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 100% 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 37 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

2,372 Views
1,384 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL]

GoAnywhere MFT

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

GoAnywhere MFT and AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] compete in the managed file transfer domain. GoAnywhere MFT generally has the upper hand due to its pricing and support offerings, while AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] is advantageous for AWS-centric businesses due to its cloud integration.

Features: GoAnywhere MFT emphasizes security with secure file transfer protocols, extensive auditing, and reporting capabilities. It offers strong compliance features. AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] provides direct integration with AWS services like Amazon S3, which offers flexibility and seamless cloud integration for AWS users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GoAnywhere MFT offers a straightforward deployment model with several hosting options, suitable for various infrastructures, and notable customer support. AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] benefits from the cloud-based deployment ease typical of AWS but relies on standard AWS support, potentially affecting personalized service. Deployment is simplified for existing AWS users, while GoAnywhere MFT provides broader installation choices and consistent support.

Pricing and ROI: GoAnywhere MFT often presents competitive pricing with strong long-term ROI due to its customization capabilities. AWS Transfer for SFTP [EOL] may have higher initial costs under its pay-per-use AWS pricing model, yet it can offer significant returns through optimized AWS resource integration. GoAnywhere MFT emerges as more cost-effective initially, while AWS Transfer aligns with strategic AWS spending.

To learn more, read our detailed Managed File Transfer (MFT) Report (Updated: March 2025).

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Managed File Transfer (MFT)

March 2025

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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

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed File Transfer (MFT) (2nd)

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.

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Earl Diem

Sr. Manager - Performance and Automation Engineering at PSCU Financial Services

Key to our workflow and our workload automation strategy, helping us trade and consume files

File monitors are one of the most valuable features. We have about 400 file monitors running in GoAnywhere. They monitor the NAS locations where files arrive, and they kick off workflows. When a file arrives, GoAnywhere will identify that the file is there, move it to a consumption zone, then reach out to our enterprise scheduler through a REST API call. The solution helps centralize the exchange of data between systems, employees, customers, and trading partners. It's very central and that's pretty important. We generally move about 3,000 files a day, between our partners and internal workflows. My team really likes the intuitiveness of GoAnywhere's user interface. For example, my automation team has a file coming in from a bank, a file that needs to be unzipped, reformatted, re-zipped up, and then put into another folder where another team is going to consume it. Because of all the progressive elaboration—the project started a year ago—the format of the file is not the same. We addressed it with GoAnywhere instead of having the producer of the file change the format. That's how flexible it is for us. And looking at the comprehensiveness of GoAnywhere's workflow features, we use it pretty extensively for working with files. Stonebranch is our enterprise automation platform, but we don't really do any file work with Stonebranch. We chose to use GoAnywhere, our MFT tool, to move and manipulate files. The solution also connects to popular ICAP servers and that's pretty important to our security guys when it comes to preventing malware and other malicious content from entering our organization. The connection to popular ICAP servers, so that content is inspected for sensitive information like credit cards, is pretty important. We're a financial institution and a lot of the data we work with has PAN data and card numbers in it, coming in from partners.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"The solution offers good data recovery."

"This is a very good product for managing file transfers."

"I like the organization of resources, specifically listing out all of our FTPs and having a name and description to easily organize them. I also like the scheduler. The organization and the scheduling, being able to create the folders and the jobs, have been really helpful."

"GoAnywhere centralizes data exchanges, helping to facilitate file transfers between our critical systems."

"The security and vendor management features are helpful in terms of providing access to data."

"If it's dealing with SFTP or any kind of secure transfer, we don't hear about it. It's good. Everything works."

"All of it is valuable, but the most valuable would be the ability to release medical records without having a limitation for size and not having to deal with the fax machine."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to call a workflow from another workflow. That really gives you an edge by increasing reusability and speeding up development time. You can create a workflow which is a type of template and then call that workflow from any other workflow... It has sped up development time by 80 to 90 percent."

"I like the versatility GoAnywhere provides, allowing transfers through HTTPS and different protocols. It can also transfer through a server and a client."

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

Cons

"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."

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

"At present, HelpSystems GoAnywhere MFT integrates with an antivirus solution, but it's a bit kludgy."

"There are a number of built-in tasks in GoAnywhere. One, in particular, the write to CSV task, is slow. If you have, say, 100,000 records in your row set and you want to write them to a CSV file, it takes a long time. That definitely requires performance improvement."

"For us, it is perfect. It is a good solution that we are using, and we are going to continue to do so. However, it should be advertised more as a solution. I did not see it out there beforehand."

"I want to be able to use GoAnywhere to create customizable reports that I can share with the MSP containing any information related to file transfers."

"The biggest weakness I have seen in the product is scheduling. It is very limited in that aspect. It needs more flexibility and more ways to schedule."

"API functionality wasn't part of our initial unit testing because it wasn't necessary then. However, shortly after implementing GoAnywhere, two different vendors approached us to do API transactions. We checked to see if GoAnywhere could do this and found that it was supposed to have that capability, but it broke down."

"The solution's built-in functions could be better; I want to see easier file transfers and management."

"When a monitor invokes a project to accomplish something, that gets logged as a job. I've had a little difficulty figuring out where to look to see the monitor's activities itself, to see if the monitor is having a problem. For instance, if an account on a secure FTP server has expired, the monitor that uses that account doesn't announce to us that it's having a problem. I want to work with them on this to get it fixed."

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."

"For what we pay to GoAnywhere every year, we are getting a fantastic deal. From a dollar perspective, it provides very good value."

"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."

"Its pricing is fair. It is not the most expensive, and it is not the cheapest. For what we get in our environment, the pricing model works pretty well."

"Compared to other tools it's less expensive."

"The cost was definitely within reason and it has definitely been worth the cost, based on how much we can automate. It has exceeded my expectations."

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

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

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

More GoAnywhere MFT pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

28%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS Transfer for SFTP?

The solution has helped with collaboration in our organization.

See all answers

What needs improvement with AWS Transfer for SFTP?

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.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for AWS Transfer for SFTP?

We have integrations with third-party systems that unfortunately make use of a very old-school, file-based protocol. Instead of an API or HTTP-based protocol where you make a request to an endpoint...

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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?

Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT pricing is competitive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

The technical support response time has room for improvement.

See all answers

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Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct vs GoAnywhere MFT

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

March 2025

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Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

March 2025

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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

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March 2025

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