GoAnywhere MFT vs Thru comparison

Fortra and Thru are both solutions in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category. Fortra is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7, while Thru is ranked #27. Fortra holds a 9.8% mindshare in MFT, compared to Thru’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Fortra users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Thru users who would recommend it.

GoAnywhere MFT

Read 55 GoAnywhere MFT reviews

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2,561 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Thru

Read 1 Thru review

221 Views
190 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

GoAnywhere MFT

Thru

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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: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

June 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)

2nd

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

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 July 2025, in the Managed File Transfer (MFT) category, the mindshare of GoAnywhere MFT is 9.8%, up from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Thru is 0.6%, 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

"It has saved significant time on both the security aspect and data transfers."

"I like the versatility GoAnywhere provides, allowing transfers through HTTPS and different protocols. It can also transfer through a server and a client."

"GoAnywhere MFT has saved me time in connecting securely with third parties that I need to collaborate with."

"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."

"We like that GoAnywhere helps to centralize the exchange of data among our systems, employees, and customers."

"The module of GoAnywhere MFT that was given to us was very simple and easy to learn."

"We also use the Secure Folders module and the Web Client a lot. For example, we set up external vendors to come in and review files or folders in a Secure Folder. That way they can go in and review whatever information or data they need to do."

"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."

More GoAnywhere MFT pros

"The stability of Thru is very good."

Cons

"The speed could be better, and the user interface could be more user-friendly. In some areas, it's a bit complex and the learning trajectory is steep, so they can definitely improve on these aspects."

"While the technical support team is knowledgeable, their response time for critical issues needs improvement. A response within one business day is insufficient for urgent matters."

"Fortra needs to offer more use cases for GoAnywhere MFT during training."

"API functionality wasn't part of our initial unit testing because it wasn't necessary then. However, shortly after implementing GoAnywhere, two different vendors approached us to do API transactions. We checked to see if GoAnywhere could do this and found that it was supposed to have that capability, but it broke down."

"The reporting could be more customizable."

"The process of adding a vendor is very easy. You just point and click. You create your job, schedule, and project, and off you go. You just need to know what the processes do when you add in a new job that runs daily and so on. For us, it is not a problem, but maybe the documentation on that could be a little more straightforward. We, however, have no problems figuring that out. It is pretty straightforward for us."

"The support could be enhanced a little bit... If the first echelon of support could say, 'Okay, you are trying to create a variable,' and could tell you what you have to do, that would be good."

"When we restart the agent on each server, it tries to go out to the internet and it takes about a 13-minute timeout before it can move forward. Why is there a 13-minute timeout value when trying to go to the internet? ...If they could limit that timeout or give us a way to modify it so we could have a faster timeout, that would help us at least knock out a half-hour's worth of outage."

More GoAnywhere MFT cons

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

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It would be good for the company to explore a modular approach to selling the product so it could be cheaper and more attractive to users."

"The product is not cheap, but it is not expensive."

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

"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."

"I get the invoices, and its price is fine and appropriate. It is well priced. Even if it was double the price, we'd use it. For us, it is indispensable. We're not going to go anywhere else. There are no additional costs. Its licensing is good. There is just one charge that we get. That's it."

"The cost was definitely within reason and it has definitely been worth the cost, based on how much we can automate. It has exceeded my expectations."

"It is moderately priced. If I compare it with other products that we have been using, its price is moderate. There are approximately 30% to 40% savings."

"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."

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

13%

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?

After evaluating other solutions, we found the pricing they offered to be genuinely competitive. Compared to other competitors, they are highly recommended and have provided good pricing. I would r...

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What needs improvement with Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT?

The speed could be better, and the user interface could be more user-friendly. In some areas, it's a bit complex and the learning trajectory is steep, so they can definitely improve on these aspects.

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Comparisons

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Compared 14% of the time

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Compared 14% of the time

MOVEit vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 11% of the time

Control-M vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 6% of the time

BMC Control-M Managed File Transfer vs GoAnywhere MFT

Compared 5% of the time

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Aspera On Demand vs Thru

Compared 48% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GoAnywhere MFT

July 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Managed File Transfer (MFT)

June 2025

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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)

June 2025

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