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 38 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

2,357 Views
1,392 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: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

April 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

"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 has helped with collaboration in our organization."

"The solution offers good data recovery."

"The user interface is simple."

"When users say, 'I'm building spreadsheets that I would like to be uploaded on a regular basis into the IBM i,' we are able to accommodate that request within a matter of hours rather than the days it would take to create programs to do that. That is very useful. It has eliminated several dozens of scripts for us."

"GoAnywhere makes it easy to move files around. We have quite a bit of information we have to transfer to around 300 different companies that require us to send data on a regular basis. If we did this manually, it would require several employees."

"When we were doing the demo, we took one project from the old system and got it running in GoAnywhere in less than 30 minutes. That says a lot. I've written queries and understand code, so I'm not a novice. Still, I think that's pretty impressive for a software product to be able to deliver a functional use case in half an hour."

"Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT supports the PeSIT protocol."

"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."

"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 features are the automatic processing of files and scheduled execution of the files."

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

Cons

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

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

"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."

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

"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."

"The technical support response time has room for improvement."

"The support could be enhanced a little bit... If the first echelon of support could say, 'Okay, you are trying to create a variable,' and could tell you what you have to do, that would be good."

"Fortra needs to offer more use cases for GoAnywhere MFT during training."

"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."

"We are a little concerned because the maximum number of open connections allowed is 200, and we are pretty much maxed out... if they expanded the number of open connections allowed, we would be better off."

"If the hostname has a dash in it then it does not work."

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."

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

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

"The product's pricing is reasonable."

"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."

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

"Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT carries a higher price tag than other MFT solutions."

"When it comes to secure systems that we have used, the price point can get a whole lot higher. You might end up saving in the short term with other solutions, but are you getting a secure product? Do you feel confident in that? Will you be able to get any support afterward? From my experience, based on the price point and the service that we got, it was a good value for our money."

More GoAnywhere MFT pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

29%

Computer Software Company

11%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

12%

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 advice do you have for others considering AWS Transfer for SFTP?

I would rate AWS Transfer for SFTP a six out of ten. I would recommend the solution but there are other tools in the market with better UI.

See all answers

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

Comparisons

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JSCAPE by Redwood vs GoAnywhere MFT

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Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

April 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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April 2025

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