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IBM Sterling File Gateway vs MOVEit vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of IBM Sterling File Gateway is 9.5%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MOVEit is 9.6%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is 7.3%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Managed File Transfer (MFT)
 

Featured Reviews

Vinutha Gangadhara - PeerSpot reviewer
Ability to customize on top of the inbuilt processes, user-friendly and well-categorized
I’ve been part of this client for the last seven-plus years. It’s been close to 70 to 80 continuous improvements we have delivered. The priority ones which we always shortlist are the recurring incidents or recurring issues, which came in the initial phase of the year when we took this entire landscape under our maintenance. One such incident I can recollect is with respect to performance tuning. We committed to our users 99.99% and above as the availability metrics for Sterling Integrator. This has acted as a high-availability system, but we treat it as mission-critical. When it comes to the commitment we give to users, we have to ensure the system is kept most stable. So, the majority of the problem was in the communication channels. Whenever we enabled additional logging for the communication channel, the system used to have hiccups. So we worked with the vendor, stating that the visibility channel framework needs to be changed because the moment we enable more logging, it literally brings the system down, or the system doesn’t work as it should. They took our input and delivered a better framework in their next releases, which helped us after upgrading to have that stability intact. As the system grows, we ensure to have performance tuning triggered and optimize the business process wherever required. For example, by default, Sterling Integrator business process will have full logging enabled. We took care of those things. Not all business processes or workflows require full logging enabled. Only a few critical ones require every step logs. For the rest, we categorized and reduced the logging for those workflows. That actually helped us to increase the IO overall from ten milliseconds to six milliseconds. That was a good achievement. Apart from that, in terms of queues, how we maintain the queues, how we defined all file queues across the critical business process is one thing we felt was done better. The threads we assign for the priority queues and the business processes were configured to those priority queues, whatever is critical, so that it gets high priority to allow the threads to process. So that queue thread Sterling was taken under the performance tuning. Apart from that, I think some of the best practices which IBM recommends is what we usually run through every year. We just have the health check done through IBM, and we just ensure that all the best practice recommendations are added in the system.
Sumit Mundik - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable, has a simple GUI, and provides brilliant automation capabilities
It is very easy to configure the setup. MOVEit is a reliable tool. I have not seen as many issues with it as in Globalscape. The tool’s GUI is very simple. I can do anything from the web. I need not log in to the desktop version. The automation capabilities are brilliant. We can create and add any kind of schedule. We can create schedules and have them run on a specific day. For example, we can run the schedule on the third and fourth business days or the first seven business days. We can run schedules for every 10, 15, or 20 minutes. When we pick a file, the tool creates a temporary directory in the MOVEit server. When the file is sent to the destination, it does not store the file inside the system. The moment the files get picked up, the tool delivers them. We did not face many challenges while integrating the tool into our environment. It is a really good product. Even if we face any issues, we can easily resolve them because the errors we see are self-explanatory.
Caio Nascimento - PeerSpot reviewer
Transform encrypted files with enhanced flexibility and very robust
The package that IBM delivers does not come with many premade tools or templates. This means we have to create a lot of things by ourselves, which requires more work. We have a team of four to five people just to develop map-based programs. Additionally, the initial setup could be simpler and better.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One feature that we appreciate or use for multiple customers is the routing channel."
"Scalability is fine."
"It offers easy utilization of resources for smooth transfers."
"I have found almost all the features valuable."
"In IBM Sterling File Gateway, automation primarily involves schedulers, which significantly transfer daily generated claim files to the end user. We ensure that the directory and files are up to date, particularly those placed in specific directories by the source. Processing can stop if someonechanges the directory without updating it in the SFG partner profile. On the destination side, after setting up a partner file, we provide the end user with an MFT link, user ID, password, and a guide on uploading, downloading, and viewing files. Initially, we set up a primary password for them, and they can later change it to a preferred one for viewing their files. This process ensures smooth file handling, but miscommunication regarding directory changes can lead to issues."
"This product has been a leader in the field of secure file exchange."
"The solution's most valuable features include the partner management capability, which centralizes all configurations and connections."
"The most valuable aspect is that it has good functionality."
"The tool’s GUI is very simple."
"MOVEit's best features were the number of options available, like folder creation, and user-friendliness."
"The automation is generally very simple that helps with operational efficiency. Since we mainly created interfaces and scheduled transfers, the tool itself handled the file transfer automation."
"The most valuable feature of MOVEit is the upload speed."
"The renaming and timestamp features are great."
"From an administration standpoint, it's very easy to manage, and I feel pretty confident in the security of the product. From an end-user standpoint also, it's very easy."
"Especially at the time of monitoring, it's a nice way to take a look at the script and take a look at run time, which gives enough information for the files that are getting picked or not."
"Offers a large collection of very good path planning algorithms."
"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."
"The product has been very stable."
"The Security Plus feature of this solution is excellent, and allows you to send encrypted files very securely to remote destinations."
"Automation is the most valuable feature."
"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."
"Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is a solution that is on the market for a very long time. There is an integrator that has been developed and evolves every year. On the roadmap, there is always a new integration. For example, it's one of the solutions in the market that out of the box can handle EBICS protocol. The file processing is done very well. By default, there are a lot of configurations that can be customized."
 

Cons

"The product could be improved by offering native API capabilities and making the solution more user-friendly for larger, multi-node implementations."
"We need REST APIs or other tools to create that listening producer."
"We have issues with the stability of this solution, like server-down issues."
"IBM is advising not to use the IT translate anymore but this is going to be an extra cost to the customer to use the alternative."
"The API capabilities could be expanded to make integration more versatile."
"The automation part is somewhat limited."
"The admin console needs some work."
"IBM Sterling File Gateway depends on a database, which can be a drawback compared to platforms where system resources are entirely controlled internally."
"If the transfers are more or the file size is big, it takes more time. It doesn't have much capacity to process multiple files at the same time. It can get stuck or take a lot of time to process the files."
"The DR solution (DR recoveries) needs to be enhanced."
"At times, we had connection issues with MOVEit, and it had a tendency to reboot without any reason."
"Communication can be improved between the product owners and users."
"The initial setup is a bit difficult."
"Since I have to monitor two times a day, it would be nice if they have script templates."
"We have had some challenges. Earlier when we were setting it up, a component called gateway, which runs in the DMV, was not working as expected. It was going down very often. That means most of our vendors were not able to connect using SFTP because that service was down. We had to put in a lot of monitoring to make sure if that goes down, there is some visibility instantaneously so that our system admins can go and do a restart."
"With the new other vendors coming up, they come up with certain features, in addition to the file transfer. But MOVEit does not develop their product. That's why we are looking out for other solutions."
"This solution cannot be deployed on a root_squash NFS, which limits superuser privileges."
"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"The user interface needs to be improved."
"User interface is not user friendly."
"Technical support is the number one concern."
"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."
"The initial setup could be simpler and better."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's reasonably priced at $800,000."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable."
"I do know that it's generally considered expensive, but it's also widely used across corporate organizations due to its robust protocol communication, secure file transfer capabilities, and integration features. Although there are other tools on the market, IBM Sterling File Gateway stands out for its unique options and cloud compatibility, which offers future benefits, particularly in avoiding data storage issues."
"There are two types of customer licenses, an annual preview license, and an ELA-based license. I have found the solution is priced well. However, they need to review the pricing model because if you look at any other competitors, such as GlobalSCAPE, they do pricing based on the components and what you select. With this solution you have a monolithic application which you need to buy, there is no component level price discount."
"It's cost-effective."
"I haven't really priced out many other products like this, but I feel it's reasonable. Their upgrade support after hours was going to be $6,000. I just made the decision to wing it and just do it during business hours and call support if there was a problem."
"When compared to other products I've used, I believe MoveIt is worth the money someone might pay to use it."
"Technical support is only available with a paid license."
"Annual licensing fee."
"The solution's licensing cost is too high."
"The price and licensing of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
34%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Insurance Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
38%
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Sterling File Gateway?
The cost-effectiveness of IBM Sterling File Gateway was a major factor in our decision to use it, in comparison to th...
What needs improvement with IBM Sterling File Gateway?
The product itself wasn't very easy to comprehend. I required a lot of customization that didn’t meet my needs. I res...
What is your primary use case for IBM Sterling File Gateway?
I utilized Sterling primarily for SFTP and Connect Direct. I have a complicated system involving ZOS mainframe, data ...
What do you like most about MOVEit?
The automation is generally very simple that helps with operational efficiency. Since we mainly created interfaces an...
What needs improvement with MOVEit?
The product must improve its security features. Recently, there have been multiple attacks on the solution. It has ru...
What is your primary use case for MOVEit?
We can use the product to transfer files. I work for a bank. The files we transfer have PGP encryption by default. Th...
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 supportin...
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,...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Ipswitch File Transfer, Ipswitch Managed File Transfer
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Cambridgeshire County Council, Capita Document & Information Services, Enterasys, City of Guelph, Hermes
HZMO, Bank of Communications
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