UploadThing

UploadThing is a hosted file-upload service for web developers, made by Ping Labs. It describes itself as "the easier (and safer) alternative" to building uploads directly on Amazon S3. A developer defines upload routes on their own server, setting which file types and sizes each route accepts and running their own authentication check before an upload starts; the file itself then goes straight from the browser to UploadThing's storage. Its slogan sums this up as "Your Auth. Our Bandwidth."

History

UploadThing was launched in 2023 by Ping Labs, the company co-founded by Theo Browne (T3), who is credited on its site as its chief executive. Browne has said it exists because he "asked for a better S3 for years" and got tired of waiting. Version 7, released in September 2024, rebuilt the upload path to make uploads about five times faster and added the ability to pause and resume them; usage-based pricing for larger customers followed in January 2025.

Features

The client libraries, published as open source under the MIT License, are written in TypeScript and are type-safe from the server's route definitions to the ready-made upload button and drop-zone components. They work with React, Solid, Vue and Svelte on the front end and Expo for mobile apps, and with Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Remix, Express, Fastify, Hono and other server frameworks. A dashboard lets developers browse, manage and audit the files their apps have stored. The free plan includes 2 GB of storage, with paid plans for more storage, private files and a choice of storage regions; uploads and downloads are not charged for.