Avanan vs Kiteworks comparison

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Avanan

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Kiteworks and Avanan are competing products in secure communication and email security. Avanan often leads due to its advanced security features and value for cost.

Features: Kiteworks offers secure file sharing, email protection, and compliance integrations. Its strengths lie in large file transfers up to 30 GB, centralized content management, and built-in antivirus protection. Avanan specializes in advanced AI-driven threat detection, easy integration with platforms like Microsoft Office 365, and comprehensive email threat protection involving sandboxing and anomaly detection.

Room for Improvement: Kiteworks could enhance its content visibility tools, expand admin access controls, and improve two-factor authentication mechanisms. Avanan may benefit from refining its malware detection algorithms for old-school attack vectors, reducing false positives, and integrating more seamless updates to improve threat identification.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Kiteworks provides an intuitive deployment process and strong customer support for seamless system integration. Avanan offers a cloud-based setup that prioritizes minimal disruption and rapid deployment, with responsive customer service ensuring ongoing support.

Pricing and ROI: Kiteworks provides a cost-effective solution with competitive pricing and a clear ROI through its extensive feature set. Avanan, despite higher initial costs, offers significant ROI by enhancing email security with advanced protective measures that justify the investment.

To learn more, read our detailed Avanan vs. Kiteworks Report (Updated: September 2025).

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Avanan vs. Kiteworks

September 2025

Helped 869,202 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

Avanan

Ranking in Email Security

14th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (26th)

Kiteworks

Ranking in Email Security

32nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Content Management (16th), Managed File Transfer (MFT) (5th), Content Collaboration Platforms (14th), Secure Email Gateway (SEG) (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of Avanan is 3.4%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kiteworks is 0.5%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Security Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Avanan	3.4%
Kiteworks	0.5%
Other	96.1%

Email Security

Featured Reviews

Robert Melendez

Vice President Information Technology at Makeready

Enhances email security and has a very simple and easy-to-use UI

Spam protection is the most valuable feature. We have implemented the tool to enhance our email security. It helps prevent phishing attacks. The anomaly detection capabilities are baked into the security platform. The product integrates wonderfully with Microsoft 365. It's built right on a cloud platform and works almost natively. The solution has a very simple and easy-to-use UI. The tool appears extremely powerful and has a good solid feature set. It catches things that are bad for my environment. The user interface is good the way it is. If the solution continues down that path, I see no problems with the way it is going. It feels like a mature product.

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Sukkanta Banerjee

Senior Software Engineer at Wipro Limited

Two-factor authentication and .ZIP format make large file transfers very secure

The most valuable feature is the ability to send a large file of 30 GB in size and more. In Outlook and other email applications, you cannot send files that are larger than 20 MB. But with Kiteworks, 30 GB is transferable by default and, with the proper approval, a file of up to 100 GB can be sent. It makes file transfer very easy and smooth. Also, only the .ZIP format is supported because it is a very secure mode of file transfer, and that is why it is recommended. It also has built-in antivirus, so if it detects any malware it will quarantine the file and it won't be delivered. This is really important to keep the service up and running in a proper and secure manner. With people working from home, the data needs to be checked to see what kind of data is being sent. It has a two-factor authentication mechanism. For example, if a person with a particular domain is using Kiteworks and sends a file to a party outside of his domain, that external party has to go through two-factor authentication. The receiver gets a link that takes them to the setup of a temporary account, which will be valid for three days. The recipient will also receive a customized password separately. Only after all these steps will they be able to access the file. That access is only available to a person with the mail ID to which the file was sent. In addition, admins can see who is sending sensitive content, what that content is, and to whom it is being sent, and can track emails. One week of good training will give a user complete knowledge for using the solution. The system is very easy to use. You just click on "Compose," attach a file, and send it. It's very easy compared to Outlook or Teams. It's quite simple, even for someone logging in for the first time. It is very smooth and easy to send files.

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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 customizable rules allow you to change aspects."

"It can detect corrupted files and filters out documents with viruses."

"It is simple to deploy this platform and interact with the set features."

"This technology is one of Check Point's acquisitions, and it is currently a powerful tool that provides all the protection that is not found in other tools."

"The most valuable feature of Avanan is its Anti-Malware solution for Office 365, and box.com."

"The ease of installation and the AI capacity of the product are valuable."

"Email Attachment Protection detects any insecure files and quickly blocks them to prevent the spread of viruses to other secure documents."

"It can retract unsafe emails and remove them from the entire communication channel."

More Avanan pros

"The most valuable feature is the ability to send a large file of 30 GB in size and more. In Outlook and other email applications, you cannot send files that are larger than 20 MB. But with Kiteworks, 30 GB is transferable by default and, with the proper approval, a file of up to 100 GB can be sent. It makes file transfer very easy and smooth."

"We can see when people are sending things. We can definitely see who is sending to whom. From the administrative logs, we can see who is sending to an outside entity, and those logs are retained for quite a while."

"The most valuable aspect of Kiteworks is undoubtedly the private content network. This feature is particularly beneficial for us. Furthermore, it serves as a centralized platform that enables us to track and manage our information exchange."

"I can identify from which region our users are uploading or downloading files."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to allow end-users to manage their own information and data with minimal administration. That's the best feature from my perspective."

"I like Kiteworks or Accellion because it's continuously upgraded. I also know that it probably works with a lot of clients."

"We could see whether the customer with whom we shared a file had downloaded it, which was not available with GitHub."

"Scalability is impressive."

More Kiteworks pros

Cons

"In Avanan, the email channel is one of the channels where data leakage happens, and they need to consider it from a DLP perspective."

"The system could be designed to give corporate emails first priority due to demands."

"They should come up with a mobile application so that it can be more flexible."

"The user experience must be improved."

"Avanan doesn't cover certain tool segments."

"Being cloud first and because we are in the movie business, we use a lot of Macintoshes. So, there is absolutely no reason for us to have Active Directory whatsoever. However, if you are using Office 365, you must have Active Directory in order to reset passwords. Even though we have a single sign-on provider, we must have Azure Active Directory for Office 365, which is really stupid. As a cloud application, you would think that I don't need Active Directory, which I don't need for anything else except Office 365. We have one server inside that space to help us manage Active Directory just for Office 365. This is a very sore point, but it is what it is."

"It should reduce the amount of time needed for thorough scanning."

"There are times when we have false positives."

More Avanan cons

"The one feature, which I have also requested directly to Kiteworks, is to have a scheduled upgrade function. Currently, one of my engineers logs in after hours for the upgrade. We're a hospital, and we're 24/7, but the primary users are seven to five. So, we log in the early evening just to push a button to tell it to do the update. It would be nice if that could be very easily scheduled."

"It could be more stable. In the next release, it would be better if it was more stable with improved performance."

"I would like to see immediate releases of fixes because now it takes at least a week. If that time span can be reduced to one day or two days, that would be very helpful for users so that things are sorted and transactions work smoothly."

"Kiteworks could benefit from enhancing the proposal knowledge base section, specifically regarding the type of work involved. Currently, the knowledge base seems insufficiently dedicated to this topic, making it challenging for new users to access the relevant administrative law. Improving the visual aids and providing clearer explanations could alleviate this issue."

"It would be nice if Kiteworks could provide a free version of the platform so that it could be used for a certain number of file transfers. We could be charged a fee if we exceeded the number of allotted file transfers."

"I noticed the Kiteworks login UI is very basic, lacking customization. Allowing more HTML tags to add hyperlinks or user-friendly information on the home page would be very useful."

"There is no offboarding process for end-users in Kiteworks. It's a manual process. There is no automated syncing with LDAP and checking to see if the account is still active. It's a manual process to get people out of here, which isn't the best way."

"File location could be improved."

More Kiteworks cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of Avanan is reasonable."

"The product is not the cheapest in the market."

"Avanan’s price is comparable to Barracuda."

"Having the flexibility and modeling to do the pricing that best fits the needs of the organization is incredibly ideal. That is what Avanan does. They know exactly how many users are using it, etc. We can tune the invoicing associated with how we are using the product so we can charge it back to the shows appropriately."

"Good pricing arrangement as an SaaS offering."

"I believe it's a little costly, but given the faith that we put into it from a security perspective to maintain the integrity of our patient information that is being transferred through this system, that's a small price to pay. So, on the surface, it might look like a lot of money, but depending on the need for security, which is where we feel it shines, it's okay price-wise."

"They changed it midstream. We were being charged a certain flat rate for SFTP traffic. For whatever reason, at the beginning of the year, our pricing changed, and we are now being charged more for using a feature of the product than we were when we first bought it. That has been our experience with billing. It turned out to be more expensive than when we started with it."

"The license management is changing and confusing. If I could make one change to it, it would be better license management through the API."

"The price of Kiteworks is reasonable."

"It is not really expensive. I mean, to me it's obviously expensive, but it's worth it."

"The solution is very expensive because we are buying with Malaysian Ringgit and it's sold in US dollars."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Retailer

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Large Enterprise	11

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Avanan?

Spam protection is the most valuable feature.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Avanan?

Avanan’s price is comparable to Barracuda.

What needs improvement with Avanan?

Avanan doesn't cover certain tool segments. Barracuda provides backup and retention of emails and Microsoft 365’s backup and retention services. I've brought this up with the vendor. They told me t...

What is Kiteworks?

Kiteworks is a secured file sharing platform that enables users to collaborate with different parties across a robust offering of secured protected channels. Users have the option of virtual privat...

What needs improvement with Kiteworks?

I'm not a network expert, however, there must be some room for improvement. Perhaps there could be a notification to users about their bandwidth or network packet loss. If users receive such notifi...

What advice do you have for others considering Kiteworks?

Scalability is impressive. It can be highly available, resilient, and scalable infrastructure. I can confidently give it a nine. It suits any level of organization, whether a small setup with two a...

Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration vs Avanan

Comparisons

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Compared 12% of the time

Abnormal Security vs Avanan

Compared 10% of the time

Perception Point Advanced Email Security vs Avanan

Compared 7% of the time

Proofpoint Email Protection vs Avanan

Compared 6% of the time

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SharePoint vs Kiteworks

Compared 12% of the time

FileCloud vs Kiteworks

Compared 8% of the time

GoAnywhere MFT vs Kiteworks

Compared 7% of the time

Box vs Kiteworks

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Download Avanan product report

Avanan

October 2025

Download Kiteworks product report

September 2025

Also Known As

No data available

Accellion

Overview

Avanan offers advanced threat detection for protecting against phishing and malware, utilizing strong AI algorithms and seamless integration with platforms like Office 365. Its cloud-based, customizable security rules ensure efficient data protection suitable for diverse organizational sizes.

Avanan's platform is designed for email security across cloud and on-premises environments, protecting against threats like ransomware and DDoS attacks. With features such as real-time threat detection and advanced filtering, it integrates effortlessly with Microsoft 365. Organizations appreciate its user-friendly interface that allows for easy deployment and management. While possessing cost-effective qualities, Avanan might improve in SaaS integration, AI logic, and technical support with Check Point. Some users suggest enhancements like better mobile compatibility and faster threat response. The system's documentation and querying functionalities could also see refinement, addressing concerns for SMEs.

What are Avanan's key features?

Advanced Threat Detection: Quickly identifies phishing and malware.
Anti-Malware: Supports Office 365 and Box.com with strong AI algorithms.
Sandboxing Capability: Quarantines suspicious emails efficiently.
Seamless Integration: Compatible with tools like Office 365 and Slack.
Customizable Security: Offers cloud-based, always-on protection.

What benefits should users consider?

Cost-Effectiveness: Ideal for organizations of all sizes.
Ease of Implementation: Quick and easy setup process.
User-Friendly Management: Simplifies threat management and data protection.
Enhanced Data Protection: Comprehensive security across environments.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, Avanan is implemented widely to protect sensitive communications and ensure compliance with data protection regulations. Its flexibility makes it suitable for sectors requiring robust security measures, leveraging cloud-based solutions for real-time threat mitigation and data leak prevention.

Avanan, a Check Point Company

Kiteworks empowers organizations to effectively manage risk in every send, share, receive, and save of sensitive content over numerous communications channels: email, file sharing, managed file transfer, APIs, and web forms. The Kiteworks platform unifies, tracks, controls, and secures sensitive content moving within, into, and out of an organization, significantly improving risk management and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Sample Customers

Bethel School District, ServiceSource, Capital Caring

United States Securities and Exchange Commission, National Health Service, Husch Blackwell LLP, NYC Health + Hospitals, Viatris, MITRE Corporation, Chubb, Kraft Heinz, KPMG, Kohler, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Purdue Pharma, AVL