What Netlify Drop is, and how it works today
Netlify Drop is Netlify's page for publishing a folder from your computer, at app.netlify.com/drop. As Netlify's own pages described it on 20 October 2026:
- No account to start. Drag a folder or a zip onto the drop zone and the site is live at an address ending in
netlify.app. No Git repository is needed. Netlify Drop quickstart. - A temporary password until you claim it. Dropped while signed out, the site is protected with a temporary password until you claim it by logging in or signing up. After that it depends on your plan: on Netlify's credit-based plans, teams created on or after 28 July 2026 start new projects as private, which only the team owner can see on the Free and Personal plans. Netlify on project visibility.
- How long an unclaimed drop stays up isn't on the quickstart: it says only that the password stays until the site is claimed.
- Builds only when you are signed in. Signed in, Netlify detects your framework and runs the build before publishing. Signed out, the files are published as they are.
- Size. Its guide says drops under 50 MB work best, that single files over 10 MB may get one stuck, and points larger projects to the Netlify CLI.
- Updating. Drag the updated folder onto the drop area under Production deploys on the project's dashboard, and it becomes the live version. On a credit-based plan, Agent Runners can try changes before they go live.
- A password on the site is on Netlify's Pro plan, not on its credit-based Free and Personal plans. Netlify on password protection.
If you came for Netlify itself, Drop is at app.netlify.com/drop. If you want a link for a folder, a file from an AI chat or a PDF, the box above does it without leaving this page.
How to drop a folder on Solta and get a link
- Drag the folder onto the box above, or press Choose folder and pick it. A
.zipor a PDF goes in the same way, or with Choose files. No account is needed to start. - The link comes back in a few seconds, and it opens for anyone you send it to straight away: there is no password in front of it unless you add one.
- To keep it for longer than 24 hours, press Claim it on the same card and sign in. The address doesn't change, so a link you already sent keeps working.
When Solta is the simpler pick
- Trying it with no account. A site published without signing in opens for anyone with the link at once, and stays up for 24 hours. Claiming it keeps the same address.
- A React file from Claude or ChatGPT. One
.jsxor.tsxfile is built into a page when you publish it, with Tailwind and shadcn/ui handled, signed in or not. Paste it under Paste code. A folder is served as it is, on Solta as on Netlify signed out, so drop the built folder. Why React has to be built first. - Choosing who can open it. A new site starts Unlisted: anyone with the link. Private is on every plan, Password on every plan, with 1 password-protected site at a time on Free, and Invited, only the email addresses you add, on Pro and Team. Changing it never changes the link. Who can open a site.
- Updating at the same link, as a draft. Open the site, choose Make changes, then Upload a new version, and drop the new folder. It is saved as a draft, and the link keeps showing the old one until you publish. Free keeps the last 5 versions; Pro and Team keep every one. How links and versions work.
- A PDF to a web page. A PDF dropped on its own opens in Solta's PDF viewer, which draws the pages itself, so it opens on phones whose browser has no PDF viewer. PDF to link.
When Netlify is the better fit
- Your own domain with SSL on the free plan. On Solta, your own domain needs Pro or Team. Netlify pricing.
- A whole project dropped before it is built: signed in, Netlify detects the framework and runs the build.
- Functions on the free plan, so a site can run code on a server. Solta runs no server code. Netlify pricing.
- A project too big for a drop, through the Netlify CLI. Netlify Drop quickstart.
Every row, with its source: Solta and Netlify Drop, side by side.
HTML to website: what a folder can hold
A folder or a zip can be up to 50 MB unpacked, 500 files and 25 MB a file, on every plan. Nothing in it is changed: the files you upload are the ones served, at the paths you gave them. The index.html at the top is the page the link opens on; with none, the link opens on a list of what is inside, each name a link to its file.
Solta serves files that run in the browser: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, Markdown and PDFs. PHP or a database of your own won't run, and a file with an API key written in it is refused rather than published. What Solta can't run. One HTML file, without a folder? Free HTML hosting, or check it first in the HTML viewer.
Netlify Drop and Solta, side by side
Netlify's row says what its own pages said on 20 October 2026:
| Service | Dropped with no account | Updating it | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netlify Drop | Live at once, behind a temporary password until you claim it by signing up | Drop the updated folder on the project; it goes live as the newest version | Drops under 50 MB work best; single files over 10 MB may get stuck |
| Solta Free | Open to anyone with the link, for 24 hours until you claim it by signing in | Upload a new version as a draft, and publish it at the same link; the last 5 versions kept | Up to 50 MB unpacked, 500 files, 25 MB a file |
Questions
What is Netlify Drop?
Netlify Drop is Netlify's drag-and-drop page, at app.netlify.com/drop: you drag a folder or a zip onto it and get a live address ending in netlify.app, with no account needed to start. Dropped while you are signed out, the site is behind a temporary password until you claim it by logging in or signing up.
Do I need an account for Netlify Drop?
Not to drop a folder. To claim the site, and take the temporary password off, you log in or sign up, and Netlify's guide says what happens next depends on your plan. On Solta, a site published without an account opens for anyone with the link straight away.
How long does a Netlify Drop site last without an account?
Netlify's quickstart doesn't say: it says only that an unclaimed site stays behind a temporary password until you claim it. On Solta, a site published without an account stays up for 24 hours; claim it by signing in, from the card you get after publishing, and it stays, at the same address.
How do I update a site I dropped?
On Netlify, drag the updated folder onto the drop area under Production deploys on the project's dashboard, and it goes live as the newest version. On Solta, open the site, choose Make changes, then Upload a new version: the new folder is saved as a draft, and the same link shows it when you publish. Free keeps the last 5 versions; Pro and Team keep every one.
Does Netlify Drop build a React project?
Only when you are signed in: Netlify then detects the framework and runs the build. Signed out, the files are published as they are. On Solta, one React file, a .jsx or .tsx from Claude or ChatGPT, is built when you publish it, with or without an account; a folder is served as it is, so drop the built folder.
Can I drop a zip or a PDF on Solta?
Yes. A zip is unpacked and published like the folder it holds, up to 50 MB unpacked, 500 files and 25 MB a file. A PDF dropped on its own opens in Solta's PDF viewer, which works in any phone's browser.
Can I choose who opens the link?
Yes. A new site starts Unlisted: anyone with the link can open it. Private is on every plan, a password on every plan (1 site at a time on Free), and Invited, only the email addresses you add, on Pro and Team. Changing it never changes the link.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes, on Pro and Team: 1 on Pro, as many as you need on Team. On Free, every site has its own address on solta.site.