Aspera Managed File Transfer vs GoAnywhere MFT comparison

IBM and Fortra are both solutions in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category. IBM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0, while Fortra is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6. IBM holds a 3.1% mindshare in MFT, compared to Fortra’s 10.8% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Fortra users who would recommend it.

Aspera Managed File Transfer

Read 4 Aspera Managed File Transfer reviews

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754 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

GoAnywhere MFT

Read 70 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

3,098 Views
2,881 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Aspera Managed File Transfer

GoAnywhere MFT

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 14, 2025

Aspera Managed File Transfer and GoAnywhere MFT are competing in the managed file transfer space. GoAnywhere seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set that balances cost-effectiveness with extensive capabilities, despite some drawbacks in pricing and support when compared to Aspera.

Features: Aspera Managed File Transfer is known for its exceptional speed and efficiency in transferring large files, alongside strong security for critical data moves. GoAnywhere MFT proposes a wide range of capabilities, including system integration, automation, and enhanced security measures, which cater well to enterprise needs.

Room for Improvement: Aspera could improve its customer support for complex setups and enhance its cost predictability. GoAnywhere could benefit from more competitive pricing and possibly addressing some user feedback on technical support quality, along with offering further scalability options for larger enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Aspera offers a straightforward deployment model but might face challenges with more complex configurations, which could be aided by improved support. GoAnywhere is generally seen as easier to deploy and configure, backed by more responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Aspera presents a significant upfront cost but justifies this with the potential for high ROI due to its fast transfers for large files. GoAnywhere offers a more predictable pricing model with potentially lower initial costs, providing a balanced offering of cost and features, thus offering potentially better ROI for businesses seeking comprehensive solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Aspera Managed File Transfer vs. GoAnywhere MFT Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Aspera Managed File Transfer vs. GoAnywhere MFT

September 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

Aspera Managed File Transfer

Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)

12th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

GoAnywhere MFT

Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of Aspera Managed File Transfer is 3.1%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of GoAnywhere MFT is 10.8%, up from 6.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed File Transfer (MFT) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
GoAnywhere MFT	10.8%
Aspera Managed File Transfer	3.1%
Other	86.1%

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

Featured Reviews

Michele Illiano

Head of Division at Innovery

Beneficial quick protocol, powerful, but limited use cases

Aspera Managed File Transfer should be packaged into another solution. Explaining to customers you need to have multiple solutions from multiple vendors for their use cases can get complicated for them to understand. The best way to propose a suite is to have an integrated suite where the customer could choose to license part of it. This solution could be one solution not two choices between 10 or 12 different solutions. The main feature of Aspera Managed File Transfer is the communication protocol, which is fast. There are a lot of different clients that are offering features related to these fast protocols. It's possible to create one unique suite that can handle this base protocol. It will be quite easy to propose to the customers.

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Rohan Suryawanshi

Senior Software Engineer at Opcito Technologies

Automation simplifies file transfer and builds confidence in security

I appreciate the features of GoAnywhere MFT such as advanced workflows to automate all the transfer and reduce manual effort. The logs and reporting are very helpful for checking all the compliances. The encryption is quite good. The main feature which is very useful is connectors to connect it with cloud services such as AWS, Azure, GCP. 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. It has given stakeholders more confidence in the security of file transfer. It also helped developers to securely transfer the files. Overall, the impact was very good and positive in our business and personal improvements.

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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

"Good user interface and ability to set up multiple file transfer jobs."

"Aspera Managed File Transfer is an optimal solution for customers who want to transfer large files to remote sites with lower bandwidth and in less time."

"The main feature of Aspera Managed File Transfer is that it's an incredibly fast protocol, you can use all the bandwidth available. If I need to send large amounts of data this is the fastest protocol on the market. I have been using it for some minor projects and it is very powerful."

"We were able to effectively nullify the China firewall since the China firewall was disrupting our data transfer."

"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."

"Its speed is the most valuable because every integration used to take months with old SOA tools, integration buses, and that type of stuff. Now, we do integrations in a matter of days. Security is another valuable thing because every step in the workflow has an audit trace, which is great. This also brings a lot of confidence in automating business process workflows through this type of solution."

"The system is user-friendly and has significantly helped us meet our goals, particularly in file transfer."

"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."

"The user interface is simple."

"The automation part is my favorite feature, which is pretty easy and quick; I can schedule the transfers and it works fine, triggering secure file transfers via the encryptions they have, which helps us meet compliance requirements."

"Another nice feature is that you can invoke a native program from GoAnywhere. That helps you because you don't have to get fancy with agents. If a native program runs on the server that GoAnywhere is running on, like sed or perl, you can use it,"

"The best features of GoAnywhere MFT are its automated process capabilities; it is scalable, reliable, and requires minimal time to receive files from external to internal systems, and it is more secure compared to other tools."

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

Cons

"Aspera Managed File Transfer should be packaged into another solution. Explaining to customers you need to have multiple solutions from multiple vendors for their use cases can get complicated for them to understand."

"The solution's pricing is high and should be reduced."

"If there is any failure in the data transfer and it can automatically detect and reinitiate it, that would be great."

"Deployment is complex and it was difficult to get support."

"If you want to do a file transfer between two countries, and one is not China, then you have other more affordable options."

"In terms of scalability, I would rate it around five, as it needs further scaling. The interface built should be more stable, as performance varies across different browsers and deployed versions."

"There's one persnickety issue about NAS permissions. That is a problem we have run into with GoAnywhere. I would like to see more focus on compatibility with/enforcement of user roles and access permissions across NAS, among other things. We have filed a couple of tickets on that in the past."

"The reporting could be more customizable."

"Sometimes we use GoFast in GoAnywhere MFT because there are many failures or server issues."

"The solution's support for the Unix platform and AS2 should be improved."

"Upgrading was a challenge and I ran into some problems along the way."

"Its user interface can be improved. The current user interface is a little basic for some of the use cases. We have to use an external component to enhance it. When we need a more appealing user interface, we use an additional component, and that works okay."

"Sometimes we use GoFast in GoAnywhere MFT because there are many failures or server issues."

More GoAnywhere MFT cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aspera Managed File Transfer is not an inexpensive solution. I am not aware of many competitors to determine how affordable the price is overall."

"It was close to $10,000 to $20,000."

"GoAnywhere's price is justified by its features and the time it saves me."

"Licensing can be expensive and it depends upon which features you want to buy."

"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."

"GoAnywhere was the most attractively priced product that met our needs. In our PoC it really came down to MOVEit and GoAnywhere, and GoAnywhere's pricing was about 30 percent less."

"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."

"It would be good for the company to explore a modular approach to selling the product so it could be cheaper and more attractive to users."

"The pricing is not favorable when we use it for a few people."

More GoAnywhere MFT pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Insurance Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	36

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Aspera Managed File Transfer?

Aspera Managed File Transfer is an optimal solution for customers who want to transfer large files to remote sites with lower bandwidth and in less time.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Aspera Managed File Transfer?

There are other products of Aspera which come as add-ons, however, we haven't purchased those, like report generation, since that was not our requirement. The features we needed were included in th...

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What is your primary use case for Aspera Managed File Transfer?

We have an office in China, and we wanted to transfer data from China to the UK. We have an office in the UK as well.

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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?

Regarding GoAnywhere MFT's pricing, I think it is quite affordable since it was subscribed for me by my boss.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

In the areas where GoAnywhere MFT could improve, I find that for a few tasks, sometimes it becomes more complex because the workflows they have are complex to understand. Their product documentatio...

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Compared 9% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

August 2025

Download Aspera Managed File Transfer product report

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

September 2025

Download GoAnywhere MFT product report

Also Known As

No data available

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

Overview

IBM Aspera takes a different approach to tackling the challenges of big data movement over global WANs. Rather than optimize or accelerate data transfer, Aspera eliminates underlying bottlenecks by using its proprietary fasp technology that fully utilizes available network bandwidth to maximize speed and quickly scale up with no theoretical limit. Using fasp, transfers are secure end-to-end and are largely unaffected by file size, transfer distance, or network conditions, making transfer times up to 100Xs faster than TCP-based protocols.

IBM Aspera offers SaaS, on-prem, and hybrid solutions to meet the needs of modernizing infrastructures. All solutions offer robust security and compliance, intuitive file sharing, workflow automation, central administration, and real-time visibility. Quickly and easily initiate transfers across hybrid infrastructures, including support for cloud-to-cloud transfers. IBM Aspera offers unmatched transfer speeds, end-to-end security, reliability, and exceptional bandwidth control.

IBM

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

Gwinnett County Public Schools, Evonik, Voith, BITMARCK, Oracle

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

Buyer's Guide

Aspera Managed File Transfer vs. GoAnywhere MFT

September 2025

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