# Sharing a file, not shipping a site? A Netlify Drop alternative

Netlify Drop turns a dropped folder into a live link, then into a full Netlify project. artifact.guru is for sharing what your AI makes: documents and apps open in the browser, and email invites show who opened them.

## Pick Netlify Drop if

- You’re building a real web project that needs builds, functions, a database or Git.
- You want a free plan with custom domains on a platform millions already use.
- Your team wants unlimited members, a shared password and audit logs on Pro from $20 a month.

## Pick artifact.guru if

- You share documents, decks and prototypes with chosen people, not production sites.
- You want Word, PowerPoint and Markdown files to open in the browser, not download.
- You want to invite people by email and see who opened it and who hasn’t.

## Netlify Drop and artifact.guru, row by row

| Question | Netlify Drop | artifact.guru |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publish from AI agents | Remote MCP server, Claude connector, ChatGPT app, CLI, API and agent skills | Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini CLI, Grok and any MCP app, over OAuth; no API keys |
| Upload it yourself | Drag a folder, zip or single HTML file onto the Drop page, no account needed | Drag in files, or a whole folder for a built site or React app |
| What opens in the browser | Static web files, or Astro, Vite and Next.js projects it builds once you log in | HTML, React, Markdown, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images, diagrams, zipped sites |
| Who can open a link | Public or private via Netlify login (new teams’ default); password on Pro; Enterprise SSO | Private, public or secret code on every plan; email invites (up to 50) on paid plans |
| Who opened it | Web analytics with 1-day retention on Free, 7-day on Personal, 30-day on Pro | Paid plans: names on email links; counts, sources and devices on the rest |
| Updates and versions | Drop again to deploy an update; one-click rollback to earlier deploys on all plans | Every change is a new version at the same link; roll back any time (Free keeps 3) |
| Your own domain | Custom domains with SSL on every plan, Free included | Your subdomain for public and secret-code links, from $12 a month |
| Team workspace | Free and Personal: 1 member; Pro: unlimited members and roles; free Reviewers | Team: one workspace, admins and members, a project per client, comments you can assign |
| Price | Free $0 forever; Personal $9/month; Pro from $20/month with unlimited members; Enterprise custom | Free $0; Individual $12/month; Team $30/month for 3 editors, then $8 each |

## Where Netlify Drop is good

- Drop needs no account: drag a folder, zip or HTML file, get a live link, then claim it to keep it.
- A claimed drop is a full Netlify project, with framework builds, functions, a database, forms and one-click rollbacks.
- Agents are covered: a remote MCP server, a Claude connector, a ChatGPT app, the Netlify CLI and an API.

## Where artifact.guru is different

- artifact.guru is built for sharing what your AI makes: HTML, React, Markdown, PDF, Word and PowerPoint all open in the browser, and the original stays downloadable.
- Every artifact starts private. Invite up to 50 email addresses per artifact; each person signs in with that address, and you see who opened it and who hasn’t.
- Secret-code links use an 8-character code that expires in 7 days, 30 days or never, and a new code locks out the old one.
- Free is $0, Individual is $12 a month, and Team is $30 a month with 3 editors included, then $8 each.

## Moving over from Netlify Drop

1. Keep the folder or zip you dropped on Netlify, built if your project needs a build step.
2. Drag it into artifact.guru, where a built site becomes one artifact, or ask your AI to publish it over MCP.
3. Pick who can open it. On a paid plan, public and secret-code links can use your subdomain after two DNS records.

## Questions

### Is Netlify Drop free?

Yes. Netlify’s Free plan is $0 with a 300-credit monthly limit, and a drop stays yours once you claim it. artifact.guru is $0 for 3 live links with 3 versions each.

### Can I password protect what I drop?

On Netlify a shared password needs Pro, from $20 a month; Free and Personal can make a project private to the owner. artifact.guru has no custom passwords: it offers private links, 8-character secret codes and, from Individual at $12 a month, email invites.

### Do both work with Claude and ChatGPT?

Netlify has a remote MCP server, a Claude connector and a ChatGPT app. artifact.guru works over MCP in Claude, Codex, Gemini CLI and Grok, and in ChatGPT developer mode, where publishing needs a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace.

### Do viewers need an account?

Not for public links on either. Netlify private projects ask for a Netlify login. On artifact.guru, email links ask each invited person to sign in with that address, which is how you see who opened it.

## Sources

What this page says about Netlify Drop comes from its own pages, checked on October 8, 2026. Plans and prices change; if something is out of date, tell us at [Support](https://artifact.guru/support).

- [Netlify Drop](https://app.netlify.com/drop)
- [Netlify pricing](https://www.netlify.com/pricing/)
- [Netlify docs: credit-based plans](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/accounts-and-billing/billing/billing-for-credit-based-plans/credit-based-pricing-plans/)
- [Netlify docs: password protection](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/security/secure-access-to-sites/password-protection/)
- [Netlify docs: project visibility](https://docs.netlify.com/manage/security/secure-access-to-sites/project-visibility/)
- [Netlify docs: agent setup and MCP server](https://docs.netlify.com/build/build-with-ai/agent-setup-guides/agent-setup-overview/)
- [Netlify docs: create deploys](https://docs.netlify.com/deploy/create-deploys/)
- [Netlify blog: the 13-year story of Drop](https://www.netlify.com/blog/thirteen-years-of-netlify-drop/)
- [Netlify changelog](https://www.netlify.com/changelog/)

Source: https://artifact.guru/alternatives/netlify-drop