A Dropbox File Request alternative that encrypts files before upload
Dropbox File Request does the core job well: send a link, let someone upload without a Dropbox account. But the files land in Dropbox in a form Dropbox can read. For tax returns, IDs, and contracts, that’s a copy sitting in the clear on someone else’s servers.
ShieldFive File Request keeps the same one-link simplicity and closes that gap: each file is sealed to your keys in the client’s browser before it uploads, so the service collecting them only ever holds ciphertext.
The same link, none of the signup
Your client opens a link and drags files in against a checklist — no Dropbox account, no ShieldFive account, no app. That part works exactly as you already expect; what changes is what the server ends up holding.
Encrypted before the upload, not after it
Dropbox encrypts what it receives, with keys Dropbox holds. File Request encrypts on your client’s device first, to your public key, so a tax return exists as ciphertext from the moment it leaves their laptop. We decrypt nothing; you decrypt in your browser.
Post-quantum, on every request
Each upload is sealed with a hybrid of ML-KEM-1024 and X25519 (combined with HKDF-SHA-256) from the open-source @shieldfive/crypto core. Contracts and returns you collect today are still sealed if someone stockpiles the ciphertext for a quantum machine later.
14 days unlocked, then 1 open request free
A new firm gets 14 days with everything unlocked. After that a free account allows 1 open request at a time, links last up to 7 days and client reminders stop. No card. The Firm plan is €29 per seat per month for unlimited open requests, automatic client reminders, your logo, links up to 90 days or with no expiry, and one shared inbox when several people need it. Clients never pay and never register.
Start collecting documents securely
Create a request, share one link, and your clients upload without an account — each file sealed to your keys in their browser.
Start collecting — free14-day trial, everything unlocked · then free for 1 open request at a time · no card · clients never pay
Questions
- Do my clients need an account, like with Dropbox File Request?
- No — that part is the same. Your client opens the link and uploads with no account. The difference is that ShieldFive encrypts each file to your keys on their device first, so we store only ciphertext and never hold your keys.
- Can ShieldFive read the uploads the way Dropbox can?
- Not the way Dropbox can. Files and their names are sealed to your public key in the client’s browser (a hybrid of ML-KEM-1024 and X25519). We store only ciphertext and never hold your keys; you decrypt in your own browser when you open your inbox.
- How much does it cost?
- 14 days with everything unlocked, then free for 1 open request at a time, with links that last up to 7 days and no automatic client reminders. No card. The Firm plan is €29 per seat per month (€290 per year) for unlimited open requests, automatic client reminders, your logo and links up to 90 days or with no expiry, plus a shared inbox for teams. Clients never pay.