zeZebra – A P2P File Transfer App

Available across four main OS platforms!

zeZebra is a peer to peer (P2P) file transfer app for the Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android platforms. It is simple to use, has stunning, streamlined visuals and provides a much needed platform for a previously unfilled niche. It suffers from the fact that it does not provide Cloud storage as an option,  and from the somewhat insular nature of it’s P2P network.

Sharing files back and forth with emails can be time consuming and annoying. Apps are generally made to save time and trim annoyance––the file transfer field is no exception. There are a few on the market, most of them getting around the problem with some sort of Cloud solution. In other words, a user uploads their files to a server online where the files are stored and you can share them with others who have a account with the same server. Dropbox comes to mind as the most prominent Cloud solution. Sometimes, though, Cloud solutions can fall short of desire––especially with respect to larger files. Since it costs money or time (spent looking for referrals to boost your storage capacity) to increase the size of a Dropbox account past 2GB, there is no free Cloud solution that will allow you to transfer larger files like movies or high definition photo albums. Servers cost money, so a company simply has to charge if a user is going to have large amounts of data going in and out all the time.

The solution? A peer to peer network. The most notorious example of this technology is torrents, which many understand to be the leading source of online piracy. While sharing illegal content over a peer to peer network is illegal, the type of network is actually quite useful. Essentially what zeZebra does is enable a connection directly between the sender and the receiver, who share the data directly instead of brokering space on a server with a Cloud middle man. This is a very effective way to get around issues of cost when transferring larger files, as well as providing a bit of security, since file are not routed and stored on online servers.

zeZebra is easy to use. Simply create a profile and link it to an email address, or even tether it to a Facebook account and you are ready to send any size file to any other users. Since it is available for the four main OS platforms, almost anyone can use it. The receiver will get an email with a link and have to download zeZebra, at which point they will be saved as a contact. Once they are a contact it is as easy as drag and drop to send any kind of file.

zeZebra is a peer to peer network organized on a personal basis. This means that every file can only be transferred as long as the person sending it and the person receiving it are both online and the transfer will only go as fast as the internet connection. Other than that, it is a polished app with a gorgeous and easy to use interface.

zeZebra has put itself in a niche that Cloud storage file transfer clients simply cannot fill. It does its job admirably well, but for many types of file transfers it’s simply not necessary. If the developers were to implement even limited Cloud storage options (to allow easy back and forth editing of text files, for example), this app would literally blow the competition out of the water.  It still stands an easy, and free way to transfer larger files like movies or whole albums.