Simple, honest pricing
Same-network file and live-text transfers are always free. Billable cross-network relay traffic and hosted links draw on your plan's monthly traffic allowance and storage cap. Relay traffic and uploads your own node carries don't use the traffic allowance, but files stored on it still count toward your storage cap, and downloads served through Relayium still count.
Always free
- Local network (LAN) transfers — instant, no account needed.
- The CLI's server-to-server modes — relayium serve with push or sync — go straight between your own machines and never touch Relayium's servers, so they use no allowance. The CLI's pairing-code sessions (send / receive for files, text for ephemeral text, and pair) can be metered: whenever the server issues a relay for the code, every byte goes through that encrypted relay, and it counts toward the monthly traffic allowance of the account that minted the code when the relay reports it as billable usage — the relay nodes Relayium operates do, while Relayium's coturn TURN servers can also contribute accepted usage when configured for billable accounting, subject to authentication, attribution and accounting acceptance — their legacy usage ingest is disabled, and their optional accounting ingest is off by default and, if configured in shadow mode, records measurements without writing to the billing ledger, usage periods or any allowance. That is usage accounting, not a per-transfer charge. Minting a pair, send or text code needs an account with traffic allowance left; joining one never needs an account.
- 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, and the CLI's pairing-code sessions whenever the server issues a relay, 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 when the relay that carries them reports them as billable usage, as the relay nodes Relayium operates do (its coturn TURN servers can also contribute accepted usage when configured for billable accounting, subject to authentication, attribution and accounting acceptance: their optional accounting ingest is off by default and, if configured in shadow mode, only records measurements); 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.
Carry your own traffic: 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. Bytes relayed through it and uploads stored on it stop using your monthly traffic allowance, though those files still count toward your storage cap, and every download of them is carried by Relayium and counts as usual. 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 server-to-server modes (serve with push or sync) 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 relay — in the browser, and in the CLI's pairing-code sessions whenever the server issues a relay — and hosted storage draw on allowances that every account gets, Free included: a monthly traffic allowance counting billable relayed bytes — those the relay nodes Relayium operates report; its coturn TURN servers can also contribute accepted usage when configured for billable accounting, subject to authentication, attribution and accounting acceptance: their optional accounting ingest is off by default and, if configured in shadow mode, only records measurements — 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 server-to-server modes (serve with push or sync) work. Cross-network browser transfers, and the CLI's pairing-code sessions (send / receive, text, pair) whenever the server issues a relay, 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 when that relay reports them as billable usage — the relay nodes Relayium operates do, while Relayium's coturn TURN servers can also contribute accepted usage when configured for billable accounting, subject to authentication, attribution and accounting acceptance — their legacy usage ingest is disabled, and their optional accounting ingest is off by default and, if configured in shadow mode, records measurements without writing to the billing ledger, usage periods or any allowance.
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?
Your own node can reduce metered traffic. Relayium is open source, so you can host relay and storage on hardware you control. Bytes relayed through it and uploads stored on it stop counting against your monthly traffic allowance. Files stored on it still count toward your storage cap, and downloads Relayium carries — including every download of those files — still use your allowance. Add a node 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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