Why OneShare Doesn't Have a Subscription

The question we got asked most during development

“So how much is the subscription?”

There isn't one.

The follow-up question is always some version of: “Why not? Isn't a subscription better for a business?” It is better for a business — in the short term. It's not always better for the customer.

The usage pattern problem

Most file transfer subscription services are priced for regular, frequent use. They assume you're sending dozens of deliverables per month, month after month. Some people are. Many aren't.

Think about how a freelance designer actually sends files:

• During an active project: 3–5 deliveries a month, sometimes more
• Between projects: maybe one or two follow-ups
• During slow periods: nothing for weeks

A monthly subscription charges the same in December when you're on holiday as it does in May when you're fully booked. That's €23 for zero transfers. Multiply that by 3–4 slow months per year and you've paid over €90 for nothing.

The math on “occasional” use

If you use WeTransfer Pro for 12 months, you pay €276. If you only actually needed it for 8 of those months, you paid €69 for unused capacity.

OneShare's Creator pack is €14.99 for 500 GB valid for 1 year. If you use 300 GB across 8 months of active work, you paid €14.99 total. The remaining 200 GB is still there if you need it.

That's not a subscription optimization problem. That's a fundamentally different pricing model.

What volume-based pricing requires from us

Volume pricing puts pressure on the product to be worth buying on demand. There's no automatic renewal to generate revenue. If the product isn't good enough that users want to buy another pack when they run out, we don't have a business.

That's the incentive structure we want. It aligns us with users: we succeed when the product is genuinely useful, not when users forget to cancel.

The objection: “But I'd rather pay less monthly and not think about it”

This is a real preference and we respect it. Some people value predictability over total cost. For those users, a subscription tool might genuinely be the better choice.

What we'd say is: calculate what you actually spend on an annual basis with the subscription. Then calculate what you'd spend buying volume packs for the months you actually need them. For most independent creators, the volume model is significantly cheaper even when accounting for convenience.

One more thing

Volume packs don't expire in 30 days. When you buy a Creator pack, you have 500 GB valid for 1 year. You can use 400 GB in May and 100 GB in November. The pricing model should match how creative work actually happens — in bursts, not at a steady monthly metered rate.

That's why we built it this way.