TL;DR
Most "free file hosting" services delete your file after a download, after a few days, or hide ads behind a fake "direct" link. FileToUrl's free tier plays by the same rules, its links also expire, but after 30 days, much like several tools on this list. Where FileToUrl stands out is what a small upgrade unlocks: £24/year gets permanent links with no file size limit, and £48/year adds a REST API and MCP server for AI agents, something none of the free tools on this list offer at any price. That permanence lasts as long as the subscription does, cancel, and files get a 30-day grace period before reverting to free-tier expiry rules. Catbox remains the best genuinely free, permanent option if you don't need an API.
Why people go looking for a "file to URL" tool
Usually one of these:
- You need to paste a link somewhere (a form, a chat, a ticket) that only accepts URLs, not attachments.
- You're building something, a script, an app, an automation, and need a public URL back from an API call, not a UI you have to click through.
- You tried Google Drive or Dropbox sharing and hit a wall: signed-in-only access, expiring share links, or a "request access" screen instead of the file.
- You tried a free host and the link died a week later.
The right tool depends on which of these you actually have.
What to look for
- Does the link expire? Many "free" hosts delete on first download or after N days. Read the fine print, "free forever" often just means the service is free, not that your link survives.
- Is there an API? If you're automating anything, a curl-friendly upload endpoint matters more than a nice upload page.
- What's the real file size limit, and is it enforced quietly? Some limits are per-file; some are hidden behind rate limits that only bite once you're mid-project.
- Are "direct" links actually direct? Several popular free hosts redirect through an ad or landing page first, which breaks anything that expects to fetch the raw file (image tags, video players, automation tools).
The list
1. FileToUrl, best for developers and automations
FileToUrl.org converts any uploaded file into a permanent, publicly accessible URL via a simple REST API, POST a file with a bearer token, get back a stable HTTPS link. It also ships an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, so AI agents and LLM tooling can upload and retrieve files as part of a broader workflow, something none of the other tools on this list offer.
- Free tier: 49MB per file, 3 uploads/day, links expire after 30 days, no signup required
- Pro (£24/year): permanent links (while subscribed, see note below), unlimited uploads, no file size limit
- Developer (£48/year): everything in Pro, plus REST API and MCP server, 2,000 calls/month, 25GB/month
- Note: "permanent" means for the life of the subscription. If you cancel, files get a 30-day grace period, then revert to free-tier expiry rules.
- Pro and Developer also add a file management dashboard, tagging, search, and deletion, something none of the anonymous competitors on this list offer at all.
- Best for: developers and automations who need an API, via the paid Developer plan, not free
- Limitation: the free tier itself is not differentiated from competitors on permanence; you need Pro or Developer for that
2. Catbox, best minimalist option with no account
Catbox.moe is a long-running, donation-funded file host with a simple upload flow: drop a file, get a direct link, no account required.
- Free tier: 200MB per file
- Permanence: Yes, files stay up indefinitely, no forced expiry
- API: Basic upload API exists, no SDK or MCP support
- Best for: quick anonymous shares of images, audio, and video under 200MB
- Limitation: 200MB cap is restrictive for anything beyond small media files, and there's no way to programmatically manage or organize uploads at scale
3. file.io, best for one-time, self-destructing transfers
file.io is API-first and well known in the dev community, but it's built around the opposite goal of permanence: by default, files are deleted after a single download, and even paid plans only extend expiry rather than removing it.
- Free tier: 2GB max file size, 14-day expiry cap
- Permanence: No, files expire even on paid plans (up to 1 year on the highest tier)
- API: Yes, well documented
- Best for: sending a file to one person once, think "one-time secure transfer," not hosting
- Limitation: wrong tool entirely if you need the link to still work in a month
4. 0x0.st, best for terminal/CLI workflows
0x0.st is a minimal, no-frills host popular with people who live in the terminal, upload via curl, get a link back, done.
- Free tier: 512MB per file
- Permanence: No, retention is calculated by file size, ranging roughly 30 days to a year
- API: Yes, but no SDK, docs are sparse
- Best for: quick CLI uploads for personal/technical use
- Limitation: temporary by design, and the retention formula isn't always obvious upfront
5. GoFile, best for large files you'll keep re-downloading
GoFile offers generous size limits and unlimited bandwidth, but free files are deleted after 10 days of inactivity, meaning the file has to keep getting downloaded to survive.
- Free tier: Very large size limits, unlimited bandwidth
- Permanence: No, 10-day inactivity deletion
- API: Beta REST API available
- Limitation: "direct" links on GoFile actually redirect through an ad page first, which breaks tools (like curl, image embeds, or automations) expecting a true direct file URL on the first request
Comparison table
| Service | Price | Free size limit | Link expires? | API | MCP support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FileToUrl | Free / £24/yr / £48/yr | 49MB / unlimited / unlimited | Free: yes (30d), Paid: no | Developer plan only (£48/yr) | Developer plan only |
| Catbox | Free | 200MB | No | Basic | No |
| file.io | Free | 2GB | Yes (14 days) | Yes | No |
| 0x0.st | Free | 512MB | Yes (30d–1yr) | Yes | No |
| GoFile | Free | Very high | Yes (10 days inactive) | Beta | No |
Which one should you actually use?
- Building an app, bot, or automation that needs a permanent URL back from an API call, and don't mind paying £48/yr for it → FileToUrl Developer plan
- Quick anonymous share of a small image/audio/video file, no account, no automation needed → Catbox
- Sending a file to one person, one time, and you want it gone after → file.io
- You live in the terminal and don't mind the link eventually expiring → 0x0.st
- You have a huge file and don't mind keeping it "alive" by re-downloading periodically → GoFile
- Managing many uploaded files and need to search/tag/organize them → FileToUrl Pro or Developer (the only option on this list with an account dashboard at all)
Ready to try it? Upload a file or see pricing.