Tarkle vs FileCloud: client sharing without an IT project

FileCloud is the better fit when your IT team has to run file sharing on servers you control, or when you need a FedRAMP High plan. Tarkle is designed primarily for agencies, consulting firms, and other client-facing businesses that send files to clients and collect files back, on your own domain. If you are weighing FileCloud against a hosted tool, this page puts both side by side.

We make Tarkle, so read this as one vendor's view and check the sources. FileCloud facts come from FileCloud's own pricing page, which we read in November 2026.

What FileCloud is

FileCloud is a file sharing and content collaboration product. Organizations can run it on their own servers as FileCloud Server, or use FileCloud Online, a fully managed hosted service.

What FileCloud offers

FileCloud lists two products on its pricing page. FileCloud Server is software you host yourself on Windows, Linux, AWS or other public clouds. FileCloud Online is a fully managed hosted service.

Prices are billed annually. Server Essentials costs $7 per user per month, with a 20-user minimum, and you provide the storage. Online Essentials costs $14 per user per month, with a 10-user minimum and 5 TB of storage. Online Advanced and FedRAMP High include 10 TB. At the 10-user minimum, Online Essentials comes to $140 a month. FileCloud offers a free trial, and the trial needs no payment details.

For sharing with outsiders, the pricing page lists public links with or without a password, private shares that need a FileCloud account, expiration dates on share links, view-only shares, limits on uploads or downloads, and share analytics. It lists unlimited external users and no size limit on uploads.

Beyond sharing, FileCloud lists desktop sync for Windows, Mac and Linux, access from web browsers and from iOS and Android devices, co-authoring of Office and Google Docs files, file locking, and a FedRAMP High plan that supports CMMC and NIST 800-53 standards.

What Tarkle does

Tarkle is a cloud storage and file-sharing platform for freelancers, agencies, and client-facing businesses. You pick files or folders, get one link, and send it. Recipients of a public link can open or download shared files without creating a Tarkle account.

You can also protect shared files with passwords. Transfers and links expire on the schedule you set. Email capture asks for an email address before a download starts. A one-time download link stops working after its first download. Transfer status shows whether a transfer was delivered, viewed or downloaded. The activity log is a searchable record of what happened across your workspace, with export.

File requests collect files from anyone with one link, into the folder you choose. Client feedback turns images and PDFs into a review board that clients comment on and approve with one link, no account.

The client portal is a branded place where each client signs in with their email, sees only what you shared with them and sends files back. Clients sign in with an emailed code, not a password. The portal is on Pro and Agency.

Paid transfers charge for access to a transfer through your own Stripe account. They are a Pro feature, and Agency includes everything in Pro. Custom transfer links are named like files.yourstudio.com/t/brand-assets, so the transfer is part of your brand.

Tarkle's plans, as its pricing page lists them, are Free, Pro and Agency:

• Free costs $0 and is for one person. It has 1 workspace, 5 GB of storage and uploads up to 1 GB. It includes file sharing and file requests, client feedback and approval, custom branding and a custom domain. The "Powered by Tarkle" line stays on Free.

• Pro costs $29 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly ($228 a year). It has 2 workspaces, 3 TB of storage, uploads up to 200 GB, team folders, the client portal and 90-day file recovery. On Pro, the "Powered by Tarkle" line can be removed.

• Agency costs $59 a month, or $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year). Agency includes everything in Pro, plus 20 client workspaces with Pro features. It also has 6 TB of storage, a 100% white-label platform and a client provisioning portal. When White label is switched on for your organization and the Agency plan is active, the "Powered by Tarkle" backlink is replaced by your agency name. See white label for agencies.

Workspace files are stored in one of four regions: the European Union, the United States, Hong Kong or Australia. You choose the region when you create a workspace. You can change it one time. A change has a fee, shown on your Billing page before you confirm.

Files are protected in transit and at rest, with access, expiration, and revocation controls. Tarkle is designed to meet the GDPR. Workspace logins can use passkeys or an authenticator app.

Who should choose FileCloud

Stay with FileCloud when your files must stay on servers your IT team runs, which FileCloud Server allows, or when you need a FedRAMP High plan. It also fits teams that need folders synced to laptops, co-authoring of Office and Google Docs files or file locking. If you have IT staff to run it and many users, its depth and per-user pricing make sense.

If a folder on your laptop must stay in step with your shared files, FileCloud is the better fit.

Who should choose Tarkle

Choose Tarkle when the job is sending files to clients and getting files back: a designer delivering final files, an agency with a branded portal for each client, or a consultant collecting documents. Each point ties to something you do:

• Custom domains are available on every plan.

• You ask clients for files with one request link instead of chasing email attachments.

• Transfer status shows whether a transfer was delivered, viewed or downloaded.

• You can charge for access to a transfer through your own Stripe account, on Pro and Agency.

• On Agency, you create a branded workspace for each client, with its own storage, sharing and portal.

Cost is the other difference. Online Essentials costs $14 per user per month, with a 10-user minimum. Billing is monthly or yearly on Tarkle's plans.

Start for free and check it against your own client files.

Switching from FileCloud to Tarkle

1. Create an account and a workspace, and choose the storage region you need.

2. Download the folders you share with clients from FileCloud and upload them to Tarkle.

3. On Pro or Agency, invite your team and set up the client portal for each client. Free is for one person. Then create the transfers or requests and send the new links.

4. Switch off the old FileCloud shares once clients have the new ones.

FileCloud vs Tarkle: common questions

Short answers to the questions people ask most when they compare the two.

Is FileCloud self-hosted?

It can be. FileCloud Server is software you host yourself on Windows, Linux, AWS or other public clouds. FileCloud Online is a fully managed hosted service, so FileCloud runs the servers for you.

How much does FileCloud cost?

Server Essentials costs $7 per user per month and Online Essentials costs $14 per user per month, both billed annually.

Does FileCloud have a free plan?

FileCloud's pricing page offers a free trial that needs no payment details. Tarkle has a Free plan, which is for one person.

Can Tarkle replace FileCloud for client file sharing?

For sending files to clients and collecting files back, Tarkle covers the job. The portal is on Pro and Agency. For a folder on your laptop that must stay in step with your files, FileCloud is the better fit.

Can I white label Tarkle?

Yes, on Agency. When White label is switched on for your organization and the Agency plan is active, the "Powered by Tarkle" backlink is replaced by your agency name.

Can clients upload files to Tarkle?

Yes. A file request collects files from anyone with one link, into the folder you choose. On Pro and Agency, clients can also send files back through the client portal.

Where does Tarkle store files?

In the European Union, the United States, Hong Kong or Australia, chosen when you create a workspace.

What to remember about Tarkle

Tarkle fits when the job is sending files to clients, collecting files back and running a branded client portal on your own domain. Free is for one person. FileCloud fits better when IT must run the servers, a FedRAMP High plan is needed or a laptop folder must stay in step with your files. Test it with one real client transfer.