What is Pairchute?
Pairchute is a single web page that opens a direct, encrypted WebRTC connection between two browsers. Files stream from one disk to the other. There are no middlemen, no cloud copy, and no account — because there is no server that could hold any of it.
- Cost
- $0, forever
- No servers means nothing to pay for.
- Path
- browser → browser
- Encrypted end-to-end. Nothing in the middle.
- Size limit
- none by design
- Streams to disk — bounded by your drive, not your RAM.
How do you send a file with Pairchute?
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Create an invite. One computer clicks “Create invite” and gets a link. It contains connection details and keys — never file data.
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Exchange it once. Send the link over a private channel you already trust — it carries your connection keys, so treat it like a password and avoid public posts or forwarded e-mail. The other side just clicks it and sends one reply back.
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Drag files in. The direct pipe opens and files stream disk-to-disk until done.
Built for very large transfers
No size limit
Receives stream straight to disk, so memory never fills — size is bounded by your drive, not your RAM.
One clean pass
Each byte is written to disk exactly once — no temp copies, no re-packing, no minutes-long "saving" stalls on huge files.
Verified end to end
Every block is hash-checked; the whole file is verified against a Merkle root before it counts as received.
Nothing left behind
No account, no stored peers, no transfer history. Close the tab and the only trace is the file you saved.
Parallel lanes
Transfers stripe across multiple encrypted connections at once, squeezing full speed out of lossy links where a single browser connection crawls.
Honest failure
If a direct path can't be opened, Pairchute says so plainly — it never silently routes through anything.
Privacy
Most tools promise not to look at your files. Pairchute can't look: there is no server, no analytics, and no account. The page loads only its own static files; the sole outside request is one STUN lookup (a public server that reports your network's public address so the two browsers can find each other — it never sees your files). The connection is end-to-end encrypted with keys generated on your devices. Because the invite carries those keys, keep it private — send it over a channel you trust, not a public post or forwarded e-mail. This is verifiable in your browser's network tab, not a policy you have to trust.
Honest limits
A transfer runs in one sitting. There is no server and no saved progress — both tabs stay open until the file lands. If the connection drops, the partial file is discarded and the transfer restarts from zero.
Some networks refuse direct connections. Strict corporate or carrier NATs can block WebRTC. Pairchute has no relay fallback on purpose — it tells you instead of quietly routing through a server.
Very large receives need disk streaming. That uses the File System Access API — on in Chrome and Edge, off by default in Brave (enable brave://flags → "File System Access API", restart), absent in Firefox/Safari. Without it, receives are limited to what fits in memory (512 MB).
The invite exchange is manual. One link out, one reply back per connection is the price of having no signaling server — and of leaving no stored identities behind.
Speed: transfers stripe across parallel encrypted connections, so lossy links still run near line rate. On a LAN the disks set the pace; across the internet the ceiling is the slower side's bandwidth.
Technology
Built on three open web standards: WebRTC data channels for the direct pipe, Web Crypto for keys and end-to-end encryption, and the File System Access API for disk-streaming receives.
Product information reviewed .
FAQ
Is it really free? What's the catch?
Free, no catch. A static page with no servers costs almost nothing to host. If it saves you time, there's a Bitcoin tip jar in the corner.
Where do my files actually go?
Straight from one computer to the other over an encrypted WebRTC channel. They are never uploaded anywhere, not even temporarily.
What's the real size limit?
Your disk. Receives stream to disk with the File System Access API (Chrome and Edge out of the box; Brave after enabling its "File System Access API" flag), so transfer size is bounded by your drive, not your memory. Browsers without it are limited to what fits in memory.
What happens if the connection drops mid-transfer?
The transfer fails and the partial file is discarded — Pairchute keeps no progress on disk, by design. Exchange a fresh invite and send the file again; each attempt writes every byte to disk exactly once.
Do both computers have to be online at the same time?
Yes — that's what "no server" means. There is nowhere for the file to wait. Both tabs open, transfer runs, done.
Is the invite sensitive? How should I send it?
Treat it like a password. The invite link carries the connection keys, so send it over a private channel you trust — a chat app, or in person. Avoid public posts and forwarded e-mail. It also expires after one hour, and files never travel inside it. The link is read entirely inside the recipient's browser — the part after # is never sent to any server.
What can pairchute.com see about me?
A request for a static page — the same as any website. No analytics, no cookies, no account, and invites never touch the site. Your files and metadata stay between the two computers.