Do Netlify Drop links expire?

Netlify Drop is designed for quick, temporary deploys. Drops you don't claim into a Netlify account are not meant to be permanent, which makes them risky for a client preview you need to stay live for weeks. SiteViewer keeps every preview link permanent and stable for as long as you keep it.

What is a Netlify Drop alternative with password protection?

SiteViewer is a Netlify Drop alternative built for client review. It adds password protection in one toggle, keeps the link permanent, supports your own custom domain with a white-label password page on Pro, and needs no Git or build step.

SiteViewer vs Netlify Drop

Netlify Drop links expire. SiteViewer previews stay put.

Netlify Drop is a fast way to throw up a quick dev demo, but its free, claim-it-later deploys are temporary and have no built-in password or branding. Wrong for a client who opens the link next week. SiteViewer keeps the link permanent and stable, password-protects it in one toggle, and puts it on your own domain. No Git, no build, no expiry anxiety.

Start free See the comparison →

No credit card · 5 free previews · 14-day Studio trial on every signup

Why client previews belong on SiteViewer

A link your client can still open next week.

01

Permanent, not temporary

Your preview link stays live for as long as you keep it. No unclaimed deploy quietly disappearing, no awkward “sorry, can you re-send that?” email three days after you sent your client the link.

02

Password & branding built in

Flip on a password in one toggle, then on Pro host it at preview.yourstudio.com with a white-label gate. Netlify Drop hands you a random public URL with neither.

03

No Git, no build, no pipeline

Drag in one HTML file or a zip and it’s live. SiteViewer is for showing a client work for approval, not running a deploy pipeline, so there’s nothing to configure and nothing to wait on.

An honest, side-by-side look

SiteViewer vs Netlify Drop.

Drop is brilliant for a throwaway dev demo. Here’s how the two compare when the link is going to a client for review.

For client review
	SiteViewer	Netlify Drop
Link stays live long-term	Permanent & stable	Free drops are temporary unless claimed to an account
Password protection	One toggle, free	Not on Drop; gated on higher Netlify plans
Custom domain + white-label gate	Pro, your logo on the password page	Random netlify.app subdomain
Versioning behind one link	Same link, full history, roll back	Each drop is a new URL
No Git or build step required	Just drag the file in	Drag-and-drop too
Open analytics on views	See when a client opens it	Not part of Drop
Built around	Client previews & sign-off	Instant throwaway dev demos

Plan limits and features change. Always check each provider’s current pricing page before you decide.

Where Netlify Drop is the better pick

Netlify Drop is fantastic for exactly what it’s for: instantly previewing a build, sharing a quick demo with a teammate, or kicking the tyres on a static site before you wire up a real Netlify project with Git, CI, and deploy previews. If you live in that pipeline, stay there. SiteViewer is the better fit when the link leaves your team and lands in front of a client, where it needs to stay live, stay private, and look like your studio rather than a random deploy URL.

Give your client a link that lasts.

Start free with 5 previews and a 14-day Studio trial. Permanent links, password protection, custom domains, and a white-label password page included.

Start free See the comparison →

No credit card required