FileSeal is a UK-hosted secure document sharing service for financial advisers. You create an encrypted upload link in about 30 seconds, your client uploads ID, proof of address, pension paperwork or bank statements without creating an account, and you download the files once before they are deleted from FileSeal’s servers. The free trial is 5 secure requests with no time limit and no card. Professional is £29 a month (£25 billed annually) and Teams is £59 a month (£47 billed annually) for up to 5 people including the owner, both plus VAT.
Prices and facts last reviewed: September 2026. Prices exclude UK VAT.
The Reality of Financial Advisory Work
Thursday Afternoon Panic
Mortgage offer expires Monday. Client emails blurry photo of P60. Underwriter rejects it. You’re explaining to anxious first-time buyers why their dream home might slip away.
Professional Image Matters
High-net-worth clients expect security. When you ask them to email sensitive financial documents, it doesn’t inspire confidence in your service.
One Breach Ends Careers
Your entire business is built on trust. One client’s bank statements leaked from your email, and your career is over. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
The Secure Handoff for Financial Documents
Replace the anxiety-inducing “please email” moment with professional, secure document transfer
1. Create secure link
30 seconds“Please upload your bank statements, proof of income, and source of wealth documentation using this secure link”
2. Client uploads securely
AES-GCM-256 encryptionDocuments encrypted on their device before upload. No passwords, no registration, just professional security they can trust.
3. You download once
Then deleted from our serversUploads and downloads logged for compliance. Documents deleted from FileSeal’s servers after download, with a record you can put in a PI file.
Perfect for Financial Document Collection
Know Your Customer Documentation
Bank statements, proof of income, source of wealth evidence
Identity Verification
Passports, driving licences, utility bills
Mortgage Applications
P60s, payslips, company accounts, tax returns
Pension Transfer Papers
CETV statements, scheme documentation, transfer forms
Investment Documentation
Portfolio statements, pension valuations, ISA certificates
Estate Planning Documents
Wills, trust documents, asset valuations
Logins & Account Numbers
Send a portal login or account number as a one-time, self-deleting note
Why Financial Advisors Choose FileSeal
See how FileSeal compares to common alternatives
| Method | Encryption | Access Control | Auto-Delete | Audit Trail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FileSeal | AES-256 | One-time URLs | Automatic | Complete |
Email | Plain text | Forwarded/stored | Permanent | None |
WeTransfer | In transit | Download tracking | 3 days | Limited |
Google Drive | At rest | Link sharing | Permanent | Limited |
Ways an adviser can collect a client document, compared
| How you collect it | Who can read the file | After the download | Record you can point to | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email attachment | Every mail server and mailbox the message passes through | The attachment stays in both mailboxes until somebody deletes it | Nothing beyond your sent folder | Included with your mail account |
| WeTransfer or a similar transfer service | The provider holds the keys, so it can access the files | Kept for a fixed window whether or not anyone downloaded it | None on the free tier | Free tier, or a paid plan |
| A Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive link | The provider holds the keys, plus anyone the link reaches | The file stays in your drive until you remove it | Access logs on business tiers | Bundled with a storage subscription |
| A back-office or CRM system | Your firm and the vendor, under their terms | Stored for the life of the matter | Usually, inside the system | Typically quoted per user on request |
| FileSeal | Anyone holding the link, and its key in Most private mode, can open it once. In the default Email them mode FileSeal holds the key too, so it can email a working link | Deleted from FileSeal’s servers after the one download | Uploads, downloads and collections logged against the request | £29 a month plus VAT, after 5 free requests |
See also: FileSeal compared with WeTransfer.
Frequently asked questions
What advisers ask before switching from email.
How much does FileSeal cost for a financial advice firm?
The free trial is 5 secure requests with no time limit and no card. Professional is £29 a month (£25 billed annually) and Teams is £59 a month (£47 billed annually) for up to 5 people including the owner, both plus VAT. Professional covers unlimited secure requests for one person, so a firm pays a flat monthly fee rather than per document.
Do clients need an account to send me their documents?
No. Clients upload from any device without creating an account or installing anything. They open the link, choose their files and upload. Nothing is installed and no password is set.
Is FileSeal suitable for an FCA-regulated firm?
Designed for firms regulated by the SRA and FCA. FileSeal holds no regulator endorsement. A Data Processing Agreement is published at fileseal.uk/terms/dpa and incorporated into the terms, and any signed-in account can download a GDPR Compliance Statement describing the technical and organisational measures in place. Whether a given tool meets your obligations remains a judgement for your firm.
Where are client documents stored?
The application, database and encrypted files are hosted in the UK: Vercel in London, Neon PostgreSQL in AWS eu-west-2, and Vercel Blob’s UK store. Supporting services such as email delivery and error monitoring run in the UK or the EEA, listed in the Data Processing Agreement at fileseal.uk/terms/dpa.
Can FileSeal read the documents my clients send?
It depends on the delivery mode, and FileSeal states both plainly. “Email them” is the default and lets FileSeal keep the key so it can email a working link. “Get a link”, labelled Most private, keeps the key only in the link, so FileSeal stores ciphertext it cannot read. Files are encrypted with AES-GCM-256 on the device before upload in either mode.
What record do I have for a compliance file?
Uploads, downloads, collections and expiry clean-up are logged against the request. Separately, any signed-in account can download an activity report listing its requests with their status, expiry and download count. Creating a request is not itself logged, so this is a record of what happened to the documents rather than of every action in the account.
What documents can I collect securely?
Anything a fact-find or onboarding calls for, within the accepted types and sizes: passports and photo ID, proof of address, bank and portfolio statements, P60s and payslips, pension transfer paperwork, tax returns and trust or estate documents. Client upload links accept PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG and PNG at up to 10 MB per file.
Security Guides for Financial Advisors
Expert guidance on meeting FCA requirements, secure document collection, and protecting client financial data.
Financial Advisor Secure Document Collection
How FCA-regulated advisors collect KYC documents, proof of funds, and risk assessments securely.
GDPR Document Collection Compliance Guide
Fix your document collection process in 15 minutes and avoid fines up to £17.5 million.
Client Data Breach Response Guide
The 72-hour response plan every UK professional needs when client data is compromised.