Built to hold less
Most file transfer services are built around the same idea: keep as much as possible, for as long as possible. Bigger storage limits. Longer retention windows. More servers running around the clock to hold files that, most of the time, get downloaded once and never looked at again.
Shako works the other way.
Send it. Use it. Let it go.
Built lean, so pricing can stay fair
Every part of Shako exists to keep running costs low and to give you the controls other transfer services keep for themselves.
Pricing you can read in one line
Credits are based on the number of days your files are kept. Free: 15 credits a month, or extra credits at 45p each in bundles of 5. Plus: £60 a year with 75 monthly credits at 20p for top-ups.
Your storage, your call
Clear a transfer early and a slice comes back as credit — five fast clears earn a whole credit back, on top of the day-based cost.
Expiry set by you
Choose 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days, 10 days, 15 days, 30 days at upload — each day costs 1 credit. Default is 1 day, and the countdown is shown to both sender and recipient.
No code-in-your-inbox ritual
Sending is tied to your verified Shako account, so we never make you paste a one-time code before a transfer goes out.
Referrals that pay both ways
Your referral link rides along with every transfer. When a recipient joins, you both get bonus credits — 5 on Free, up to 20 on Pro.
Recipients get a real preview
Single PDFs, JPEGs and PNGs preview inline before download. Multiple files arrive as one clean zip.
Every transfer on Shako has a retention window you choose — and the sooner you delete it, the more credit you earn back towards your next one. Delete within a day, and you get the most back. Wait a week, and there's nothing left to earn. It's a simple trade: less sitting around in storage, more reward for you.
It's not a limit dressed up as a feature. It's how we keep the service fast, keep costs down, and keep our footprint lighter than it needs to be — without cutting corners on what actually matters, like file size or reliability.
0.2 credits
Cleared within 24h
Gone inside a day — 0.2 credit back. Five fast clears earn a full credit.
0.1 credits
Cleared within 48h
Gone inside two days — 0.1 of a transfer back.
0.05 credits
Cleared within 5 days
Gone inside five days — 0.05 of a transfer back.
What this actually means for you:
- Delete early, earn credits — automatically, no catch
- Shorter default retention, with longer windows available when you actually need them
- A service that's engineered to run lean, not to hoard your files indefinitely
Held less, and held safely
Holding your files for the shortest sensible time is the point — while they're here, this is how they're looked after.
Encrypted in transit and at rest
Every upload and download runs over HTTPS, and the stored files are encrypted on disk by the storage provider.
Every file is virus-scanned
Uploads are scanned for malware before a download link goes live. Anything that fails the scan never reaches a recipient.
Links can't be guessed
Each transfer gets a random address, and the actual file download runs on a short-lived signed link that expires on its own.
Deletion really deletes
When a transfer expires, or you clear it early, the files are removed from storage — not just hidden. Deleted transfers keep a 30-minute window in case you change your mind, then they're gone.
Optional password on the download
Tick the box when you send and the files go out as one password-protected zip. The password never travels with the link, and Shako can't read it.
No ads, no data selling
Shako makes money from credits, not from you. Your files and contacts aren't mined, profiled or passed to advertisers.
Most transfer services want you to forget your files are even there. We'd rather you didn't have to.