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MOVEit 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

MOVEit
Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sterling Commerce Connect:D...
Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
12
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 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

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

"I admire its ability to transfer really large files. One of the files that we transferred was 70 gigs. We didn't try anything larger than that, but so far, whenever somebody came to us to process a really large file, we were able to do it successfully. It can handle large files. That is one thing that I like about Automation."
"The most valuable feature of MOVEit is the upload speed."
"MOVEit's best features were the number of options available, like folder creation, and user-friendliness."
"Offers a large collection of very good path planning algorithms."
"It satisfies our requirements but they don't do new improvements as per the market."
"The major advantage is moving files as part of a workflow."
"The renaming and timestamp features are great."
"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 secure file transfers with a fast and efficient protocol for very large files."
"The product has been very stable."
"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."
"Automation is the most valuable feature."
"The Security Plus feature of this solution is excellent, and allows you to send encrypted files very securely to remote destinations."
"Security is the most valuable feature of this product."
"For Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct, my overall rating is ten out of ten."
"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."
 

Cons

"At times, we had connection issues with MOVEit, and it had a tendency to reboot without any reason."
"The product must improve its security features."
"It would be beneficial to include a feature that allows you to hide items and not be locked out if someone has made too many password attempts."
"Communication can be improved between the product owners and users."
"The initial setup is a bit difficult."
"It takes some time to learn and understand how the solution functions."
"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."
"Something that I would like to see is better upgrade support. We had looked at getting help with an upgrade, and to do it after hours, it was going to be $6,000. It only takes 15 minutes to do. It'd be nice if the after-hour support was a little more reasonable."
"The initial setup could be simpler and better."
"User interface is not user friendly."
"The user interface needs to be improved."
"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"This solution cannot be deployed on a root_squash NFS, which limits superuser privileges."
"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."
"Sometimes we face issues and can't figure out the cause of failures."
"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

"When compared to other products I've used, I believe MoveIt is worth the money someone might pay to use it."
"It's cost-effective."
"Technical support is only available with a paid license."
"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."
"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
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 do you like most about MOVEit?
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.
What needs improvement with MOVEit?
The product must improve its security features. Recently, there have been multiple attacks on the solution. It has ruined the reputation of clients who use the solution. The vendor must ensure that...
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. The data we send or receive is encrypted, ensuring that there is no data breach.
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

Ipswitch File Transfer, Ipswitch Managed File Transfer
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cambridgeshire County Council, Capita Document & Information Services, Enterasys, City of Guelph, Hermes
HZMO, Bank of Communications
Find out what your peers are saying about MOVEit vs. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.