InstallOnAir vs Diawi vs AppForShare: free link life, file size and price in 2026
· 9 min read
InstallOnAir, Diawi and AppForShare do the same basic job. You upload an .ipa or an .apk, you get a link and a QR code, and a tester installs the build from the phone browser. The differences are in the rules: how long a link lives, how big a free build can be, how many installs it allows, and what it costs to keep one link up. This guide compares the three on those points and ends with a pick for each common case.
Sources and dates: InstallOnAir details are as read on their site in November 2026, mainly the pricing page, the FAQ and the features page. Diawi details are from its plans page and its link availability page, read on November 2, 2026. Both free tiers changed during 2026, so check their pages before you decide. AppForShare is the tool we make; its details come from our own published plans.
The short answer
- A free build between 150 MB and 200 MB, needed for a few days: InstallOnAir. Its free tiers take the biggest files of the three.
- One link that must stay up for months, for very little money: Diawi or InstallOnAir, with a paid extension. Both cost less than AppForShare for that one case.
- A cheap upload API for CI and nothing else: Diawi Starter, EUR 2.99 a month as read on November 2, 2026.
- Passwords, Android App Bundles, install help for testers, and links that stay live while you subscribe: AppForShare.
How each one counts link life
The three tools start the clock at different moments.
- InstallOnAir counts from the upload. As read on their site in November 2026, a guest link lives 3 days and a free account link 7 days. After that, testers see that the build has expired.
- Diawi counts from the last install. Availability runs from the last installation, or from the upload if nobody has installed yet. The free account gives 1 day, Starter 3 days, Premium 7 days and Enterprise 15 days.
- AppForShare counts from the upload on the free tiers, and not at all on paid plans. Guest links live 3 days and Free links 7 days. Pro and Team links stay live while the plan is active.
If testers install every day, Diawi's rule is generous, because each install moves the clock. If your client reviews late, it does not help, because nobody installed in between. A clock from the upload is easier to predict.
After a link expires, the options differ too. Diawi lets an account owner re-enable a link for a short window (1 day on Free and Starter, 3 days on Premium, 5 days on Enterprise), but not for uploads made without an account. InstallOnAir's pricing FAQ, as read in November 2026, says to upload again for a new free link, or to extend before the link runs out. On AppForShare Free, the owner gets an email when a link has under 2 days left, and upgrading within 7 days after expiry brings back the same link and QR code. Each case is covered in more detail in Diawi link expired and InstallOnAir link expired.
File size, link life and installs per tier
| Tool and tier | Price | Largest file | Link life | Installs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InstallOnAir, no account | $0 | 200 MB | 3 days from upload | No limit stated |
| InstallOnAir, free account | $0 | 200 MB, or 1 GB with a $2 upload credit | 7 days from upload | No limit stated |
| Diawi Free account | EUR 0 | 20 MB | 1 day from last install | 2 per app |
| Diawi Starter | EUR 2.99/month | 50 MB | 3 days from last install | 10 per app |
| Diawi Premium | EUR 29.99/month | 250 MB | 7 days from last install | 50 per app |
| Diawi Enterprise | EUR 299.99/month | 1.2 GB | 15 days from last install | 100 per app |
| AppForShare, no account | $0 | 50 MB | 3 days from upload | 20 per link, 4 a day |
| AppForShare Free | $0 | 150 MB | 7 days from upload | By bandwidth, 10 GB a month |
| AppForShare Pro | $12/month | 2 GB | While subscribed | By bandwidth, 40 GB a month |
| AppForShare Team | $39/month | 4 GB | While subscribed | By bandwidth, 150 GB a month |
InstallOnAir prices as read on their site in November 2026. Diawi prices as read on November 2, 2026.
On free tiers, InstallOnAir is clearly ahead on file size: 200 MB with or without an account, against 50 MB and 150 MB on AppForShare and 20 MB on Diawi's free account. Its $2 upload credit, as read in November 2026, buys one upload of up to 1 GB on a free account, and unused credits are kept. Nothing on AppForShare or Diawi matches that for a single large build; on AppForShare a file over 150 MB needs Pro.
Installs are counted differently. Diawi caps installs per app. InstallOnAir states no install limit. AppForShare counts bandwidth, the bytes testers download: a 50 MB build installed 20 times is about 1 GB. If your builds are large, read sharing an IPA or APK over 200 MB. For InstallOnAir's rules on their own, see InstallOnAir limits in 2026, and for Diawi, Diawi limits in 2026.
Paying to keep one link
All three let you pay once, with no subscription, to keep a link up longer. The terms differ.
| What you pay | Rules | |
|---|---|---|
| Diawi (read Nov 2, 2026) | +1 month EUR 0.49, +1 year EUR 4.99 | Pay as you go add-on |
| InstallOnAir (read Nov 2026) | +1 month $1.89, +6 months $4.99, +1 year $9.99 | Per build, stacks on the current expiry, can be repeated, same link and QR code, no limit on how many builds. Guests can extend only right after upload; accounts any time from the App List. |
| AppForShare | $2 for 60 days | Free plan only. 60 days from the payment; paying again adds 60 days after the current paid end, at most 120 days ahead. One extended link per account at a time. Works on a link that already expired while its file is still kept (7 days after expiry). |
Stated plainly: for one link that has to stay up for a year, Diawi and InstallOnAir cost less than AppForShare, and InstallOnAir lets you extend as many builds as you like. Our $2 option is for the odd link that needs a few more weeks. If many links need to stay up, Pro keeps every link live while you subscribe, which is a different kind of answer. See pricing for the plans.
API and CI uploads
- InstallOnAir: no API, CLI, CI plugins or webhooks are listed on their site as read in November 2026. Uploads are through the web page. See uploading to InstallOnAir from CI for what to use instead.
- Diawi: an upload API from the Starter plan (not on the free account), plus community plugins. The community Jenkins plugin has an open advisory about credentials stored in plain text; see the Diawi Jenkins plugin advisory and the Diawi API with curl.
- AppForShare: on Pro and Team, an npm CLI, a GitHub Action, a fastlane plugin, an MCP server for AI coding tools, and a Diawi compatible upload API, so a Diawi curl script can point at AppForShare by changing the upload and status addresses. A Gradle plugin is built and coming to the Gradle Plugin Portal soon.
If an upload API is all you need and builds are small, Diawi Starter is cheaper than AppForShare Pro at $12 a month.
Other differences worth knowing
- Android App Bundles. Neither InstallOnAir nor Diawi accepts an .aab, as read on their sites. AppForShare turns an .aab into one universal APK that testers can install, on Free and up (not for guests). See .aab uploads.
- Zipped .app. Diawi accepts one. InstallOnAir's features page mentions it, but its upload form asks for an .ipa or .apk, as read in November 2026. AppForShare accepts one on every plan; see zipped .app upload.
- Password per link. AppForShare has one per build on Free and up. We found no password option on InstallOnAir's site in November 2026.
- Ads on the install page. As read in November 2026, InstallOnAir runs Google AdSense and sponsor slots on install pages, and its privacy policy says personal data is shared with ad partners such as Google. Ads are a normal way to fund a free tool. AppForShare install pages carry no third party ads; Free and guest pages show one small card about AppForShare itself, and Pro and Team pages never do.
- Emailing the link. InstallOnAir lets you email testers at upload for free. On AppForShare, emailing the link to up to 5 addresses per build is a Pro and Team feature.
- Install counts. InstallOnAir's free dashboard shows installs and page views per build. AppForShare's install analytics (devices, OS versions, models, countries) are on Pro and Team; on any plan the owner gets an email at 5, 25 and 100 installs.
- iPhone install help. AppForShare install pages, on every plan, warn before the tap when the phone's iOS is too old, the build is iPad only, the profile has expired or the build is App Store signed. A tester who checked their iPhone once can see whether each build includes it. See install help and iPhone device check. Diawi shows a warning for devices it has identified through its web app. InstallOnAir lists a UDID finder on its free tier.
- One link for many builds. Diawi sells a custom address add-on for EUR 2.99. AppForShare Pro has channels: one stable link that always opens the newest build put into it.
Which one to pick
- One small build, one tester, today: any of the three. Diawi's free account works if the build is under 20 MB.
- A free build up to 200 MB for a short test round: InstallOnAir.
- A one week test round where the link should be protected: AppForShare Free, with a password, up to 150 MB.
- An Android team that builds .aab files: AppForShare, since the other two do not take them.
- A client who reviews whenever they have time: a link that does not run on a timer, such as AppForShare Pro, or a paid extension on Diawi or InstallOnAir for that one link.
- Daily builds from CI: Diawi Starter if price matters most; AppForShare Pro if you want a stable channel link, install help and the CLI or GitHub Action.
For a wider view that includes TestFlight and Firebase, read Diawi vs TestFlight vs Firebase. For the full side by side tables, see AppForShare vs InstallOnAir and AppForShare vs Diawi. If you are looking for a free option first, free InstallOnAir alternatives compares the free tiers.
Common questions
Which one gives the longest free link?
InstallOnAir and AppForShare both give 7 days on a free account, counted from the upload, as read in November 2026. Diawi's free account gives 1 day, but counted from the last install, so a link that keeps being installed lasts longer.
Can I keep a link up without a monthly plan?
Yes, on all three. Diawi and InstallOnAir sell extensions from one month to a year. AppForShare Free can keep one link live for 60 days for $2, one link at a time.
Do installed apps stop working when the link expires?
No, on any of the three. The link only controls new installs. An iOS build keeps opening until its provisioning profile or certificate ends; an Android APK does not expire.
