One of the founders of WeTransfer, the popular free file-sharing service used by millions worldwide, is publicly criticizing the company’s new direction. Dutch entrepreneur Nalden, who co-founded the platform in 2009, says he is deeply unhappy with changes made since Bending Spoons acquired the service last year. The Milan-based tech firm is known for buying and restructuring popular apps.
Nalden stated that Bending Spoons does not really care about people. He acknowledges their private equity strategy but notes that since he left WeTransfer in 2019, many updates have essentially been killing the product from his point of view.
After the acquisition, WeTransfer made unclear changes to how transfer links work and laid off seventy-five percent of its staff. This year, the company sparked controversy by planning to use its users’ content to train AI models, later backtracking on changes to its terms following backlash.
Soon after, Nalden says creatives began reaching out to share their frustration with WeTransfer. He realized he wanted to build an alternative that recaptured the original ethos of simplicity. That service is called Boomerang, and it allows users to transfer files without logging in.
Nalden explained that tech companies often make things unnecessarily complicated. He wanted to offer a tool entirely focused on user experience and ease of use, emphasizing the simplicity of sharing something quickly to save time. With Boomerang, you do not need to sign up or verify via email.
For casual users, the non-login experience is sufficient but has its limits. It offers one gigabyte of total storage, a one gigabyte file size limit, and a seven-day expiration. Creating a free account increases that to three gigabytes of total storage and a three gigabyte file size limit. You also get upload history, the ability to add and delete files anytime, and custom emojis for file-sharing pages.
A paid tier costing six euros and ninety-nine cents per month offers two hundred gigabytes per folder and five hundred gigabytes of total storage with a five gigabyte file size limit. It also includes custom covers for folders, password protection, file expiration up to ninety days, and unlimited user invites per folder.
Nalden says he will not offer advertising or collect unnecessary user data. He feels advertising adds complexity, and with Boomerang, he wants to collect as little information as possible. He compared it to buying a hammer; you do not want a fancy hammer, but one that just works.
Boomerang’s interface is intentionally barebones, which Nalden says is a refreshing change from design meant to impress investors. While many companies add more AI features, Nalden is using AI to build the product but will not add AI to user-facing features. Boomerang is available on the web, with a dedicated Mac app coming soon.