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Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

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

Axway AMPLIFY Managed File ...
Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)
11th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sterling Commerce Connect:D...
Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer is 4.0%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is 7.7%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed File Transfer (MFT)
 

Featured Reviews

Sayantan Sarkar - PeerSpot reviewer
User-friendly and doesn't take much space when getting installed
When it comes to the tool's scalability, I cannot say that everything can be done in the best version. There is always a scope for improvement. The tool can try to make it a little bit more flexible so that we can easily invoke the APIs, and in such a way, it can be made a little bit better. In general, everything is fine with respect to the tool's scalability. My company has encountered some challenges. The tool does not allow the explicit port for some of the protocols, like FTP. We are still selling the tool to some of our clients. I feel they should allow us to do some testing for the SMB-related protocols or Windows path-related protocols, which we are not allowing, making it difficult for us to identify the issue with respect to those SMB protocols as well as Amazon S3's protocols. I believe it is an area that needs to be fixed so that it will help the end customer do those types of tests without the help of another external tool. As of now, I can remember only these two scenarios where improvements are needed.
Sumit Mundik - PeerSpot reviewer
Has good file transfer speed, but licensing cost is too high
The initial setup of the solution is not straightforward because it's not GUI-based. If you are installing the solution on a UNIX server, you should have a basic understanding of UNIX. You should know how to go from one directory to another, what the config files are, how to edit those files, and how to get the backup of those files. You need a little technical knowledge for it. The developers working on the solution are very costly for the organization. Also, the complexity of having this kind of setup is very difficult. This solution is only used by giant financial companies like BNY Mellon, Barclays, and JPMorgan Chase. They cannot replace the solution because they have several files transferred internally using it. It is very difficult and cost-consuming for them to change, migrate, or upgrade their system. That's the reason they are not able to do it very easily.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"AMPLIFY has all the essential features for managing file transfer."
"It makes a logical link between the inbound/outbound transfer, and makes it clearly visible. This is a very important feature for managing transfer with different environments, and it's very helpful in case of troubleshooting."
"The product is simple for encrypting data transfer of all the assets in our system."
"The product's initial setup phase is pretty straightforward."
"Axway consolidated all of our communications into one platform, simplifying network and port management. Now, all we have to do is open one port to this application, and we can remove all the firewall rules on that port. It's much more straightforward to manage from a security perspective. We used to rely on an archaic FTP solution, but Axway features SFTP, so it was an improvement security-wise."
"It’s very flexible."
"It provides a good amount of storage capacity for a reasonable price and has a good range of connectors."
"It is an easy-to-use and stable product."
"The most valuable feature of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is its flexibility with encryption."
"The solution's file transfer speed is quite high."
"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."
"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."
"Automation is the most valuable feature."
"Offers secure file transfers with a fast and efficient protocol for very large files."
"Security is the most valuable feature of this product."
"The most valuable feature is that it provides 100% reliability for file transmission. It ensures that files get delivered in a secure manner. When you use Connect:Direct, your file 100% gets delivered to the next delivery location. If the log shows that a file got delivered, it will have all the transmitted data without truncation or other data issues."
 

Cons

"It is complicated to manage multi-operations, particularly in handling file name changes within file transcripts."
"Sometimes, the application's embedded databases couldn't perform well for a higher volume of data."
"Their monitoring is not up to the mark and needs improvement."
"One area of improvement is troubleshooting. When a transfer fails, they provide little information about the login, which makes troubleshooting difficult. Also, file transfer scheduling is primitive. By that, I mean you can't define a complex schedule, like scheduling a job to run at particular hours multiple times in a day."
"We only hope that they continue to keep updating the solution and improving the offering. They could always do more updates and releases."
"Improvement in Data Encoding would be very appreciated (I'm thinking of ASCII-EBCDIC, ASCII-ASCII, etc.)."
"The areas in need of improvement are the monitoring and the cut-off management, when needed. Today you have at least two solutions: Buy the other Axway suite, Sentinel, or integrate it into your monitoring system."
"The tool can try to make it a little bit more flexible so that we can easily invoke the APIs, and in such a way, it can be made a little bit better."
"Technical support is the number one concern."
"Sometimes we face issues and can't figure out the cause of failures."
"The user interface needs to be improved."
"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"They have File Agent, which is an additional utility and a component of Connect:Direct, for automated file transmission. In that utility, there is some issue with the file name. There is a limitation on the file name, and that is being fixed by IBM."
"The resources required for this tool are costly and not easily available in the market."
"Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct could improve by adding some of the functionality that some other vendors have. For example, GoAnywhere has call agents, which are small clients that can be installed on the endpoints and can be handled by the central point on the server. If I want to do this with the IBM solution, I have to sell a lot of account addresses. The price could be unprofitable for the customer. There is some small functionality that could be implemented and could be easily done to improve this solution."
"User interface is not user friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The platform's price aligns with the market."
"It is quite expensive, and because of that, we get good service from them in return for the price paid."
"AMPLIFY's license is a one-time investment."
"Pricing and licensing is related to the protocols you choose to support."
"The price and licensing of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is expensive."
"Annual licensing fee."
"The solution's licensing cost is too high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
28%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
41%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
Insurance Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer?
The product is simple for encrypting data transfer of all the assets in our system.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer?
There's infinite pricing available on their portal, however, it's typically accompanied by a discount. However, detailed pricing information is confidential and was not shared in this call.
What needs improvement with Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer?
Their monitoring is not up to the mark and needs improvement. They should have enhanced auto-reconnection capabilities for interrupted file transfers and implement features allowing chunk movement ...
What needs improvement with Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct?
I do not find anything that needs improvement in Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct as a product. I have been supporting this solution, and it serves billions of customers well. Capgemini, in collabo...
What is your primary use case for Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct?
The primary use case of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is to transmit data. It offers two modes of transfers: SFTP, which is straightforward, and FTPS, which provides secure file transfer. A sign...
 

Also Known As

SecureTransport, Axway SecureTransport, AMPLIFY MFT
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BNP Paribas Securities Services, Bollor_, E.ON AG Group, BMW Group, IdenTrust, Gassco, International Post Corporation, SNCF, DB Schenker Logistics, Logius, CSCA, La Poste
HZMO, Bank of Communications
Find out what your peers are saying about Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer vs. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.