elevo vs Aspera
IBM Aspera moves very large files for companies that run or rent its transfer servers. elevo sends a file of any size straight between two devices, free, with nothing to set up.
Free to download and to use. No account to create.
A transfer service moves your file in two legs: first you upload it to its servers, then the other person downloads it from there. elevo connects the two devices and the file crosses once, as fast as that connection allows.
On Aspera's pay as you go plan each gigabyte costs from US$ 1.07, so a 100 GB project comes to about US$ 107. With elevo the same 100 GB cost nothing: there is no server in the middle to pay for.
Close the lid, lose the Wi-Fi, restart the computer. What has arrived stays on disk, and the transfer goes on from there by itself.
| Aspera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From US$ 1.07 per GB, or plans from US$ 22.10 a month. A 14-day trial. |
| Size limit | None set by elevo | Set by the volume your plan includes |
| Where your files go | Straight to the other device, encrypted end to end | Through Aspera transfer servers, in IBM's cloud or your own |
| How long they are kept | Nowhere but on the two devices | For as long as the plan's storage or your own server keeps them |
| What the other person needs | elevo on their device | Access to the Aspera account, or a link sent from it |
| Does your device have to stay on? | Yes, until the other side has received | No |
When a company needs managed accounts, automation, audit trails and transfers into its own storage or between data centres, that is what Aspera is for. elevo is for people: one device to another, with nothing to administer.
That depends on the connection between the two devices. What changes is the route: with elevo the file crosses once, instead of going up to a server and coming down again. When the two devices cannot reach each other directly, the encrypted traffic passes through a relay, which is slower.
You get a code that looks like a link: elevo.click followed by letters. Opened in a browser, it shows how to get elevo; pasted into elevo, it starts the transfer. The files themselves are never on a website.
Yes. The app is free to download and to use. If paid plans ever exist, nothing you already use starts charging by itself: the Terms say so.
Yes. A send code opens in elevo on their device. Opened in a browser, the code leads to this site, to download it.
Yes, while the other side is receiving. The files come from your device, so it has to be awake and online. Keep Awake looks after the awake part.
What is said here about Aspera was taken from its public pages on 7 October 2026 and may have changed since. Aspera is a trademark of its owner. elevo is not affiliated with it.