html.cloud vs Netlify Drop
Netlify Drop deploys a whole site to a public URL on a CDN. html.cloud shares a single HTML file through a private link, encrypted in your browser, with no account. Pick Netlify Drop to publish a site; pick html.cloud to send one file to someone privately.
At a glance
| html.cloud | Netlify Drop | |
|---|---|---|
| What you share | One self-contained HTML file | A whole site / folder of files |
| Default visibility | Private — only people with the link | Public URL anyone can open |
| Privacy model | Client-side AES-256-GCM; we store only ciphertext | Files stored and served in plaintext by the host |
| Account | None | Unclaimed drops are temporary; keeping one needs an account |
| Expiry & deletion | 7 / 30 days / never; replace or delete anytime | Lives until you delete it from your account |
| Custom domain, CDN, CI | No — not a host | Yes — a full hosting platform |
When to use which
Use Netlify Drop when you want to publish — a real, public website or multi-file prototype, on a fast CDN, optionally with a custom domain and continuous deploys. It's an excellent free way to put a site online.
Use html.cloud when you want to privately deliver a single HTML file — an AI-generated report, a presentation, a dashboard, a proposal — to a specific person, without putting it on a public URL or asking anyone to sign in. The file is encrypted before it leaves your device, the link carries the key, and you can set it to expire.
FAQ
Is html.cloud a replacement for Netlify Drop?
Not exactly — they solve different problems. Netlify Drop deploys a whole site to a public URL; html.cloud shares one file through a private, encrypted link. Use Netlify to host a site, html.cloud to send a file privately.
Is a Netlify Drop site private?
By default it's served at a public URL anyone can open; password protection is a paid feature.
html.cloud is private by design — the file is encrypted in your browser and the key stays in the
link's # fragment, never sent to the server.
Do I need an account?
html.cloud needs none. Netlify Drop lets you drop a site without signing in, but that deploy is temporary unless you create an account to claim it.