GoAnywhere MFT vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct comparison

Fortra and IBM are both solutions in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category. Fortra is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6, while IBM is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.2. Fortra holds a 10.8% mindshare in MFT, compared to IBM’s 6.9% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Fortra users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 75% of IBM users who would recommend it.

GoAnywhere MFT

Read 70 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

3,098 Views
2,881 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Sterling Commerce Connect:D...

Read 12 Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct reviews

1,694 Views
1,694 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

GoAnywhere MFT

Sterling Commerce Connect:D...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 14, 2025

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct and GoAnywhere MFT compete in the secure file transfer market. GoAnywhere MFT appears to have the upper hand due to its extensive feature set, providing better functionality for enterprises seeking comprehensive capabilities.

Features: Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is known for its robust high-volume data transfers, strong security, and reliability in mission-critical environments. It offers EDI transfers and real-time monitoring, making it highly dependable for secure file transfer. GoAnywhere MFT provides advanced automation, centralized management, and compliance capabilities, including encryption, extensive workflow features, and seamless integration with various platforms, supporting a diverse range of enterprise needs.

Room for Improvement: Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct could enhance its user interface and simplify workflow management, possibly integrating more modern deployment technologies. Additional automation features could be beneficial. GoAnywhere MFT might improve by refining its initial setup process, offering more competitive pricing, and expanding customer customization capabilities for specific enterprise requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct provides straightforward deployment, supporting legacy systems for easy integration and benefiting from responsive customer service. GoAnywhere MFT supports modern and cloud-friendly deployments, offering streamlined setup processes and excellent support facilities, providing a more contemporary approach to customer service solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is competitive with predictable costs, offering a quick ROI through reliable services. GoAnywhere MFT, with potentially higher initial costs, delivers substantial ROI through its flexible and comprehensive features, providing significant long-term value and efficiency gains.

To learn more, read our detailed GoAnywhere MFT vs. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT vs. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

September 2025

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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

Sterling Commerce Connect:D...

Ranking in Managed File Transfer (MFT)

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of GoAnywhere MFT is 10.8%, up from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is 6.9%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed File Transfer (MFT) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
GoAnywhere MFT	10.8%
Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct	6.9%
Other	82.3%

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

Featured Reviews

Rohan Suryawanshi

Senior Software Engineer at Opcito Technologies

Automation simplifies file transfer and builds confidence in security

I appreciate the features of GoAnywhere MFT such as advanced workflows to automate all the transfer and reduce manual effort. The logs and reporting are very helpful for checking all the compliances. The encryption is quite good. The main feature which is very useful is connectors to connect it with cloud services such as AWS, Azure, GCP. The automation in GoAnywhere MFT really helps us because it reduced the manual work significantly. We can transfer hundreds of files with zero manual interventions. The audit trails also help during the compliance audits. It has given stakeholders more confidence in the security of file transfer. It also helped developers to securely transfer the files. Overall, the impact was very good and positive in our business and personal improvements.

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Caio Nascimento

Senior Consultant at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

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.

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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 most valuable feature is the ability to call a workflow from another workflow. That really gives you an edge by increasing reusability and speeding up development time. You can create a workflow which is a type of template and then call that workflow from any other workflow... It has sped up development time by 80 to 90 percent."

"Out of all the products I have used for file transfer MFT, GoAnywhere MFT is the easiest because everything is essentially in one place."

"GoAnywhere MFT meets all these needs, which is why we decided to use it."

"The encryption feature is very impressive in GoAnywhere MFT, and the encryption provided by the company is much stronger than other file transferring software."

"The best feature of GoAnywhere MFT is that it's easy to use, and the drag-and-drop option is available."

"Another nice feature is that you can invoke a native program from GoAnywhere. That helps you because you don't have to get fancy with agents. If a native program runs on the server that GoAnywhere is running on, like sed or perl, you can use it,"

"File monitors are one of the most valuable features. We have about 400 file monitors running in GoAnywhere. They monitor the NAS locations where files arrive, and they kick off workflows. When a file arrives, GoAnywhere will identify that the file is there, move it to a consumption zone, then reach out to our enterprise scheduler through a REST API call."

"The automation in GoAnywhere MFT really helps us because it reduced the manual work significantly, we can transfer hundreds of files with zero manual interventions, the audit trails also help during the compliance audits, and it has given stakeholders more confidence in the security of file transfer."

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

"Automation is the most valuable feature."

"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."

"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."

"The solution's file transfer speed is quite high."

"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."

"Security is the most valuable feature of this product."

"The product has been very stable."

"Connect Direct offers Check Point functionality to ensure data integrity during transfers."

More Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct pros

Cons

"The customer support is a bit slow from their end. The time lag they take to respond to our queries is more than expected, so I would give a solid seven out of ten for the customer support."

"Their product documentation is very hard to learn. It requires deep knowledge of technical expertise or prior product expertise to learn more about this product."

"I like that you can tweak the interface so much, but it would be nice to be able to tweak it some more. The ability to further tweak the interface would be advantageous, as our end users had some questions about modifications that we could not address."

"The technical support response time has room for improvement."

"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."

"I tried to copy a file from an S3 bucket to another storage class. I don't know if it is a limitation from AWS, not the MFT. If I copy a file from the AWS S3 bucket to that storage class, it can't be transferred. It says that I can't remember the exact error, but it cannot be processed. I want MFT to be more compatible with cloud-based applications or services like AWS."

"For training, there should be some sites or resources on YouTube or Udemy. They do not have that currently."

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

More GoAnywhere MFT cons

"The user interface needs to be improved."

"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 initial setup could be simpler and better."

"The resources required for this tool are costly and not easily available in the market."

"Technical support is the number one concern."

"This solution cannot be deployed on a root_squash NFS, which limits superuser privileges."

"I do not have any notes for improvement."

"User interface is not user friendly."

More Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost is fine. It is probably the best software that I've had for the money that we spend for it. I am not aware of any costs in addition to the standard licensing fees. I don't pay for it. IT pays for it."

"The pricing of GoAnywhere MFT is affordable compared to other similar products. It's not expensive, according to me. What influenced my purchase decision was the fact that the product was quite affordable."

"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."

"The product's pricing is reasonable."

"To have a solution like this for the price we're paying makes it cheap. Considering the time that it has saved us, and considering the development that we don't need to do, such as connectors and handling servers, the price is really affordable."

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

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

More GoAnywhere MFT pricing and cost advice

"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

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

36%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Media Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	36

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	10

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?

Regarding GoAnywhere MFT's pricing, I think it is quite affordable since it was subscribed for me by my boss.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

In the areas where GoAnywhere MFT could improve, I find that for a few tasks, sometimes it becomes more complex because the workflows they have are complex to understand. Their product documentatio...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct?

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is an expensive platform.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct?

Based on experience, the one area IBM can improve for Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is the support mechanism. While support is available 24/7 whenever required, the solution time during American...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct?

The majority use case for Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is for file transfer, specifically secure file transfer.

See all answers

Comparisons

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SolarWinds Serv-U Managed File Transfer Server vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 3% of the time

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Kiteworks vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

Compared 35% of the time

IBM Sterling File Gateway vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

Compared 23% of the time

Axway AMPLIFY Managed File Transfer vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

Compared 6% of the time

BMC Control-M Managed File Transfer vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

Compared 6% of the time

Aspera On Demand vs Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

Compared 5% of the time

More Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

September 2025

Download GoAnywhere MFT product report

Buyer's Guide

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

September 2025

Download Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

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

IBM's Sterling Connect:Direct is a software product that offers security-hardened, point-to-point file transfers to reduce reliance on insecure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) transmissions. It is designed for high-volume file distribution within and between businesses. The solution guarantees more reliable file movement, from batch integration and movement of large images or catalogs to synchronization with distant sites. Sterling Connect:Direct also enables hybrid cloud deployment through certified containers, allowing for simple and consistent deployment lifecycle management.

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Features

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Performance capabilities such as extraordinary scalability and low latency.

Automated, dependable file transmission that permits unattended, round-the-clock operations.

Designed to run on a variety of operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Linux, IBM z/OS, OpenVMS, i5/OS, and HP NonStop.

Advanced security features with cutting-edge encryption to meet regulatory and industry standards.

IBM certified containers for Sterling Connect:Direct are enterprise-grade, secure product editions that are scalable, secure, easy to install, and manage update and rollback processes. They also have integrated common software services for consistent deployment lifecycle management.
Boosts transfer speed for large files over high-speed networks by up to four times the previous speed while reducing latency.
Gives existing FTP transfers the ability to retry, checkpoint, and compress existing transfers.
Supports a variety of network protocols, including TCP/IP, Systems Network Architecture (SNA), and an optional high-speed add-on based on Aspera FASP technology.

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

High performance: Takes care of your most demanding workloads, including multi-gigabyte files to large volumes of small files.

Reliable file delivery: To help ensure predictable, assured file delivery, it offers automated scheduling, checkpoint restart, and automatic recovery.

Secure transmission of files: Maintains the confidentiality of customer information and supports regulatory compliance measures.

Speed up patching and installation: By deploying your solution with a certified container that contains all necessary components, you can drastically cut installation and patch time from hours to minutes.

Reviews from Real Users

Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust file processing and its security for file transfers. PeerSpot users take note of the advantages of these features in their reviews:

Michele I., Business Unit Manager at Innovery, writes of the solution, “The file processing is done very well. By default, there are a lot of configurations that can be customized. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct is one of the stronger MFT solutions in the market, it is available in each type of installation, and offers SaaS, PaaS, YaaS, on-premise.”

Camilo M., Pre-sales Engineer at Dell EMC, mentions, “It's a great tool because it offers secure file transfers and it has a fast and efficient protocol for very large files.”

IBM

Sample Customers

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

HZMO, Bank of Communications

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT vs. Sterling Commerce Connect:Direct

September 2025

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