AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] vs GoAnywhere MFT comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Fortra are both solutions in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category. Additionally, 75% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 99% of Fortra users who would recommend it.

AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Read 3 AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] reviews

75% willing to recommend

GoAnywhere MFT

Read 86 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

4,865 Views
4,573 Comparison Views

99% willing to recommend

AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

GoAnywhere MFT

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 8, 2025

GoAnywhere MFT and AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] are in the secure file transfer category. GoAnywhere MFT has an upper hand in feature flexibility and customization, while AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] benefits from better cloud integration and scalability.

Features: GoAnywhere MFT provides comprehensive file transfer automation, user access controls, and auditing capabilities. It supports numerous protocols, making it versatile for different scenarios. AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] offers strong integration with AWS services, excellent cloud-native features, and scalability options suited for organizations within the AWS ecosystem.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] facilitates easy deployment with existing AWS infrastructures, reducing complexities due to well-aligned support resources. GoAnywhere MFT has a more intricate deployment process rooted in on-premises installations but provides extensive customer support and guidance.

Pricing and ROI: GoAnywhere MFT presents a higher upfront cost with infrastructure and maintenance investments, yet yields a solid ROI from its range of features. AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] applies a flexible, consumption-based pricing model in line with AWS pricing, offering potential savings for AWS-reliant businesses.

To learn more, read our detailed Managed File Transfer (MFT) Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

January 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,455 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

GoAnywhere MFT

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed File Transfer (MFT) (1st)

Featured Reviews

Kyle Titus

Chief Technology Officer at Revio

Always works, handles all types of load, and allows us to have S3 files as storage

Its cost needs improvement. In addition, there could be a universal client that works on all desktops. There could be client software that you use to connect to the server. Generally, AWS doesn't provide one for you, so you have to use either your CLI, maybe your SSH CLI, or use some kind of desktop solution. I had to find a desktop app from a third party to run this. Our clients also do the same everywhere else, so it would be nice if the SFTP Gateway solution came with a client that anyone could download on their Mac, Windows, or any other machine.

Read full review

Anuj Bhagwat

DevOps Engineer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees

Has enabled secure, centralized file sharing while saving significant time and resources

The best features in GoAnywhere MFT are that it's fast, reliable, and secure. First, the improvement is that we have resolved one of our security points with compliance. So that compliance point we resolved. And also it's a centralized file sharing system. All the users are able to access the file. There is no one-to-one sharing. It's improved about 80 to 85%. It saves about 80 to 90% resources. In terms of time, we can say 90 to 95% time is also saved because it avoids the one-to-one sharing and simply a user can put one centralized directory and all the users are able to access this solution and access the file. So it's 95%.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution offers good data recovery."

"The solution has helped with collaboration in our organization."

"Being able to have the S3 files as storage is most valuable. We can use S3 as storage instead of an SFTP server or a machine."

"GoAnywhere MFT is the best; we prefer it."

"The automation in GoAnywhere MFT really helps us because it reduced the manual work significantly, we can transfer hundreds of files with zero manual interventions, the audit trails also help during the compliance audits, and it has given stakeholders more confidence in the security of file transfer."

"I would highly recommend the use of GoAnywhere MFT to any individual or organization because it enhances managed and secure file transfer processes between systems and with partners."

"It helps me keep all my sensitive data and files secure and safe. The software's user interface is friendly and intuitive, making it easy to use and navigate without any hassle."

"The feature I find most valuable about GoAnywhere MFT is that it's intuitive—it has all the things needed to build robust projects, giving you different resources, SFTP, and all the different things you might need to manipulate files."

"It is very easy to use. It is easy to create projects in a graphical environment. The configuration and the setup of the environment is very easy"

"Compared to other vendors, GoAnywhere MFT stands out with the feature that allows you to create your own workflows. When a file is uploaded, we want some automation to be triggered, something to be done. This feature is exclusively available in GoAnywhere MFT, which I did not see in any other MFT solutions."

"I appreciate how files are being transferred. Before a file is shared with anyone, there is a scanning process that takes place, and the file is securely shared without any problem or malware existing in the file."

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

Cons

"Its cost needs improvement. In addition, there could be a universal client that works on all desktops."

"The tool's UI should be pretty easy and straightforward. I would also like to see a simple audit report of the SFTP guest account that shows the amount of data transfers and security kind enabled."

"Could be more automated, particularly for file transfers."

"There is a function referred to as write CSV, to write a general text file. In this scenario of creating a simple text file, I ran into a situation where, if the product saw a quote or a double-quote in the data, it started wrapping all the text fields in double-quotes. The request I put in asks them to provide a feature that leaves my data alone and does not interpret anything."

"The technical support has room for improvement."

"I am unable to accomplish this with the predefined functions provided by GoAnywhere MFT, which is why I use shell scripting."

"For training, there should be some sites or resources on YouTube or Udemy. They do not have that currently."

"One of the main important improvements I need for GoAnywhere MFT is a better real-time monitoring dashboard and an improved user interface."

"Sometimes file sharing gets failed. Many of the users in the last week faced the issue that the files are not delivered."

"When we restart the agent on each server, it tries to go out to the internet and it takes about a 13-minute timeout before it can move forward. Why is there a 13-minute timeout value when trying to go to the internet? ...If they could limit that timeout or give us a way to modify it so we could have a faster timeout, that would help us at least knock out a half-hour's worth of outage."

"A drawback is that it is not as feature-rich compared to its competitor Sterling, which we used before. It has fewer features, though it is more intuitive."

More GoAnywhere MFT cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's $249 per month per instance. It's not great; it's pretty pricey. We've got multiple users on that one instance. If we had to build it by hand, we would win on cost there, but obviously, there is effort and time. In terms of the additional costs, they do have some specific pricing, but for our use case, we don't end up going over $249. They do specify in their pricing what they're charging for."

"The product is not cheap, but it is not expensive."

"HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT is very reasonably priced for the value it brings."

"I get the invoices, and its price is fine and appropriate. It is well priced. Even if it was double the price, we'd use it. For us, it is indispensable. We're not going to go anywhere else. There are no additional costs. Its licensing is good. There is just one charge that we get. That's it."

"Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT is an inexpensive solution."

"Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT pricing is competitive."

"The cost of GoAnywhere versus the value it brings to our data transfer operations is reasonable... The cost is relatively expensive but, back to the car analogy, that's to be expected with a Ferrari."

"To have a solution like this for the price we're paying makes it cheap. Considering the time that it has saved us, and considering the development that we don't need to do, such as connectors and handling servers, the price is really affordable."

"It has flexible and affordable pricing because of custom quotes. The prices depend on the modules one needs and the volume of data being transferred. Overall, they offer custom and flexible pricing with an annual subscription, where you pay for specific features and functionality required."

More GoAnywhere MFT pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Managed File Transfer (MFT) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	57
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	43

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What do you like most about Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

GoDrive eliminates the need to use the exchange server for file sharing.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

GoAnywhere MFT pricing is fine for me. I do not have any complaints regarding the pricing because SFTP is the most valuable asset in the organization.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

I believe that GoAnywhere MFT can be improved because the initial setup is somewhat challenging for a new user, so they need to make the initial feature easier for everyone, whether new or experien...

See all answers

Comparisons

Kiteworks vs AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Compared 74% of the time

Control-M vs AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct vs AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Compared 5% of the time

MOVEit vs AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Compared 5% of the time

IBM Sterling File Gateway vs AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

Compared 5% of the time

More AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] Competitors

JSCAPE by Redwood vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 13% of the time

IBM Sterling File Gateway vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 9% of the time

MOVEit vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 9% of the time

Control-M vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 8% of the time

Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 6% of the time

More GoAnywhere MFT Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

January 2026

Download AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

January 2026

Download GoAnywhere MFT product report

Also Known As

No data available

HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT, GoAnywhere MFT, GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer,

Overview

AWS Transfer for SFTP is a fully managed service that enables the transfer of files directly into and out of Amazon S3 using the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)—also known as Secure Shell (SSH) File Transfer Protocol.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

GoAnywhere MFT offers user-friendly workflow features, advanced security, and seamless integrations. Its intuitive interface supports streamlined operations and rapid project creation, making it suitable for managing secure file transfers.

GoAnywhere MFT provides sophisticated automation through Advanced Workflows, enabling reduced manual tasks and improved efficiency. With centralized data exchange, file monitoring, and comprehensive security protocols, it supports scalability, encryption, and IP filtering for enhanced protection. Users appreciate its adaptability with systems including IBM and Epic, contributing to improved process management and significant time savings. While beneficial, enhancements in DNS support, user interface intuitiveness, and customer service responsiveness are potential growth areas. License costs are noted as high, with demands for better documentation, cloud service integrations, and improved scalability and load-balancing functionalities.

What are the key features of GoAnywhere MFT?

User-Friendly Workflows: Intuitive interface streamlines operations.
Advanced Security: Includes encryption, IP filters, and monitoring.
Seamless Integrations: Adapts to systems like IBM and Epic.
Automation: Simplifies processes with reduced manual tasks.
Scalability: Grows with business needs.

What are the benefits and ROI of using GoAnywhere MFT?

Improved Efficiency: Reduces workload through automation.
Time Savings: Accelerates project delivery.
Enhanced Security: Protects data with advanced protocols.
Adaptability: Supports multiple platforms and integrations.
Process Management: Simplifies and streamlines data exchange.

GoAnywhere MFT is deployed by organizations for secure file transfers across systems like financial, healthcare, and corporate sectors. It supports SFTP, FTP, and HTTPS for data exchanges and is highly effective in automating processes and managing large file movements efficiently. It integrates well with cloud platforms like Azure and accommodates environments such as Windows, Linux, and IBM iSeries.

Fortra

Sample Customers

Myriota, FINRA, Celgene, Kontor New Media, Belong, ThinkCX, BluTV

McKesson City of Modesto, California Kwik Trip Northwestern University Charter Communications

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

January 2026

Download Free Report

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortra, BMC, IBM and others in Managed File Transfer (MFT). Updated: January 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best Managed File Transfer (MFT) vendors.

We monitor all Managed File Transfer (MFT) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.