Read This In-depth Review & Comparison of Top SCP Servers For Windows And Mac OS to Select the Best SCP Server Software Tool for you Business:
SCP servers make the use of SSH to provide you with the facility of transferring files over computers, servers, or other networking devices.
SCP stands for Secure Copy Protocol. It is an SSH-based protocol and helps to transfer files between the hosts quickly on a network. With SCP, transferring of files will be with basic attributes like access permission and timestamps. It uses RCP for transferring files and SSH for providing authentication & encryption.
Table of Contents:
SCP Server Software
Disk91 explains the test performed to compare the performance of various file transfer protocols. The below image depicts the protocol performance over latency. According to the result, there is a loss of bandwidth over latency and it impacts the transfer performance.
Protocol Performance over Latency:
Pro Tip: When you implement the SCP, you should create an SSH server so that the service will provide you with extra security. This process will convert a standard network copy action into a secure copy transaction.
Difference Between SCP And SFTP
SCP transfers files faster than SFTP mainly on high latency networks. It is faster because it implements efficient transfer algorithms.
Both of them provide the same level of security through a password, data encryption, and public-key authentication. SFTP is a more robust file transfer protocol. SCP, as well as SFTP, don’t impose any restrictions on file size. As the name suggests, SCP is good for securely copying files.
List of Best SCP Servers
- Bitvise SSH Server
- FreeSSHD
- OpenSSH
- WinSCP
- Dropbear SCP
- SFTP Plus
- Mac OS Native SCP Server
- Cygwin
- SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server
Comparison of Top SCP Server Tools
| SCP servers | About tool | Platform | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bitvise SSH Server | Bitvise SSH Server is one of the popular SCP tools for Windows. | All desktop & server versions of Windows. | Encryption & security features. Two-factor authentication. FTPS support. | $99.95 Free trial for 30 days. |
FreeSSHD | FreeSSHD is a set of network utilities for Windows. | Windows NT based operating system. | Graphical application support, Logging features for SFTP transfers, built-in SFTP server, etc. | Free |
OpenSSH | OpenSSH is a text-based command-line tool for Windows. | All Linux systems, Open BSD, FreeBSD, Mac OS X version, Windows, etc. | X11 forwarding, port forwarding, SFTP client & server support, etc. | Free |
WinSCP | This file transfer client is for windows and available for free. It will implement SCP, SFTP, FTPS, FTP, WebDAV, and S3. | Windows | Background transfer, AES-256 encryption, GUI, & Integrated text editor. | Free |
#1) Bitvise SSH Server
Bitvise SSH Server will allow secure file transfer using SFTP, SCP, and FTP. It will allow you to configure separate upload and download speed limits for each user and group. It also provides support to a virtual account so that you can set up an SFTP server with many users and don’t have to manage multiple Windows accounts. You will get secure remote access through the console.
Features:
- Bitvise SSH Server provides good encryption and security features.
- It provides FTPS support for handling file transfer connections.
- It provides two-factor authentication that will be helpful for connections using SSH, SFTP and SCP clients. It also provides compatibility with RFC 6238 authenticator apps, like Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, LastPass, etc.
- SFTP transfer speed is affected by the client.
- SSH Server supports large size. The file size, supported by your configured file system for storing files and the client software that is used to connect, is supported by SSH Server.
Verdict: Bitvise SSH Client is easy to install and configure. It supports multiple user connections and is compatible with all major SFTP clients.
Price: Bitvise SSH Server license will cost you $99.95. A free trial is also available for 30 days. It can be used for free for non-commercial personal use.
#2) FreeSSHD
As the name suggests, FreeSSHD provides the free implementation of the SSH server. You will get strong encryption and authentication for insecure networks. It provides the facility for users to open the remote console. It supports the Windows NT based operating system.
Features:
- FreeSSHD has a built-in SFTP server and hence you will be able to open a remote console or access remote files.
- This server will let you access remote files over TCP/IP network.
- It provides logging features for SFTP transfers.
Verdict: FreeSSHD will be a good option for an insecure network because of FTPS and SFTP protocols. These protocols offer security and strong encryption.
Price: Free
#3) OpenSSH
This premier connectivity tool provides the features and functionalities for the remote login with SSH protocol. To eliminate eavesdropping, connection hijacking, and other types of attacks, it provides encryption to all the traffic. It provides several authentication methods. It has a large suite of secure tunneling capabilities.
Features:
- OpenSSH has sophisticated configuration options.
- It will make the use of SSH, SCP, and SFTP to perform the remote operations.
- It will do key management with ssh-add, ssh-keysign, ssh-keyscan, and ssh-keygen.
- It provides tools like sshd, sftp-server, and ssh-agent.
- It provides features like agent forwarding, interoperability, port forwarding, and strong authentication.
Verdict: OpenSSH provides the facility for Optional Data Compression. Many commercial products have incorporated OpenSSH.
Price: OpenSSH is a free and open-source tool. It is available for free for all purposes, even for commercial use.
#4) WinSCP
WinSCP is an SFTP client and FTP client for Windows that will let you copy a file between a local computer and a remote server by making the use of FTP, FTPS, SCP, SFTP, WebDAV or S3 file transfer protocols. It has a command-line interface. It provides advanced transfer settings. It provides functions for working with file names and paths.
Features:
- WinSCP provides a graphical user interface and an integrated text editor.
- It has functionalities to perform all common operations with files.
- It has features for scripting and task automation.
- It supports transfer queue/background transfers or transfer-resuming.
- It will let you encrypt the file using AES-256 encryption.
Verdict: WinSCP contains many more features and functionalities like connection tunneling, workspaces, master password, directory caching, file masks, etc.
Price: WinSCP is a free and open-source tool
#5) Dropbear SCP
Compared to others, Dropbear is a smaller SSH client and server. It can work on different POSIX based platforms. This open-source platform can be used for embedded-type Linux systems like wireless routers.
Features:
- Dropbear SCP supports X11 forwarding and authentication-agent forwarding for OpenSSH clients.
- It has the capacity to run from inetd or standalone.
- Dropbear SCP is compatible with OpenSSH~/.ssh/authorized_keys public key authentication.
- It will allow you to disable features while compiling to save space.
Verdict: Dropbear SCP has a small memory footprint that is perfect for memory-constrained environments. It will be able to compile to a 110kb statically linked binary with uClibc.
Price: Dropbear SCP is available for free.
#6) SFTPPlus
SFTPPlus provides secure and managed file transfer software for enterprises. It is an on-premise solution and provides multi-protocol support. It provides managed file transfers. You will be able to automate monitoring for local and remote locations.
Features:
- Various protocols are supported by SFTPPlus MFT Server including SFTP, FTPS, AND HTTPS.
- You will get browser-based file management, user account management, external database authentication, and detailed audit.
- It can work on any server OS and with any protocol compliant clients.
Verdict: It is a server and client cross-platform solution. It will make the use of SFTP/FTPS/HTTPS protocols and provide encrypted managed file transfer software.
Price: The trial version of the product is available for 30 days that includes full support for free. SFTPPlus MFT Server will cost you $1500 per installation. SFTPPlus MFT Client will cost you $1000 per installation
#7) Mac OS Native SCP Server
Mac OS provides native support to SSH and hence SCP. You can enable SSH on your Mac through System Preferences. You will have to share the Applet and enable Remote Login option. It will make the SSH enable for all the users on the machine.
Features:
- No configuration required.
- Current account permissions will decide the actions that a user can perform when connected.
- It is easy to use.
Verdict: Mac OS Native SCP Server will be a good solution for home-based users. Users will be able to securely share files on their network.
Price: Free
Website: Go to System preferences and share Applet.
#8) Cygwin
Cygwin is a set of tools that provides the functionalities like Linux distribution on Windows. Cygwin DLL supports all recent x86_64 versions of Windows from Windows Vista. It has POSIX API functionality. It is not for running native Linux apps on Windows. It cannot be used for making native Windows apps aware of UNIX functionalities.
Features:
- Cygwin provides support through email, FAQs, User Guide, and mailing list archives.
- It comes with multiple higher-level and cross-platform GUI frameworks like GTK+ and Qt.
- It supports remote file transfer through FTP, SCP, rsync, unison, and rtorrent.
Verdict: Cygwin library is the main part that provides the POSIX system calls and environment. Lots of open-source packages, BSD tools, X Server and a complete set of X applications are included in Cygwin distribution.
Price: Cygwin is available for free.
#9) SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server
SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server provides you with a reliable and secure platform for network file transfers. It can be used for transferring OS images, firmware, configuration updates, and backup configuration files. It allows you to transfer files up to 4 GB. It will run as a Windows Service.
Features:
- It supports concurrent transfers from multiple devices.
- You can authorize a specific or range of IPs.
- It has features for pushing device OS and firmware updates.
- It provides the features of advanced device config template, versioning, and search.
Verdict: SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server is a powerful, free, and easy-to-use tool.
Price: SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server is completely free.
Conclusion
Files can be transferred over the network by using various protocols but SCP is the secure method for transferring files. It is more secure because the SSH session is used to transfer files. SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server, Bitvise SSH Server, FreeSSHD, OpenSSH, and WinSCP are our top recommended SCP server solutions.
All the above-mentioned tools are available for free except Bitvise SSH Server and SFTPPlus as they are licensed tools.
Research Process: Our writers have spent 26 hours researching this topic. Initially, we have shortlisted 18 tools but later filtered out the list to the top 9 tools for your convenience.
We hope this article will be helpful to you to choose the right SCP server.