Host a GIF as a link.
Drop an animated GIF and get a URL. The animation plays in the browser the moment they click.
- 25MBa GIF on the free plan
- 10 linkslive at once, free
- No capon visitors, on any plan
What they see
Your GIF plays the moment it opens.
Paste the link into an email or a chat. The preview card shows the GIF's first frame, and one tap opens a page where the animation plays by itself, shrunk to fit when it's bigger than the screen. A slim NudgeHost header above it holds a download button for anyone who wants the file.
- A preview card with the first frame
- Plays by itself, with no play button to find
- A download button for the original file
How it works
From GIF to link in three steps.
Drop the GIF
Drag it onto the uploader or tap Choose a file. Signed out, each GIF can be up to 25MB, and you can keep 3 links live at a time.
Copy the link
The link works as soon as the upload finishes. Name the link in the upload card first and it reads like nudgehost.com/export-steps instead of a random string.
Send it anywhere
Paste it into a chat, a bug report or a help article. The animation starts as soon as the page opens, and nobody needs an account to see it.
After you send it
The link keeps working for you.
Previews, replacing and open counts work on the free plan. The detail behind each open comes with Pro.
A preview built from the first frame
Chat apps that show link previews display the GIF's opening frame, so start the animation on a frame that makes sense on its own.
Re-record it, keep the link
Upload a new GIF over the old one. The address, the view count and any password or end date stay the same, so a help article never needs editing.
See how often it's opened
Free accounts see how many times the link was opened. Pro adds the time and country of each open, with a CSV export.
Plans
What your GIF gets on each plan.
| Without an account | Free | Pro | Studio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largest GIF | 25MB | 25MB | 250MB | 1GB |
| Links live at once | 3 | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| How long a link lasts | 7 days | Until you delete it | Until you delete it | Until you delete it |
| Open tracking | Not included | Open counts | Time and country of each open, CSV export | Same as Pro |
| Password protection | Not included | Not included | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domains | Not included | Not included | 1 | 5 |
| Price | $0 | $0 | $12 a month | $29 a month |
QR codes, end dates and replacing a GIF work on every account plan. A GIF uploaded without an account carries no banner.
Compared
NudgeHost and Tiiny.host, for one GIF.
The differences that matter when a short animation has to become a link.
| NudgeHost | Tiiny.host | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 25MB a file, 10 live links | 3MB a file, 1 project |
| Publishing without an account | Yes, up to 25MB | Account and verified email first |
| Branding on a free link | None on account plans | Banner on the free plan |
| Visitor caps | None on any plan | 5,000/mo on Free to 1,000,000 on Pro Max |
| QR codes | Every account link on every plan, free included | Tiny and above |
| Link expiry | Every plan, the free one included | Not named on the published plan list |
Figures last verified 1 September 2026, from each service’s published plans.
Read the full comparisonGIFs and links
Why a link beats pasting the GIF in.
Chat apps and email clients set their own upload limits, and a long GIF passes them quickly. A link carries the file at full size, and the preview card a chat app builds shows its first frame before anyone taps.
GIF stores an animation as a run of still frames, each limited to a palette of 256 colours, so a long or detailed clip grows fast. Every view downloads the whole file, which is why the data a GIF costs per view adds up. Recorded as a video, the same clip is usually far smaller, and you can share it as an MP4 with play and pause controls.
Keep the GIF for places that expect one, like a chat thread or a bug report. A single frame is sharper and lighter as a PNG or a JPG of its own. A free account takes GIFs up to 25MB, and Pro's larger file limit of 250MB covers a long screen recording.
Guides
Where a GIF link fits.
Frequently asked questions
Will the animation play in any browser?
Yes. Every current browser animates a GIF on the page, on phones and computers alike.
Should I convert my GIF to MP4 first?
For a long clip, usually yes. The same animation saved as an MP4 is often a fraction of the size. A short loop is fine as a GIF.
Why is my GIF so large?
GIF stores every frame as a picture with its own palette and has none of the motion prediction video codecs use. Hundreds of similar frames still each pay for their pixels, where a video stores mostly the changes between them.
Can I host a static GIF (single frame)?
Yes, though for a still image a PNG or a WebP is usually smaller and sharper. The same uploader takes all three.
Can people pause the GIF?
No. The page shows the GIF as an image, and an image has no controls. For a clip people may want to stop or scrub through, upload it as an MP4, which plays in the browser's own player.
Does the GIF loop?
It loops the way the file is set to. Most GIFs are saved to loop forever, and one saved to play once stops on its last frame.
What does the link preview show?
The GIF's first frame, on a card with the NudgeHost wordmark. A password-protected link shows the standard NudgeHost card instead.
Can I embed the GIF in another page?
No. The link opens a NudgeHost page rather than the raw file, and the image address inside that page stops working after an hour, so it can't sit in an img tag elsewhere.
Can I share a GIF without making an account?
Yes. Upload signed out and the link works straight away. It lasts 7 days and you can hold 3 at once. If you make a free account later, the links move across and stop expiring.
How large a GIF can I upload?
Up to 25MB on the free plan and without an account, 250MB on Pro and 1GB on Studio.
How long does the link stay online?
On a free account, until you delete it. Links made without an account last 7 days. You can give a link on any account plan an end date.
Does the person I send it to need an account?
No. Anyone with the link can watch the GIF and download it.
Is there a limit on how many people can open it?
No. There's no visitor cap on any plan, so a GIF that gets passed around keeps working.
Can I choose the link name?
Yes, including without an account. Name the link in the upload card before you drop the file, and it reads like nudgehost.com/export-steps instead of a random string.
Can I password-protect a GIF?
Yes, on Pro and Studio. Anyone who opens the link enters the password before the animation appears.
What happens when I delete a link?
The GIF stops opening straight away. Anyone who follows the link afterwards lands on a page saying there is no file there.
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