Flat / here.now alternative
Share files with a link to each version.
Share a document or a finished website with Flat. Each upload gets its own link, so later edits leave the files you already sent unchanged.
Upload in your browser or publish with the CLI. Start free.
Keep the copy someone already reviewed
You send a proposal on Monday and change the price on Tuesday. With Flat, Monday's link still opens the original proposal. Send the new link when you want your client to see the revision. The same applies to a website preview or a collection of files.
For work you update at one address, set up a named link. Point it to each new upload through the CLI or API. You can share that address for the latest files and use version links for earlier copies.
Flat vs here.now
Our comparison for sharing files and static websites. We checked here.now's official docs on ; each comparison links to its source.
| What you need | Flat | here.now |
|---|---|---|
| Share a specific version | Each upload gets a separate link you can send to a client. Publishing revised files leaves the earlier upload unchanged. | Updates keep the live site URL. Historical preview links are owner-only. Publish a separate site to share a separate snapshot.Source |
| Keep a latest-version link | Choose a named onflat.page address or use your domain. Point it at the new upload through the CLI or API. | Update the existing site to keep its URL. Restore a version from history to make it live again.Source |
| Publish files or folders | Upload files in your browser, or publish files and folders through the CLI or API. Agents can use the same CLI. | Publish files or folders with its agent skill, publish helper, or API. Use an API key for account-owned sites.Source |
| Open the files | Serve a static website, read a PDF, or browse several files together. Supported Office documents get reading previews with original downloads. | Serve a static website or browse a file directory. Its docs list rich single-file viewers for PDFs, images, audio, and video.Source |
| Try without an account | Browser uploads ask for your email and last one hour while signed out. Sign in before expiry to keep them online. | Anonymous sites last 24 hours. Claim the site with an account to keep it online.Source |
| Control visitor access | Share a public link or set a visitor password through the CLI or API. Password protection is included on Free. | Use public links, shared passwords, or restrictions by verified email or email domain. Team workspaces also support members-only sites.Source |
| Embed a file viewer | The generated PDF and file viewers keep Flat branding and cannot be embedded in an iframe. Link to them or use original files in your own viewer. | Public sites can be embedded in an iframe. Password-protected and other access-restricted sites refuse framing.Source |
Share a specific version
- Flat
- Each upload gets a separate link you can send to a client. Publishing revised files leaves the earlier upload unchanged.
- here.now
- Updates keep the live site URL. Historical preview links are owner-only. Publish a separate site to share a separate snapshot. Source
Keep a latest-version link
- Flat
- Choose a named
onflat.pageaddress or use your domain. Point it at the new upload through the CLI or API. - here.now
- Update the existing site to keep its URL. Restore a version from history to make it live again. Source
Publish files or folders
- Flat
- Upload files in your browser, or publish files and folders through the CLI or API. Agents can use the same CLI.
- here.now
- Publish files or folders with its agent skill, publish helper, or API. Use an API key for account-owned sites. Source
Open the files
- Flat
- Serve a static website, read a PDF, or browse several files together. Supported Office documents get reading previews with original downloads.
- here.now
- Serve a static website or browse a file directory. Its docs list rich single-file viewers for PDFs, images, audio, and video. Source
Try without an account
- Flat
- Browser uploads ask for your email and last one hour while signed out. Sign in before expiry to keep them online.
- here.now
- Anonymous sites last 24 hours. Claim the site with an account to keep it online. Source
Control visitor access
- Flat
- Share a public link or set a visitor password through the CLI or API. Password protection is included on Free.
- here.now
- Use public links, shared passwords, or restrictions by verified email or email domain. Team workspaces also support members-only sites. Source
Embed a file viewer
- Flat
- The generated PDF and file viewers keep Flat branding and cannot be embedded in an iframe. Link to them or use original files in your own viewer.
- here.now
- Public sites can be embedded in an iframe. Password-protected and other access-restricted sites refuse framing. Source
here.now gives you more free storage
If you need large uploads or a custom domain on a free account, here.now has the stronger allowance. Choose Flat when its file-sharing and version-link workflow suits the work you send.
Flat plans
Free includes 5 MiB per upload, 1 GiB of storage, and 5 GiB of monthly transfer. Signed-in uploads have no set expiry. Named onflat.page addresses are included.
Starter is €9 a month for 100 MiB per upload, 50 GiB of storage, and 1 custom domain.
here.now plans
Free includes 500 sites, 10 GB of shared storage, a 5 GB limit per site file, and one custom domain. Account-owned sites have no scheduled expiry unless you set one.
Hobby is US$4 a month for 1,000 sites, 500 GB of storage, and five custom domains. Developer is US$20 a month for unlimited sites, 2 TB of storage, and twenty custom domains.
Flat's upload limit covers all files in one upload; here.now's file limit applies to each file. Flat uses MiB and GiB; here.now publishes MB and GB. Its pricing page does not specify a bandwidth allowance.
Try it with your own files.
Upload a file or select several to share together, then open the link. Sign in within one hour to keep the upload online.
Checking your upload limits... · Public · Limits
Drop your files here
or choose files from your device.
Select filesFor HTML at the main link, name your page index.html. Use the CLI below for folders and nested assets.
Publish from your terminal or agent
Publish a file or folder
With Node.js 20 or newer, you or your agent can run this command. Replace the path with your file, or use a folder to preserve its file paths.
npx -y @getflat/cli deploy ./proposal.pdfThe CLI prints the upload's version link. Open it to check your files. Run npx -y @getflat/cli login before expiry to keep a signed-out upload.
Use one address for future updates
Sign in, then choose a named address. Publish revised files with the same domain to point that address to the new version.
npx -y @getflat/cli deploy ./site --domain project-preview-example.onflat.pageFor a website, keep index.html at the root of ./site. Each upload also has its own version link.
Before you move your files
Can I move an app that uses here.now Site Data?
The static files can move, but here.now's Site Data, proxy routes, and private Drives do not transfer to Flat. Keep those services on here.now or replace those dependencies before moving the app. Flat hosts finished files and does not run backend code.
Can I keep my here.now address?
A here.now-hosted address stays with here.now. You can connect a domain you own to Flat. Publish and check your files first, then follow the domain setup instructions.
Do people need an account to open a version link?
No. Anyone with a public Flat version link can open it while the upload is available. For a protected upload, they enter the visitor password. They can also download the original files.
Does a version link freeze everything on a web page?
It keeps the files you uploaded. A page that fetches live data or loads images from another service still depends on those sources. Include the data and assets in your export when you need a self-contained copy.
Share the version you want them to see.
Publish your files at a new link. Future uploads leave this copy unchanged.