--- title: "Questions people ask · Privatta" description: "Whether the other person needs Privatta, whether both computers have to be on, and whether the file passes through a server." url: "https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/dropbox/questions/" source: "https://royalsoftworks.com" format: "markdown" note: "Markdown rendering of the HTML page at `url`. Same content, same canonical URL." --- Privatta vs Dropbox · 3 of 3 # Questions people ask. Whether the other person needs Privatta, whether both computers have to be on, and whether the file passes through a server. ## Questions people ask 01 Is Privatta a Dropbox replacement? Not for storage and sync, and it does not try to be. It replaces the part of Dropbox you use to get a file to somebody else, for the files that should not be stored on a third party's servers. 02 Does Privatta keep a copy of my files? No. Privatta has no storage of its own. Files stay where they already are on your computer and go directly to whoever you allow to take them. 03 Does the person receiving the file need Privatta? Yes. The file goes directly from one copy of Privatta to another, so it runs on both ends. The recipient can use the Windows app (Linux is to follow) or the Android app, which can browse and download what you have shared with them. 04 Do both computers need to be on at the same time? Yes. The file comes straight from your machine, so Privatta has to be running on your side while the other person takes it. If that is impractical for a particular job, a link-based service is the better fit for that job. 05 Does the file pass through any server? No. Over the internet, a small open-source relay introduces the two machines with a key that works once, then steps aside, and the file travels directly between them, encrypted. On a local network no outside server is involved at all. You can run your own copy of the relay. 06 Can a team use Privatta? Yes. Pro gives named users per-file permissions, with extra seats at €10 each. Pro also has groups with inherited permissions; Enterprise adds an access log that is hash-chained, so an edit made outside the app is detected. ## See a direct transfer for yourself The free version needs no account and no card. Put it on two machines in the same office and send something big: nothing leaves the building on the way. [Download Privatta free](https://royalsoftworks.com/download/#privatta) [Privatta vs WeTransfer](https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/wetransfer/) [Previous When to use which.](https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/dropbox/which-to-use/) [All of Privatta vs dropbox](https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/dropbox/)