ProjectSend

Open-source file sharing for businesses, honestly reviewed. No marketing fluff, just what you get when you deploy it yourself.

TL;DR

• What it is: Open-source (GPL-2.0) client portal for file sharing — think a white-labeled, self-hosted alternative to WeTransfer Pro or Dropbox Business, with dedicated accounts for each of your external clients [5].
• Who it’s for: Freelancers, agencies, accountants, photographers, architects, and anyone who regularly sends files to external clients and wants a branded, private portal instead of paying per seat or per transfer [5][4].
• Cost savings: WeTransfer Pro runs around $12/mo; Dropbox Essentials starts at $16–20/mo per user. ProjectSend is free software — your only cost is the server, which can be a $5–10 VPS or an existing shared hosting account you already pay for [5].
• Key strength: It runs on standard shared hosting with PHP and MySQL — no Docker, no Kubernetes, no Linux server expertise required. This is the only tool in this category that genuinely means “deploy without a sysadmin” [5][README].
• Key weakness: The UI is aging PHP-era design. No real mobile app. No folder structure — only categories. Community reviews are mixed about intuitiveness, and with 1,839 GitHub stars it’s a smaller project than Nextcloud. If you need a full cloud suite, this is the wrong tool [1].

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What is ProjectSend

ProjectSend is a self-hosted file sharing portal built specifically for the client relationship use case. You upload files, assign them to specific client accounts you create, and each client logs in to their own portal to download what you’ve shared. Clients can also upload files back to you. Everything stays on your server.

The project has been maintained since 2011 — the README says so plainly — which makes it one of the longer-running self-hosted tools in this category [README]. The latest release as of this writing is r2029, released March 2026 [5]. It’s written in PHP and MySQL, which is intentional: the target audience is people who already have shared web hosting accounts, not people who want to manage containers.

The comparison the project makes for itself in its own README is honest: “ProjectSend is a free, open source software that lets you share files with your clients, focused on ease of use and privacy.” [README] No “AI-powered” in the headline. No “platform” in the pitch. It does one thing — file sharing with external clients — and has done it for 15 years.

What makes it different from just using Dropbox shared links: client accounts with actual credentials, download tracking per client, auto-expiring file access, and a client-facing portal you can brand with your own logo. What makes it different from Nextcloud: it’s scoped entirely to the client file exchange use case, which means less setup complexity and no feature sprawl [5].

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Why people choose it

The reviews available for ProjectSend are thin — this is a project with 1,839 stars and an AlternativeTo listing with 4 reviews rated 3.8/5 [1]. It’s not a tool that generates breathless blog coverage. But the user comments that do exist paint a consistent picture.

The shared-hosting angle is real. AlternativeTo describes it plainly: “self-hosted application (you can install it easily on your own VPS or shared web hosting account)” [1]. GlowHost lists it as a one-click Softaculous install [4][2]. For non-technical founders, this is the actual barrier — not the $5/mo VPS, but the ability to deploy at all. ProjectSend is genuinely the rare self-hosted tool where “I already have a hosting account” is sufficient.

Dedicated client accounts. Unlike sending a Dropbox shared link or a WeTransfer email, ProjectSend gives each client their own login. They see only their files, can upload back, and you get download logs per client [5][4]. For agencies or accountants managing dozens of client relationships, this matters. One GlowHost user note captures it: “Your files are safe with ProjectSend. As a self-hosted application, it is installed on your own VPS or web hosting account. And when you upload your private files, they are kept in your own space.” [4]

Price tolerance is the main driver. The project doesn’t have a SaaS tier to compare against — it’s free software, full stop [5]. Reviewers who switch from WeTransfer Pro ($12/mo) or Dropbox Business ($20+/mo per user) are paying $0 for the software license and whatever they already pay for hosting. For a solo freelancer who sends large project files to ten clients, the math is obvious.

The honest negatives from reviews. One AlternativeTo reviewer was direct: “It’s easy to upload files, but the other handling is not very intuitive. You cannot create folders, only categories, which — well, can be used as folders. But moving more than one file at a time into such a category is impossible.” [1] Another flagged the missing mobile app [1]. A user in 2018 called it “easy, clean, do the job” but noted they preferred WeTransfer’s “one email and some notification” model for simpler handoffs [1]. These are useful signals: ProjectSend is a portal, not a drag-and-drop one-click experience.

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Features

Based on the README, official website, and Softaculous listing [README][5][2]:

Client management:

• Dedicated client accounts with usernames and passwords [5]
• Client groups — assign a file once and all group members see it [5][4]
• Let clients upload files back to you (bidirectional, configurable) [5][4]
• Custom fields for clients with drag-and-drop ordering [5]
• Roles manager with custom role creation and granular permissions [5]

File controls:

• Auto-expiration — set a date after which clients lose access [5][README]
• Download limits — per-user or total caps with automatic enforcement [5]
• Disk quota management per account with real-time usage tracking [5]
• Public file links for sharing without requiring a client account [README]
• File categories (the substitute for folders) [1]
• Download tracking and full activity audit log [5][4]

Security:

• AES-256-GCM server-side encryption for files at rest [5]
• Two-factor authentication — email codes and TOTP (Google Authenticator, Authy) [5]
• LDAP/Active Directory login with dynamic role management [5]
• Client-specific access controls [5]

Infrastructure:

• S3-compatible external storage support [5][README]
• Runs on PHP 8.2+ and MySQL 5.0+ — shared hosting compatible [5]
• Apache or Nginx with XSendFile/X-Accel [5]
• System auto-update with configurable stable/beta channels [5]

Customization:

• Custom branding — your logo and colors on the client portal [README]
• Multiple portal themes [README][5]
• Email templates with visual editor and dynamic variables [5]
• 70+ languages via community translations [5][README]

What it does not have: a REST API of any meaningful surface area, a mobile app, folder hierarchies (categories are the stand-in), real-time file collaboration, or any AI features. This is a file delivery tool, not a collaboration suite.

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Pricing: self-hosted vs. the alternatives

ProjectSend has no SaaS tier. The software is free under GPL-2.0. Your costs are entirely infrastructure [5].

Self-hosted ProjectSend:

• Software license: $0
• Shared hosting (if you already have one): $0 additional — Softaculous installs it as a one-click app [2]
• Entry-level VPS (Hetzner, Contabo): $4–6/mo if you want a dedicated server

What you’re replacing:

WeTransfer Pro: ~$12/mo for 1 TB storage and unlimited transfers. File links expire after 30 days, no dedicated client accounts, no download tracking per user.

Dropbox Business Essentials: ~$16–20/mo per user. Full cloud sync, good mobile apps, version history. But per-seat pricing means a 5-person agency pays $80–100/mo before sharing a single file with an external client.

Google Drive (Workspace): $6–18/mo per user. Strong collaboration, but external sharing is awkward for client portals — no dedicated logins for clients, no branded experience.

The math for a freelancer or small agency:

If you have 10 active clients and you’re sending project files monthly, you might be spending $12–20/mo on WeTransfer Pro or a Dropbox Business seat. ProjectSend on existing shared hosting costs you an afternoon of setup and $0/mo ongoing. Over 12 months: $144–240 saved for a single user. For a 5-person agency each with Dropbox: roughly $1,000–1,200/year gone.

The ceiling on savings isn’t dramatic — ProjectSend replaces tools in the $12–50/mo range, not $200/mo Zapier-tier bills. But for freelancers and small shops where every recurring subscription is scrutinized, it’s a legitimate cut.

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Deployment reality check

This is the section where ProjectSend genuinely stands apart from most self-hosted tools.

Shared hosting path (no server experience required):

• Softaculous auto-installer available at most hosts — GlowHost, and hundreds of cPanel hosts list it [2][4]
• You need PHP 8.2+, MySQL 5.0+, and the standard modules (pdo, mbstring, xml, gettext, fileinfo, gd2, zip)
• Upload the release zip, open the installer URL, follow the wizard [5]
• Realistic time: 30–60 minutes for someone who has never touched a server

VPS path:

• PHP + Apache/Nginx + MySQL — standard LAMP stack
• No Docker required (though community Docker images exist)
• XSendFile (Apache) or X-Accel (Nginx) for efficient file serving — this is a configuration step most guides miss
• Realistic time: 1–2 hours including domain setup and HTTPS certificate

What can go wrong:

• The XSendFile/X-Accel configuration is not obvious and is required for serving files correctly — skip it and file downloads will work but with worse performance under load
• SMTP configuration is required for email notifications and client invitations — if your host blocks outbound SMTP (common on cheap shared hosting), you’ll need an SMTP relay like Mailgun or SendGrid
• The S3 storage integration requires AWS credentials setup outside the app
• LDAP/AD integration is listed as a feature but the documentation depth for enterprise setups is limited compared to tools like Nextcloud

What the reviews flag: The AlternativeTo comments don’t mention installation pain — the shared hosting path is apparently smooth enough that nobody complained about it [1]. The Softaculous listing has 189 votes and 10 reviews, which suggests real adoption on shared hosting accounts rather than just edge cases [2].

The honest caveat: ProjectSend’s UI is PHP-era design — functional but not modern. If you’re used to Dropbox’s polish or WeTransfer’s one-page simplicity, the admin interface will feel dated. The client portal themes help, but the admin side is utilitarian. One reviewer called the overall handling “not very intuitive” specifically around multi-file operations [1].

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Runs on shared hosting. This is genuinely rare. Every other self-hosted tool in this category requires at minimum a VPS with root access. ProjectSend installs via Softaculous on a $5/mo shared account [2][4][5].
• Dedicated client portals with real logins. Your clients get accounts, not expiring links. Download tracking per client, bidirectional file exchange, group assignments — this is the actual use case WeTransfer and Dropbox links don’t solve [5][4].
• GPL-2.0 license. Fully open source, no commercial licensing required for any feature [README].
• AES-256-GCM encryption at rest. Stronger than what most SaaS file-sharing tools offer by default, and it runs on your hardware [5].
• Auto-expiration and download limits. Granular controls that WeTransfer only offers on paid tiers and Dropbox doesn’t offer at all [5][README].
• LDAP/AD integration. Enterprise authentication without an enterprise price tag [5].
• Maintained since 2011. Fifteen years of commits means it’s not going to be abandoned next quarter [README].
• 70+ languages. Community-translated, continuously updated [5].

Cons

• No folder hierarchy — only categories, and moving multiple files into a category requires doing it one at a time [1]. This is a real usability gap.
• No mobile app [1]. Clients access the portal through a browser on mobile, not a native app.
• Aging admin UI. Functional but not polished. If your clients are used to Dropbox or Google Drive, the client portal (with themes) is acceptable; the admin side is not pretty [1].
• Small community. 1,839 GitHub stars, 4 reviews on AlternativeTo, 3.8/5 [1][README]. This is not a project with a large support ecosystem. If you hit an obscure bug, you may be on your own.
• No REST API to speak of. You can’t programmatically trigger uploads or pull download stats from an external tool.
• Not a collaboration suite. No document editing, no comments, no real-time anything. It delivers files. That’s it.
• SMTP dependency. Email notifications are core to the workflow (clients are notified when files are ready), and email setup can fail silently on restrictive shared hosts [5].

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Who should use this / who shouldn’t

Use ProjectSend if:

• You’re a freelancer or small agency (photographer, accountant, architect, designer) who regularly sends deliverables to clients and wants a branded portal instead of expiring WeTransfer links.
• You already have a shared hosting account with cPanel — setup is a one-click Softaculous install.
• You want clients to have their own login and see only their files, not a shared link that expires.
• You want bidirectional file exchange — clients sending you files back, not just downloading.
• Data stays on your server is a legal or contractual requirement (legal clients, medical, financial).

Skip it (use Nextcloud instead) if:

• You need document collaboration, calendars, contacts, and a full cloud suite — not just file delivery.
• You have a technical team that can manage a more complex deployment.
• You need a strong mobile app for clients.
• You want a larger community and more active development ecosystem.

Skip it (stay on WeTransfer or Dropbox) if:

• Your clients are non-technical and a branded login portal is more friction than a simple email link.
• You send files ad-hoc to many different people rather than maintaining ongoing client relationships.
• You’ve never set up a website and don’t have hosting.
• The $12/mo WeTransfer Pro bill is fine — setup time isn’t worth optimizing away.

Skip it (use a purpose-built tool) if:

• You need document signing (Docusign territory), not just file delivery.
• You need version control or asset management for large media files (Filebase, Pimcore).

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Alternatives worth considering

• Nextcloud — the full-stack comparison. Self-hosted, AGPL, much larger community (25,000+ stars), Docker or VM deployment, full collaboration suite. Significantly more complex to set up and maintain. Doesn’t run on shared hosting. Correct choice if you need more than file delivery [5][README].
• WeTransfer Pro — the SaaS you’re probably replacing. Simple, polished, no client accounts, links expire. ~$12/mo. Right choice if setup friction isn’t worth eliminating.
• Dropbox Business / Essentials — full sync client, good mobile, per-seat pricing. Right choice if your team also needs cloud sync, not just client delivery.
• Seafile — self-hosted, MIT for community edition, faster sync protocol, more modern UI. Closer competitor to Nextcloud than ProjectSend. Requires more than shared hosting.
• FileBrowser — minimal self-hosted file browser, good for internal use but no client accounts or client portal concept.
• Pydio Cells — enterprise-grade self-hosted file sharing with proper API, more complex deployment, community edition has feature limits.

For a freelancer escaping WeTransfer bills with existing shared hosting, the realistic choice is ProjectSend vs. nothing — no other self-hosted tool in this category runs on a standard cPanel account without root access.

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Bottom line

ProjectSend occupies a very specific niche: self-hosted client file delivery for people who don’t have (or don’t want) a dedicated server. The shared hosting compatibility is its real differentiator — every other self-hosted file tool requires root access and container knowledge. If you have a cPanel hosting account and 45 minutes, you can have branded client portals with dedicated logins, download tracking, and AES-256 encryption at rest, for the price of nothing.

The trade-offs are real: the UI is dated, there are no folders (only categories), no mobile app, and a small community. It’s not the tool for teams that want Dropbox-level polish or Nextcloud-level feature breadth. But for the solo accountant, the freelance photographer, or the small agency that’s tired of sending expiring WeTransfer links to clients they see every month — this is a legitimate, maintained, 15-year-old tool that solves the problem cleanly and costs nothing.

If the deployment is the blocker, that’s exactly what upready.dev handles for clients. One-time setup, you own the infrastructure, the recurring SaaS bill disappears.

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Sources

1. AlternativeTo — ProjectSend listing (4 reviews, 3.8/5 rating, 1,865 GitHub stars listed). https://alternativeto.net/software/projectsend/about/
2. Softaculous — ProjectSend app listing (version r2029, 189 votes, 10 reviews). http://www.softaculous.com/apps/files/ProjectSend
3. Softaculous News — “Updated ProjectSend to r2002” (release update post). https://www.softaculous.com/news/scripts/updated-projectsend-to-r2002-38600.html
4. GlowHost — ProjectSend hosting page (feature descriptions, hosting tiers). https://apps.glowhost.com/files/projectsend/
5. ProjectSend official website — landing page, feature list, comparison table, system requirements (r2029, March 2026). https://www.projectsend.org/landing/

Primary sources:

• GitHub repository and README: https://github.com/projectsend/projectsend (1,839 stars, GPL-2.0 license, maintained since 2011)
• Official website: https://www.projectsend.org
• Documentation: https://docs.projectsend.org
• Live demo: https://www.projectsend.org/demo/