Clipcroft vs Wormhole

Wormhole.app (by Socket, from WebTorrent creator Feross Aboukhadijeh) is a polished file-sharing tool with strong end-to-end encryption and a 24-hour file expiry. It's built around the "share a file with someone via a link" use case. Clipcroft is built around a different use case: ongoing real-time clipboard sync between your own devices.

Wormhole vs Clipcroft

Note: third-party feature details change over time. The numbers above reflect what was publicly documented at the time of writing.

Where Wormhole wins

• Async transfer to an offline receiver. Wormhole stores the encrypted blob on its servers for up to 24 hours, so the recipient doesn't need to be online during the upload. This is a real UX advantage for "send a file to a stranger who'll grab it later" — but it's a trade-off, not a free win: it requires trusting Wormhole's infrastructure, key management, and operational security with your encrypted blob, even if briefly. Clipcroft's design rejects that trade-off — files travel browser-to-browser and are never stored on our servers. The cost is that both devices must be online during the transfer.
• Polished UX for share-a-link-with-someone-else flow. Wormhole is purpose-built for "send to a friend via link"; the URL is short, includes the decryption key, and works without registering anything.
• Application-level E2E encryption by default. Wormhole encrypts files in the browser using a key embedded in the share link's URL fragment, which never reaches their servers — the server holds only ciphertext, with nothing to configure.

Where Clipcroft wins

• Multi-file transfer queue with per-file control. Drop any number of files; each one shows live status (Queued, Preparing, Connecting, Sending, Retrying, Sent, Failed, or Canceled). Cancel any single file without disturbing the rest of the queue. Retry a failed file without re-selecting it. Wormhole's model is a single all-or-nothing transfer per share link.
• No per-file or per-day size cap. Wormhole caps each free transfer at around 10 GB; Clipcroft has no per-file cap. For repeat heavy use (sending many large files in one sitting), Clipcroft is the unlimited option — free and ad-supported.
• Persistent clipboard history. Clipcroft keeps thousands of items per clipboard, automatically organised into Texts, Links and Files sections, with bulk operations (download all, share all, ZIP all) per category. Wormhole is one-shot — once the link is opened or expires, it's gone.
• Real-time clipboard sync. Paste text on one device and it appears on every other connected device. Wormhole is one-shot file shares only.
• Multi-device live sync. Up to 20 devices on the same clipboard, with deletions synced live. Wormhole is pairwise (sender → recipient via link).
• AutoForget idle auto-lock on protected clipboards. Set an idle window from 1 minute to 1 hour; if an unlocked clipboard is left idle, Clipcroft drops the AES key and re-prompts on next interaction. Active transfers defer the lock so you don't lose work mid-upload, and the window restarts when the transfer drains. Wormhole is share-link only — there's no session to lock.
• Multiple clipboards per device. Keep separate clipboards in the same browser, each with its own history, password, retention, and device list. No account, no profile system. Wormhole is one share link per file.
• Items stay around for 7 days in your own device, not 24 hours on an external server. They live in your browser even after the transfer completes — refreshing the tab doesn't lose them, and you can come back to the same clipboard days later without re-adding anything.
• Auto-resume on disconnect. If the network drops mid-transfer, it picks up where it stopped. Wormhole's server-relay model means re-uploading from the start if the upload didn't finish.

Use-case recommendations

Use Wormhole when: you're sending a single large encrypted file to another person, the recipient will download it within 24 hours, and you don't need ongoing sync.

Use Clipcroft when: you're sharing clipboard contents (text, links and files) between your own devices, you need cross-network access without any pairing setup, you want multi-device live updates with transfers that resume on disconnect, you want items to persist locally for a few days, or you want optional E2E encryption for your clipboard.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wormhole really end-to-end encrypted?

Yes. Wormhole encrypts files in the browser before upload using a key embedded in the share link's URL fragment, which never reaches their servers. The files on their servers are ciphertext until the recipient opens the link. Clipcroft's file transfers are always encrypted in transit via WebRTC — the channel between browsers is end-to-end encrypted even through relay servers. An optional clipboard password adds a second layer: when set, items are encrypted locally before transmission and storage.

Why do Wormhole files expire after 24 hours?

Wormhole's design treats every transfer as ephemeral — the server holds the encrypted blob for at most 24 hours and then deletes it. Clipcroft items live in the sender's and receiver's browsers (not on a server) for 7 days by default, configurable in Settings.

Does Wormhole have clipboard text sync?

No. Wormhole is built around discrete file transfers — pick a file, get a share link, send the link. Clipcroft is a continuously synced clipboard: text, links and files appear on every connected device in real time.

Which has a bigger free limit?

Different shapes of free. Wormhole's free tier caps each transfer at around 10 GB; transfers expire after 24 hours or 100 downloads. Clipcroft has no per-file cap and no per-day or per-month cap — the service is free and ad-supported. For repeat heavy use, Clipcroft is the unlimited option; for a single one-shot ~10 GB encrypted send to someone else who'll grab it within a day, Wormhole's UX is the simpler path.

Which one should I use?

Wormhole is better for sending a single very large encrypted file to someone who will download it within 24 hours. Clipcroft is better for sharing clipboard contents (text, links and files) between your own devices — cross-network without any pairing setup, with multi-device live updates, transfers that resume on disconnect, and items that persist locally for a few days.