareFile Alternative

ShareFile charges $18.15 per user per month, with a minimum of three users—that’s $54.45 a month before your first client joins. If you need an open source ShareFile alternative where clients never pay and the code stays yours to keep, ProjectSend Cloud is the official hosted version of ProjectSend (GPLv2). Self-host the same software free forever, or pay the team that builds it to run it for you.

What Does ‘Open Source’ Mean for a File-Sharing Tool?

Open source means the code is public and free to use. For a file-sharing tool, that matters practically: no lock-in. If the company changes pricing, shuts down, or gets acquired, you have the code and can run the software yourself—no migration project, no data held hostage, no negotiation.

ProjectSend’s source code is on GitHub—with 4.8M+ Docker downloads, 4,000+ active self-hosted instances, and 2,000+ stars—licensed under GPLv2 + CLA. It’s the same license used by Linux and WordPress. The CLA (Contributor License Agreement) lets the team release ProjectSend Cloud as a commercial hosted service using the same codebase. For what that looks like in practice, see what an open source client portal actually means.

• You can self-host it. Download the code, run it on your own server, pay nothing forever. The community edition is fully functional—not a stripped-down trial.
• You can leave with everything. If you outgrow ProjectSend Cloud, export your files and move to a self-hosted install of the same software. The code is open. So is your exit.
• The team maintaining the open source is the team running the cloud. Bug fixes and improvements flow in both directions. That’s by design.

ShareFile is a Citrix product with no open source component. When you sign up, you’re on their infrastructure, their pricing, and their timeline—there’s no self-hosted fallback. For a head-to-head look at how the cloud and open source versions of ProjectSend relate, see ProjectSend Cloud vs. the open source project.

How Do the Pricing Models Compare?

The key difference isn’t a feature—it’s the pricing unit. ShareFile charges per internal user (seat). ProjectSend Cloud charges per active client account. If your firm has more clients than staff—which is almost every professional services firm—the per-active-client model is structurally cheaper.

Here’s the math for a typical scenario: a 3-person firm with 30 active clients (as of November 2026, sharefile.com/plans).

• ShareFile Advanced, 3 users: $18.15 × 3 = $54.45/month minimum. Clients share your storage, but every person on your staff is a billable seat.
• ProjectSend Cloud Pro: $19/month for up to 25 active client accounts, 3 staff seats, and 100 GB. Beyond 25 clients: $0.40 per active client account. Beyond 3 seats: $4 per seat.
• At 30 clients: ProjectSend Cloud Pro = $19 + (5 × $0.40) = $21/month. ShareFile: $54.45/month minimum.

The gap grows with client count, not headcount. A solo consultant with 40 active clients pays $19 + (15 × $0.40) = $25/month on Pro. For a full side-by-side including SmartVault and Clinked, see the plans page.

What Do You Get with ProjectSend Cloud?

ProjectSend Cloud is built for one job: delivering files to clients under your brand, with a log of every access. It is not a document collaboration tool or a Dropbox replacement. It does that job well for any professional services firm that sends or receives sensitive documents every week.

• Your own portal with your logo and colors. Clients log in to a space that looks like it belongs to your firm, not to a file-sharing service. Custom domain is coming soon.
• Per-client isolation. Each client sees only their files. Revoke access when an engagement ends, with one click.
• Full audit trail. Every download is logged—who opened which file, when. Exportable to CSV on Business.
• Resumable uploads up to 5 GB+. Large files arrive without bounced email attachments or WeTransfer links that expire in seven days.
• 2FA. Optional for all plans, enforceable for every user on Business (via OIDC SSO).
• AI assistant connector (MCP). Connect Claude, ChatGPT, or another AI assistant to your account to upload and share files without switching tabs. Every action the assistant takes is marked in the audit log. See how to connect your AI assistant.
• Dedicated database per tenant. Pro and Business each get their own database—not shared infrastructure.

Two features are on the roadmap but not yet live: custom domain with your own URL and full white-label for your login page. Both are marked “(coming soon)” on the site. Your logo and colors on the portal are live today on Pro.

What Do You Give Up?

ProjectSend is built for file delivery, not enterprise document workflows. If your firm needs e-signature, automated reminders, or compliance certifications as a contract requirement, read this section carefully before committing.

• E-signature. No DocuSign or Adobe Sign integration. ProjectSend delivers documents; it does not sign them. If getting client signatures on files is a core workflow, this is a dealbreaker.
• Automated file requests. You cannot send clients an automated “please upload X” reminder. Clients upload to their portal space, but the request-and-reminder loop is not automated.
• Document editing. No in-browser editing. Files are delivered, not collaborated on in real time.
• Compliance certifications. No SOC 2, no HIPAA, no BAA. ProjectSend Cloud uses encryption in transit and at rest, 2FA, and a full audit trail—but holds no certifications. For accounting and tax preparers, the FTC Safeguards Rule sets specific data-security standards; review it at ftc.gov before choosing any vendor. The AICPA cybersecurity resources offer additional guidance on what “reasonable security” looks like for accounting practices.

Two Ways to Start: Self-Host or Cloud

If you want the open source properties with zero recurring cost, self-hosting is the answer. If you want someone else to manage the infrastructure, ProjectSend Cloud starts free. Both run the same software—the choice is who operates it.

Self-hosting: free, permanent, full control

Download ProjectSend from projectsend.org and run it on a server you control. You manage PHP updates, backups, SSL, and email deliverability. For a practice with IT-comfortable staff, that is manageable. For one without, it usually is not. See hosted vs. self-hosted ProjectSend before committing. When you are ready to hand off operations, ProjectSend Cloud migrates you for free in under 48 hours—a self-hosted install is just one tenant.

ProjectSend Cloud: hosted, $0 to start

Free is a real plan, not a trial: a personal account on the shared ProjectSend instance, 2 GB of storage, no credit card required, no time limit. It has no branded portal and no client accounts—enough to test the software and understand the interface before committing to Pro. Pro starts at $19/month: your own portal with your logo, 25 active client accounts, 100 GB, and 3 seats.

For accounting and tax prep firms—where ShareFile is most common—ShareFile alternative for accountants covers tax season setup and document collection workflows in more detail.