Flat / ShipStatic alternative
Give people one link to browse your files.
Share documents and supporting files at one address. Flat gives visitors a file browser with previews for supported formats and original downloads. You can publish finished websites through the same upload flow.
Upload in your browser or publish with the CLI. Start free.
Choose by what your visitors need to open
Documents to share together
Upload a proposal and its supporting files to Flat. Visitors can move between documents at one link, read supported formats, and download the originals. You do not need to build a page that lists the files.
Flat provides PDF reading, spreadsheet previews, and previews for supported Office documents. If a file cannot be previewed, visitors can still download it.
A website with app-style navigation
ShipStatic is worth keeping if your site relies on automatic single-page app routing or rules in ship.json. Its web console can also build a frontend project from source. Flat expects the finished files.
Both services give each upload its own version link and let you switch a named address to a new version.
Flat vs ShipStatic
We checked ShipStatic's official docs and pricing on . Each comparison below links to its source.
| What you need | Flat | ShipStatic |
|---|---|---|
| Publish your files | Publish finished website files, or share documents in a generated file browser. Supported files get reading previews and original downloads. | Upload files or a folder to create a static site. Its web console can also build a frontend project from source before publishing.Source |
| Keep version links | Each upload has a separate link. Point a named address or your own domain to a new upload when you want one link for the latest copy. | Each deployment is a fixed snapshot with its own URL. Point a platform address or custom domain to a different snapshot to update or roll back.Source |
| Change a password | Set, replace, or remove a visitor password through the CLI or API without uploading the files again. The link stays the same. | Set a password when you publish. Changing or removing it requires a new deployment.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. | Publish without an account or API key. Anonymous deployments last three days. Use the returned claim link to keep a deployment in your account.Source |
| Publish with an agent | Your agent can publish local files or folders with the CLI. Use the REST API for your own integrations. | Use its CLI, hosted MCP server, SDK, or REST API. It also documents editor extensions, a GitHub Action, and n8n integration.Source |
| Configure website routes | Serves finished static files, directory indexes, clean HTML URLs, and a custom 404.html. No automatic single-page app fallback. | Detects single-page apps and configures routing fallbacks. Use ship.json for redirects, rewrites, and response headers.Source |
Publish your files
- Flat
- Publish finished website files, or share documents in a generated file browser. Supported files get reading previews and original downloads.
- ShipStatic
- Upload files or a folder to create a static site. Its web console can also build a frontend project from source before publishing. Source
Keep version links
- Flat
- Each upload has a separate link. Point a named address or your own domain to a new upload when you want one link for the latest copy.
- ShipStatic
- Each deployment is a fixed snapshot with its own URL. Point a platform address or custom domain to a different snapshot to update or roll back. Source
Change a password
- Flat
- Set, replace, or remove a visitor password through the CLI or API without uploading the files again. The link stays the same.
- ShipStatic
- Set a password when you publish. Changing or removing it requires a new deployment. 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.
- ShipStatic
- Publish without an account or API key. Anonymous deployments last three days. Use the returned claim link to keep a deployment in your account. Source
Publish with an agent
- Flat
- Your agent can publish local files or folders with the CLI. Use the REST API for your own integrations.
- ShipStatic
- Use its CLI, hosted MCP server, SDK, or REST API. It also documents editor extensions, a GitHub Action, and n8n integration. Source
Configure website routes
- Flat
- Serves finished static files, directory indexes, clean HTML URLs, and a custom
404.html. No automatic single-page app fallback. - ShipStatic
- Detects single-page apps and configures routing fallbacks. Use
ship.jsonfor redirects, rewrites, and response headers. Source
ShipStatic allows larger free uploads
ShipStatic's free deployment limit is 50 MB, with up to 20 MB in a single file. Flat Free allows 5 MiB across one upload. Compare those limits with the files you intend to share.
Flat plans
Free includes 1 GiB of storage and 5 GiB of monthly transfer. Signed-in uploads have no set expiry. Named onflat.page addresses and visitor passwords are included.
Starter is €9 a month for 100 MiB per upload, 50 GiB of storage, 100 GiB of monthly transfer, and 1 custom domain.
ShipStatic plans
Free keeps the last 100 deployments and includes one named ShipStatic address. Each deployment can contain up to 500 files. Password protection is included.
Pro is US$4.99 a month or US$49.90 billed yearly. It keeps the last 1,000 deployments and includes ten named addresses and three custom domains. A deployment can contain 1,000 files, up to 50 MB each and 200 MB in total.
Free and Pro have no bandwidth caps or traffic metering, subject to fair use. Team appears on the pricing page, but the live plans API currently marks it as coming soon.
Flat measures allowances in MiB and GiB; ShipStatic publishes MB limits. ShipStatic's owned deployments have no default time-based expiry, but its plan limits still cap the number retained.
Try it with a few files.
Choose files to share together, then open the link to see what your visitors get. Browser uploads ask for your email. 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 filesA root index.html opens as your website instead of the file browser. Use the CLI for folders and nested assets.
Publish a copy before moving your domain
Use your existing build output
Take the finished folder you publish to ShipStatic, such as ./dist. With Node.js 20 or newer, you or your agent can publish it to Flat:
npx -y @getflat/cli deploy ./distKeep index.html at the root of that folder. Open the returned link and check the site. Run npx -y @getflat/cli login before expiry to keep a signed-out upload.
Check routes and access settings
Flat does not read ship.json. Check direct links to nested pages and any redirects before switching. A single-page app that needs routing fallbacks will need changes before it can move.
Set any visitor password again through Flat's CLI or API. Once the site works, connect your own domain. Your ShipStatic version URLs remain with ShipStatic.
Before you switch
Can I keep my ShipStatic address?
An address on shipstatic.com stays with ShipStatic. You can connect a domain you own to Flat, or choose a named onflat.page address. Publish and check a copy of your files before changing your domain's DNS records.
Can I change a Flat password without changing the link?
Yes. Sign in, then use npx -y @getflat/cli deployment update DEPLOYMENT_ID --password "YOUR_PASSWORD". Replace the ID and password with your own values. The files and their version link stay the same.
Can my agent publish to Flat?
Yes, if it can run the CLI or call the REST API. For an agent that needs a hosted MCP connection, ShipStatic documents that option. See the Flat CLI guide for publishing commands.
Can I embed Flat's document viewer in my site?
Flat's generated file viewers cannot be embedded in an iframe and retain Flat branding. Share the viewer link directly, or use the original files in your own viewer.
See how your files look together.
Upload a few documents and browse them at one address. Your visitors can download the originals.