SFTP gateway vs Managed File Transfer (MFT): which do you need?

“SFTP gateway” and “Managed File Transfer (MFT)” get used interchangeably, but they describe quite different products at quite different prices. Picking the wrong one means either paying for a platform you barely use, or outgrowing a tool that was never meant to do governance. Here’s how to tell them apart.

What each one is

• An SFTP gateway is a focused layer that gives storage (usually cloud object storage) an SFTP interface, plus the essentials around it: per-user credentials, path jails, an audit trail. It does one job well. See what is an SFTP proxy.
• An MFT platform is a broad suite: multiple protocols, end-user portals, no-code workflows and automation, format conversion and EDI, connectors to many SaaS systems, compliance and governance tooling, and often hosted storage. Think GoAnywhere, Files.com, or Couchdrop at the broader end.

How to choose

Ask what you actually need beyond moving files:

You need…	Pick
SFTP onto a bucket you own, per-user access, audit	SFTP gateway
Files to stay in your own cloud, lowest cost	SFTP gateway
End-user web portals, sharing links, e-signatures	MFT platform
No-code workflows, EDI translation, format conversion	MFT platform
Connectors to SharePoint, Drive, Dropbox, and dozens of SaaS	MFT platform
Heavy compliance/governance program with audit attestations	MFT platform

The cost gap is real

MFT platforms price like platforms: often hundreds of dollars a month, sometimes thousands, because you’re paying for the whole suite. A focused SFTP gateway prices like a utility. If your genuine need is “let partners drop files into our S3 bucket over SFTP, with per-user access and an audit trail”, an MFT platform is almost always overkill, and overspend.

The honest middle

Plenty of teams think they need MFT because the vendors market broadly, but actually need a gateway. The reverse is also true: if you genuinely require EDI translation, multi-system workflows, or a managed end-user portal, a gateway won’t stretch to cover it, and forcing it to will frustrate you.

A useful test: if the requirement is “SFTP in, object storage out, with access control and audit”, that’s a gateway. The moment “and also transform the file / route it through three systems / give external users a branded portal” enters, you’re into MFT territory.

Where Firepipe sits

Firepipe is deliberately a gateway, not an MFT platform: SFTP onto a bucket you own, with per-user credentials, path jails, an exportable audit trail, instant revoke, and source-IP pinning, priced as a utility. If that’s your need, see SFTP to S3. If you need the full MFT suite, a broader platform is the honest answer, and we’d rather tell you that than sell you a tool that doesn’t fit.