GoAnywhere MFT vs Thru comparison

Fortra and Thru are both solutions in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category. Fortra is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while Thru is ranked #27. Fortra holds a 10.1% mindshare in MFT, compared to Thru’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortra users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Thru users who would recommend it.

GoAnywhere MFT

Read 63 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

2,812 Views
2,615 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Thru

Read 1 Thru review

221 Views
188 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

GoAnywhere MFT

Thru

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 8, 2025

Thru and GoAnywhere MFT compete in the managed file transfer domain. GoAnywhere MFT is often seen as superior due to its comprehensive features, offering good value.

Features: Thru is effective in secure file sharing, cloud-based integrations, and data protection, providing ease of use across platforms. GoAnywhere MFT offers advanced automation capabilities, diverse compliance features, and extensive system integration options, providing versatility and control in file transfer operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Thru provides a straightforward cloud-based deployment model with responsive support, enabling quick setup and resolution of queries. GoAnywhere MFT includes more complex deployment options, such as on-premise and hybrid models, and provides in-depth customer service for detailed implementation assistance and ongoing technical support.

Pricing and ROI: Thru has a cost-effective pricing model suitable for budget-conscious organizations, delivering good ROI through efficient operational capabilities. GoAnywhere MFT may involve higher initial costs but provides greater long-term ROI due to its feature set and adaptability, making it a worthwhile investment for robust file management solutions.

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

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

July 2025

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Helped 865,295 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

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

Thru

Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)

27th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of GoAnywhere MFT is 10.1%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Thru is 0.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

Featured Reviews

Vidyasagar Gupta

File Transfer Analyst at IG Group

Enables secure and efficient file transfers with customizable automations

The biggest improvement I've seen since using GoAnywhere MFT for three to four years is in security; control over our network security is the biggest factor to consider, and the solution automatically identifies and blocks attempts to attack our system. Additionally, the transfer speed is impressive; even if files are in GBs, it doesn't take much time to transfer, increasing our organization's efficiency significantly. In my opinion, the best feature of GoAnywhere MFT is its user-friendly UI; it's very simple to use compared to other managed file transfer tools such as MOVEit and Axway, which are a bit more complicated. While we don't use any connectors for services such as Salesforce, SharePoint Online, or MS365, GoAnywhere MFT does have the capability of connecting to these systems either through SFTP, HTTPS protocols, or API-based connections. The way it works here is different; we set up a resource-based connection to connect to various services such as SAP or Salesforce. The range of connectors that GoAnywhere MFT provides out of the box is quite extensive; it covers everything from legacy tools that support AS2 connections to the latest services such as AWS and Azure Blobs. I'm very satisfied with the connectivity options available in GoAnywhere MFT; they include everything you can think of, and as long as the system you want to connect to accepts connections, we can connect using AS2, AS4, and other cloud connectors. In relation to the agents, they are crucial for extending MFT automation to remote systems. I've noticed that in my previous organization, agents were not used as we connected via network shares, which led to occasional connectivity issues. Now, using agents increases the file transfer speed by about 20 to 30%, and they provide a more stable connection compared to legacy network shares.

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reviewer1090674

Business Analyst at a media company with 1-10 employees

Scalable, reliable, and excellent support

I have been using Thru for approximately two years The stability of Thru is very good. Thru is a scalable solution. We have approximately 50 people using this solution. The technical support from Thru is great. I rate the support of Thru a five out of five. Positive The initial setup of Thru…

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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

"GoDrive eliminates the need to use the exchange server for file sharing."

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

"It is very easy to use. It is easy to create projects in a graphical environment. The configuration and the setup of the environment is very easy"

"GoAnywhere stands out for its user-friendly project creation, intuitive testing and troubleshooting, and especially its notification system, which keeps me informed of any issues that need attention, a feature we lacked before."

"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."

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

"The most valuable feature of MFT is the security it provides for our data. MFT allows us to add additional authorization and passwords to any file attachments we send via email, and also to limit the number of times the recipient can download the file."

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

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

"The stability of Thru is very good."

Cons

"The UI of GoAnywhere MFT could be a bit crisper because sometimes it gets tricky to find where to look for information."

"The area where I would suggest improvement is on the pricing side. The pricing is not favorable sometimes when we use it for a few people. Even if we purchase additional licenses, no discount is given."

"Everything works fine, but I feel that the user interface can be improved, especially the layout. They can make the dashboards more customizable."

"A drawback is that it is not as feature-rich compared to its competitor Sterling, which we used before. It has fewer features, though it is more intuitive."

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

"One of the things that I wish is to not necessarily have to set up a username and password for people with whom we don't frequently share files. For instance, if I want to share files with a patient who is not somebody with whom we share files all the time, I would like them to somehow verify who they are and be able to push the file to them. I shouldn’t have to set them up as a user with a password. It should be almost like Dropbox."

"The product could be improved by being modular. There are more features in the core product than any client needs."

"It would be helpful to have a way to actually have a job run without notifying the email addresses you have set up and without posting to the actual FTP... when you need to make a small change to a job that is deployed to production, and test that change, you have to go back and reset everything. It's not really a great way to test."

More GoAnywhere MFT cons

"The initial setup of Thru needed an engineer to be involved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I find it to be very fair. It is very good."

"It has flexible and affordable pricing because of custom quotes. The prices depend on the modules one needs and the volume of data being transferred. Overall, they offer custom and flexible pricing with an annual subscription, where you pay for specific features and functionality required."

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

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

"The pricing for GoAnywhere MFT seems reasonable when compared to other similar services, especially cloud services. Azure is significantly more expensive."

"It is very attractive. In terms of the capacity of the product and functionality, it is a good price."

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

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

More GoAnywhere MFT pricing and cost advice

"Overall, the price of the solution is good for what it does, but when you want to add some features it can get expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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?

The pricing for GoAnywhere MFT is quite fair.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

The cloud connectivity of GoAnywhere MFT to connect to different applications such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon, or Google Cloud could improve, as it's a little bit patchy right now. They do provide ...

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Comparisons

JSCAPE by Redwood vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 14% of the time

IBM Sterling File Gateway vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 12% of the time

MOVEit vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 10% of the time

TIBCO Managed File Transfer vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 5% of the time

Control-M vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 5% of the time

More GoAnywhere MFT Competitors

Aspera On Demand vs Thru

Compared 46% of the time

More Thru Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

August 2025

Download GoAnywhere MFT product report

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

July 2025

Download Thru product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Fortra

Thru

Overview

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

Thru’s enterprise-class managed file transfer as a service (MFTaaS) started in the cloud in 2002 and continues to provide cloud-based automated file transfer and ad hoc file sharing capabilities to some of the world’s largest corporations. Our cloud-native architecture continually delivers tangible, escalating returns on investment by uniquely addressing the most challenging secure file transfer requirements.

Meet governance and compliance standards with the help of Thru: Every layer of our service has antivirus scanning, end-to-end encryption and a full audit trail.

Significantly reduce IT overhead and costs from on-premises servers: Migrate to our cloud to hand off deployment, maintenance, scaling and more to Thru’s award-winning team of file transfer experts.

Our out-of-the-box MFT connectors and APIs extend integration platform (iPaaS) capabilities, adding persistence and guaranteed delivery to file transfers.

Execute internal or external file transfers with Thru's distributed hybrid architecture: The Thru Node (an MFT agent) is installed on-premises for internal transfers with orchestration by the cloud.

Contact Thru to discuss your managed file transfer options.

Thru

Sample Customers

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

Dell EMC, Plus 500, Manhattan Associates, NetworkRail, Blackbaud, AB InBev, Blackwoods, Sage, Crocs

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

July 2025

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