Simple, honest pricing
Same-network file and live-text transfers are always free. Cross-network browser relay and hosted storage draw on your plan's monthly traffic allowance, with a separate cap on how much you keep stored at once — every account gets both, and paid plans raise them. You can also stay 100% free by running your own node.
Always free
- Local network (LAN) transfers — instant, no account needed.
- Direct peer-to-peer CLI transfers — files over your own SSH, daemon-direct, or a pairing code, plus ephemeral text by pairing code — with nothing metered. Minting a send or text code needs an account; joining one never does.
- End-to-end encrypted: files have no size limit, while live text needs both ends online and leaves no message bodies or server-side history on Relayium servers — each device can still copy or keep what it receives. On direct paths, your files and messages go straight between devices — they never touch our servers.
What you pay for
- Relay bandwidth — Cross-network file or text transfers in the browser go through an encrypted relay by design rather than as a fallback, so they connect through strict firewalls and NATs. Those bytes count against the same monthly traffic allowance as hosted uploads and downloads; every account gets one, and paid plans raise it. This uses real bandwidth.
- Temporary hosted storage — Send to someone who's offline; we hold the encrypted file until they download it or it expires, then it's deleted. It occupies your storage cap while it is live, and the bytes moved count against your monthly traffic.
- Higher limits — Four separate limits rise as you move up tiers: the monthly traffic allowance, the cap on storage held live at once, the retention window, and the daily upload quota.
- No ads, no data selling — Relay bandwidth and hosted storage are our only real costs, so that's all paid plans fund. It keeps Relayium sustainable and independent.
Want 100% free? Run your own node
Bring your own node
Relayium is open source. Spin up your own relay + storage node on any machine you control — a VPS, a home server, an old laptop — with a single install command. Your transfers route through your own infrastructure, with no usage limits and nothing to pay. You bring the bandwidth; we provide the software.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes for the direct paths. Same-network file or live-text transfers and the CLI's direct modes are end-to-end encrypted and completely free — you don't even need an account to receive a file or join a text session. Files are unlimited in size; ephemeral text requires both devices online, and Relayium servers keep no message bodies or server-side history — though each device can copy or keep the text it receives. Cross-network browser relay and hosted storage draw on allowances that every account gets, Free included: a monthly traffic allowance counting relayed bytes together with hosted uploads and downloads, a separate cap on storage held live at once, a retention window, and a daily upload limit. You pay only when you need more.
What's the difference between direct and relayed transfers?
A direct transfer sends files or live text straight from one device to the other — fastest, and free; that's how same-network browser transfers and the CLI's direct modes work. Cross-network browser transfers go through an encrypted relay by design rather than as a fallback, so they connect reliably through strict firewalls and NATs — the relay only ever carries ciphertext, and the bytes it moves count against the same monthly traffic allowance as hosted uploads and downloads.
Why is there a paid tier at all?
Relay bandwidth and hosted storage cost real money. Rather than run ads or sell data, we charge for exactly those costs, so the project stays sustainable and independent. Anything that's free for us to run stays free for you.
Can I avoid paying entirely?
Yes — run your own node. Because Relayium is open source, you can host your own relay and storage on hardware you control and route every transfer through it, with no limits and no fees. Add one from your account page.
Can I change plans later?
Anytime. Upgrades apply immediately (prorated); downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period, and you can cancel a pending downgrade whenever you like — no refunds or surprise charges.
How does billing and cancellation work?
Payments are handled securely by Stripe. Cancel anytime from Manage billing; your plan stays active until the end of the paid period, then reverts to Free.
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