11 Best FTP Server (File Transfer Protocol Server) For 2023

Review and comparison of the top online File Transfer Protocol Servers. Select the best FTP Server to securely transfer files:

File Transfer Protocol servers are solutions that will let you store files and access them over the Internet. FTP is a set of standard protocols for transferring files over the network.

FTP servers provide security to your data and control over it. It will let you send large files, up to gigabytes of data and all at once.

File Transfer Protocol Servers

With these solutions, you will be able to schedule massive transfers at intervals, via event triggers, or even at night or on weekends. The best FTP providers have features that can help you in case of disaster recovery. Most of the FTP Servers support FTPS and SFTP protocols that give you more security than the traditional FTP servers.

These protocols encrypt the files during transmission and hence more secure. Secure FTP Servers can encrypt data-at-rest as well as data-in-motion.

FTP VS MFT

The below image explains the difference between the basic File Transfer Protocol Server and the Managed File Transfer Solution.

[image source ]

What is an FTP Client

Traditionally FTP clients were applications with the command-line interface. Today’s FTP Client has an easy-to-use interface. They offer an intuitive interface and simplify the process of transferring files. FTP Clients are available in the form of standalone applications, web clients, and extensions to web browsers. They can be used on desktops, servers, and mobile devices.

Recommended reading =>> BEST SFTP Server Software

What Is FTP Server

FTP Server Software is an application providing FTP services to download and upload files from the servers. This server can be any computer system that has File Transfer Protocol Server software installed on it.

How much do FTP Servers cost?

Their price is based on the number of connections, security protocols supported, and compliance and disaster recovery features supported. A simple ad hoc transfer may be able to be handled by a free File Transfer Protocol server, while a more complex and business-critical transfer likely benefits from a paid solution with enterprise features and technical support.

List Of Best Online FTP Server

Here is the list of popular FTP Servers:

1. JSCAPE (Recommended)
2. Cerberus
3. GoAnywhere
4. Progress MOVEit
5. FileZilla
6. Globalscape
7. Titan Server
8. IIS FTPS Server
9. Core FTP
10. Sysax Multi Server
11. OpenSSH

Comparison Of Top FTP Servers

Tools	Best for	About Tool	Supported protocols	Free Trial	Price
JSCAPE	Securely managing your file transfer processes.	Managed file transfer software and services.	FTP, FTPS, SFTP, AS2, OFTP2, and more	Available for 7 days	Get a quote.
Cerberus	Ease of use and advanced security	Secure file transfer	FTP, SFTP, FTP/S, HTTP/S, SCP	25 days	Starts at $999/year.
GoAnywhere	Secure exchange of data.	Managed File Transfer solution	FTP, SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, and more	Available for 30 days	Get a quote.
Progress MOVEit	Advanced security features	MFT Software	FTPS, SFTP, etc.	--	Get a quote.
FileZilla	Free FTP solutions, Client & Server.	Free and open-source FTP & FTPS Server	FTP, FTPS, and SFTP	No	Free

Let us review the servers in detail:

#1) JSCAPE (Recommended)

JSCAPE is best for securely managing your file transfers inside and out of the organization.

JSCAPE MFT Server is an advanced secure File Transfer Protocol server. It supports SFTP, FTPS, AS2, OFTP2, and other secured protocols. It has capabilities of events logging, encryption of data-at-rest, additional authentication, access control mechanisms, etc. It has features for DLP and password management.

JSCAPE offers the managed file transfer software and services. It also provides workflow management for handling many actions before and after filing the transfer itself. It is one of the leading providers of these solutions. Its focus is on ease of automation, security, and reliability.

Features:

• JSCAPE can encrypt the data in motion, hence the files will remain secure even during transmission.
• It has features for authentication so that malicious individuals cannot access files.
• It has features of Data integrity and logging.
• It provides Data-at-rest encryption and can protect files during storage.
• Its access control capabilities will let you grant access to files only to authorized people.

Verdict: JSCAPE is one of the popular providers of the secure File Transfer Protocol server, managed file transfer, and AS2 Server software. It offers solutions for securing and managing file transfers through a lot of users and multiple OS and file transfer protocols. Various industry verticals such as healthcare, finance, banking, logistics, government, etc. use JSCAPE.

Price: JSCAPE MFT Server offers a fully functional 7-day trial license so you can try it yourself. They also offer a price quote for your custom configuration.

#2) Cerberus

Best for Ease of use and advanced security.

Since its inception almost 2 decades ago, Cerebrus has made quite a name for itself in the file transfer solutions market. Today it is widely recognized by many as one of the most secure and reliable FTP solutions out there. The software is revered by industry experts for its excellent HTTPS and FTP server capabilities.

The software is easy to set-up and manage. You get versatile support for a wide range of file transfer protocols like SFTP, SCP, FTPS, HTTPS, etc. It grants its users complete control over the access encryption, and storage of data. Besides this, the tool is also remarkable for its ability to seamlessly integrate with Active Directory and LDAP.

Features:

• Offers file transfer automation tools like event management, notification, and SOAP API.
• Customizable encryption and protocol settings
• Compliance tools like audit trails, retention policies offered.
• FTP, SFTP, SCP and FTP/S transfer facilitated via on-premise or cloud FTP server
• Supports cloud integration with AWS and Azure.

Verdict: If you are looking for a reliable and secure file transfer solution, then you’ll love Cerebrus. The software excels with impeccable functionality and automation. It is also easy to set-up and manage, and as such, earns a spot on our list.

Price: Cerebrus offers three pricing plans. The professional plan costs $999 per year whereas the enterprise plans and the enterprise plus plans cost $2499 and $4999 per year respectively.

#3) GoAnywhere MFT

Best for the secure exchange of data inside and outside the organization.

GoAnywhere offers a free FTP server that has a browser-based administrator dashboard. The solution comes with extensive security features and detailed audit trails. It also provides the features of user management and file triggers. With this free solution, you will be able to securely transfer data on any platform.

GoAnywhere offers the MFT solution that will simplify and secure the file transfers inside and outside the organizations. It offers extensive security settings and detailed audit trails that will give you centralized control. It will let you process the information from files to XML, EDI, CSV, and JSON databases. It is suitable for the large volume of file transfers and hence for enterprises.

Further reading =>> Top competitors to GoAnywhere MFT

Features:

• GoAnywhere provides the features of multiple user authentication methods, database, Active Directory, LDAP, and IBM i.
• It offers the features of restricting users to specific home directories/subfolders, folder-level permissions by user & group.
• It can automatically encrypt files in targeted folders with AES256 encryption.
• It offers many more features including accepting or rejecting files with certain extensions, etc.

Verdict: GoAnywhere MFT will streamline the data exchange between systems, customers, trading partners, etc. GoAnywhere MFT supports multiple deployment options such as on-premises, in the cloud, GoAnywhere’s MFTaaS hosted plan, and in hybrid environments.

Price: GoAnywhere FTP Server is included in the free license of GoAnywhere MFT. You can get a quote for pricing details. It has comprehensive bundles, Premium, Enterprise, Starter Bundle, Core Server Bundle, etc. It offers a free trial of 30 days.

Website: GoAnywhere

#4) Progress MOVEit

Best for advanced security features and workflow automation capabilities.

Progress MOVEit is a secure file transfer and automation software that is suitable for enterprises. It provides features and functionalities for the secured collaboration and automating file transfer processes. It contains advanced workflow automation capabilities.

MOVEit has encryption and activity tracking capabilities and hence compliant with the regulation such as PCI, GDPR, HIPAA. The platform will let you automate the workflow without scripting.

Features:

• This managed file transfer software is a secure and auditable solution. Consolidation of all file transfer activities will help you with better management and control.
• It supports multiple deployment options, on-premise, IaaS, and SaaS.
• It can be integrated into any system by using Mulesoft Connector, REST, Java, and .Net APIs.

Verdict: Progress MOVEit is a platform for securely sharing files globally and across enterprises. To transfer sensitive information securely, it offers encryption in-transit and at-rest. It also offers advanced security features. The tool will accelerate task and workflow creation.

Price: You can get a quote for pricing details.

Website: Progress MOVEit

#5) FileZilla

Best for free FTP solutions client as well as the server.

FileZilla FTP Solution supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP. This open-source tool is available for free. In addition to these protocols, FileZilla Pro edition provides support to WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure Blob, File Storage, and Google Cloud Storage. It supports cross-platform. (Windows, Linux, Mac OS, BSD, etc.)

Also Read => How To Send Large Files Using FTP

Features:

• FileZilla is a free and open-source FTP and FTPS Server.
• It provides IPv6 support.
• It provides functionalities to resume and transfer large files, i.e. files larger than 4GB.
• It has features of a powerful Site Manager and Transfer Queue.
• It offers many more features like remote file search, remote file editing, configurable transfer speed limits, etc.

Verdict: FileZilla is a free FTP Server. It is a fast and reliable cross-platform client that supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP. It has an intuitive graphical user interface and hence becomes easy to use. It supports multiple languages.

Price: FileZilla is a free and open-source solution. It also offers the FileZilla Pro edition.

Website: FileZilla

#6) Globalscape

Best for powerful versatile tools for automation, analytics, security, and collaboration.

Globalscape EFT is a powerful managed file transfer solution. It has simplified architecture and provides lightweight deployment. It provides comprehensive support to security and compliance regulations such as CCPA, GDPR, HIPAA, etc. EFT Arcus is a cloud-managed file transfer solution and EFT is an on-premise managed file transfer solution.

Features:

• Globalscape EFT offers the functionalities of built-in regulatory compliance controls, visibility, auditing, reporting, workflow automation, and folder monitoring, etc.
• Globalscape offers the features of two-factor authentication, high availability, and data encryption at rest and in-transit.
• EFT Arcus provides support to multiple protocols such as FTP, SFTP, HTTP, FTPS, HTTPS, and AS2.
• EFT Arcus provides the features for security & compliance and secure person-to-person sharing.

Verdict: Globalscape EFT will centralize and standardize your file transfer operations. It provides powerful tools for security, analytics, automation, and collaboration. It also offers a simple yet powerful FTP client software that is suitable for all businesses.

Price: Globalscape offers a free trial for the platform. Cute FTP 9 (Windows) price starts at $59.99. The same solution with one-year maintenance and support can be purchased for $89.99.

Website: Globalscape

#7) Titan Server

Best for advanced security features.

Titan Server is the SFTP and FTP Server Software. It supports Windows 10 Pro, 2012, 2016, and 2019. It has a web user interface. It works with Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. It has cross-browser compatibility and can work with all modern browsers. It provides encryption through HTTPS protocol to facilitate you to securely transfer files.

Titan FTP Server supports SFTP, FTPS, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols.

Features:

• Titan FTP Server provides advanced security features.
• It supports remote administration.
• It offers the features of file integrity checking, events automation, and Zlib compression.
• You will be able to easily transfer multiple files and folders at a time by just dragging and dropping them.
• It has features of event triggers that will let you automate transfers, prevent hackers, etc.

Verdict: Titan is easy to install and use. It is a powerful FTP Server with advanced capabilities of granular security controls, configuration & management, and a web user interface. It is a fully-featured SFTP server and offers easy administration and detailed logging.

Price: Titan File Transfer Protocol Server has three pricing plans, Enterprise + WebUI ($1949.95), Enterprise Edition ($1249.95), and Professional Edition ($599.95).

Website: Titan Server

#8) IIS FTPS Server

Best for free and secure File Transfer Protocol server on Windows.

You can install a secure File Transfer Protocol server on Windows by making use of IIS (Internet Information Services). It has FTP Server Component that can be installed as a standalone or with a Web server. It can be installed on Windows Server 2016, 2012, 2008 R2, Windows 10, 8,7, and Vista. You can add roles and features through Windows Server Manager.

Features:

• You can automate file transfers to FTP or SFTP Server.
• You can connect your FTPS Server to a Microsoft Azure Windows Instance.
• You can upload or download the files by just dragging them.

Verdict: WinSCP is an SFTP, SCP, S3, and FTP client for Windows. Through IIS, you have an option to install a secure File Transfer Protocol Server on Windows as standalone file storage or as a solution to edit your website that is hosted on an IIS web server.

Price: Free.

Website: IIS FTPS Server

#9) Core FTP

Best for FTP Client Software for Windows with all the essential features for free.

Core FTP is an FTP client software that is available for free. It supports the Windows platform. It offers a secure method for uploading or downloading files to and from FTP servers. It provides international domain support. Core FTP will give you HIPAA-compliant security. It is rich in features and offers functionalities like keep alive and advanced directory listing, etc.

Features:

• Core FTP Client supports SFTP (SSH), SSL, TLS, FTPS, IDN, etc.
• It provides the features for browser integration, site-to-site transfer, and file viewing & editing.
• It has features for FTP transfer resume, drag-and-drop support, FTP URL parsing, etc.
• It has functionalities for command line transfers, filters, custom commands, etc.

Verdict: Core FTP is a fast and reliable tool to update and maintain your websites through FTP. It offers all the required features. There will not be any disturbing pop-ups of ads or reminders to register. It has a user-friendly interface and has full support for drag-and-drop.

Price: Core FTP LE is available for free. Other licensing options are also available with Core FTP such as Standard, Pro, and Pro + Console. You can get a quote for pricing details.

Website: Core FTP

#10) Sysax Multi Server

Best for automating simple as well as complex recurring tasks.

Sysax Multi Server is an FTP Server solution. It is a secured tool and supports SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, FTP, and Secure Shell. Sysax offers the FTP Automation solution. Sysax FTP Automation software will let the administrators automate simple as well as complex recurring tasks. It will alert you through an email. The tool is for Windows platforms.

Features:

• The tasks can be scheduled at a particular time or triggered to run if any change is identified in a folder that is monitored.
• Sysax FTP Automation software offers the features of transfer status monitoring, email notification, task scheduler, FTP Scripting, public key authentication, etc.
• It has features for public-key authentication and SSL certificate generation.
• Sysax Multi Server will let you create the account in software as well as in an external database.

Verdict: Sysax Multi Server is easy to install. The tool can be used and managed easily. There is no need to have advanced IT skills. It is a secure platform for file transfer automation. Sysax supports web browser-based administration.

Price: Sysax offers the solution with several editions. Its personal edition is available to use for free. The price starts at $197 with Standard Edition and one-year updates.

Website: Sysax Multi Server

#11) OpenSSH

Best for remote login through SSH protocol.

OpenSSH is a free suite that supports SSH protocol to encrypt for network services such as remote login and remote file transfers. It performed the encryption of all the traffic to prevent eavesdropping. It has a large suite of tunneling capabilities and various authentication methods. It provides sophisticated configuration options. It includes complete support for SFTP.

Features:

• For remote operations, it offers the tools ssh, SCP, and SFTP.
• For key management, it has tools ssh-add, ssh-keysign, ssh-keyscan, and ssh-keygen.
• It provides the features of strong cryptography, strong authentication, interoperability, X11 forwarding, port forwarding, Agent forwarding, etc.
• It provides the optional facility of data compression.

Verdict: OpenSSH is a free and open-source suite of SSH protocol to encrypt for network services such as remote file transfers. It offers strong authentication and cryptography.

Price: OpenSSH is a free and open-source tool.

Website: OpenSSH

Conclusion

A secure FTP Server is a solution for transferring files through secure file transfer protocols like FTPS & SFTP. JSCAPE MFT Server is our top recommended solution. Such advanced secure File Transfer Protocol servers provide support to both the protocols FTPS, SFTP, and other secure file transfer protocols. It offers security features like event logging, encryption of data-at-rest, more authentication options, etc.

JSCAPE MFT Server offers a free 7-day fully-featured trial so you can try it yourself. Sysax Multi Server, Core FTP, Win SCP, Xlight FTP, and Complete FTP offers Free FTP Servers. They have paid plans too. FileZilla is a free and open-source solution. Titan FTP and Cerberus are paid FTP Servers and don’t offer a free plan.

We hope the reviews of the top File Transfer Protocol Server solutions and their comparison will help you with choosing the right solution for your business.

Research Process:

• Time taken to research and write this article: 27 Hours.
• Total tools researched online: 30
• Top tools shortlisted for review: 10