Detailed Comparison: Couchdrop vs. Axway MFT

What is Axway MFT?

Axway is a collection of products for integrating platforms and securely transferring files. Amplify is for building and managing APIs and Financial Accounting Hub is for digital finance transformation, while the B2B Integration and Managed File Transfer products are for secure file transfer, so will be the focus of this comparison. 

Axway MFT is a comprehensive enterprise managed file transfer platform designed for large organizations, with on-prem, hybrid, and cloud-based options. The platform combines managed file transfer capabilities with support for standard protocols like FTP/S, S/FTP, and HTTP/S protocols. 

The B2B integration product further expands protocol support into the EDI space. With this integration, there is support for AS1/2/3/4, RNIF, and OFTP, and other EDI protocols.  

While combining the MFT and B2B platforms unlocks a wide range of supported protocols and integrations, they are split between two different products with different interfaces, management, and pricing. For large enterprises with thousands of business partners like Axway targets, a complex, purpose-built product can be useful, but this complexity also leads to more management overhead and a steeper learning curve compared to simple, streamlined, and modern solutions. 

What is Couchdrop?

Couchdrop is a cloud-native managed file transfer platform designed for simple, direct transfers between storage platforms without sharing account access. Instead of focusing on the intricate complexities of one portion of file transfers like a dedicated EDI platform, Couchdrop aims to integrate everywhere with user-friendly setup and management. This extends to automating secure transfers as well, with multiple file ingestion methods and a no-code automation builder. 

Rather than focusing on complex use cases in the B2B/EDI space, Couchdrop prioritizes modern cloud storage integration and user-friendly automation. The platform serves as a secure connector between your existing storage systems and external parties without requiring infrastructure management.

This focus means that Couchdrop is ideal for organizations prioritizing simplicity, efficiency, and integrations with modern cloud storage over intricate B2B complexity. While this limits some of the EDI processing capabilities, Couchdrop allows for simple connections to external parties, including AS2 messaging support, to allow for secure transfers between cloud storage platforms and/or on-prem files servers. 

Deployment

Axway MFT is slow to implement, with G2 estimating about 4 months for the initial deployment. Integrating Axway MFT into existing architecture requires technical expertise, and users doing on-premise deployments note that it can be particularly challenging. While there is an extensive range of features, many of these features need to be configured and tested manually when implemented, especially with on-premise setups. 

Couchdrop's deployment is near-instant due to its cloud-native architecture. There is zero infrastructure to set up and manage, and users get a fully functional cloud-based SFTP and MFT server at registration with no configuration required.

Because Couchdrop's focus is on secure b2b file transfers between cloud storage platforms, deployment, setup, and connecting integrations are fast and simple. Organizations can begin secure file transfers within minutes, with quick platform connections and the ability to bulk add or autogenerate external users with granular permissions.

Infrastructure Management

Axway MFT utilizes a multi-node enterprise architecture designed for massive scale, but this involves setting up and configuring these nodes properly. Once done, container deployment provides auto-scaling capabilities. 

While Axway MFT has hybrid, on-prem, and cloud infrastructure options, they come with different requirements, features, and costs. With the cloud infrastructure option, Axway's team will then manage some or all Run operations for you, and professional services can also be purchased for other setup tasks like specific customer flows. 

Because Couchdrop is completely SaaS, it avoids the problems of having to deal with infrastructure. There are no virtual machines to set up or manage, and scaling is done automatically to meet spikes in transfer requirements. From setting up connections to building workflows to managing internal organization settings, everything is handled through a modern, intuitive web interface. 

The cloud-based architecture emphasises simplicity over complexity. This means there is no need to worry about cluster management, patch deployment, or infrastructure monitoring, and everything from account management to building no-code workflows is done through the web interface.

Storage Integrations

Axway MFT emphasizes traditional B2B/EDI connectivity with comprehensive support for enterprise protocols, meaning they emphasize connections using different standards and libraries as opposed to direct platform integrations.

While powerful and flexible for many B2B scenarios, this method involves either building custom connections or adding the Amplify Fusion EiPaaS product with its out-of-the-box connectors. Different connectors support different actions that can be configured using the connector documentation as a guideline. When combined with Amplify Fusion, Axway MFT can automate manual processes and has built-in connectors to dozens of clouds, mobile apps, ERPs, and CRMs. 

Couchdrop provides native integration with over 20 cloud storage platforms including SharePoint, Google Workspace, Dropbox, AWS S3, and Azure Blob and File storages. Platform connections are simple and straightforward, often taking a minute to set up. Platforms with more complex setup requirements have step-by-step guides and still typically only take minutes to set up with the right access levels. This means integrations can be set up and used in minutes as opposed to days, weeks, or months. 

One highlight of Couchdrop is that it doesn't require temporary storage or a staging area for file transfers. Instead, files are sent directly between connected storage platforms, meaning they're never stored by Couchdrop at any point. This extra level of security lowers overall risk, ensuring data is within your control at all times. 

Automation Capabilities

Axway MFT offers powerful enterprise orchestration through their Flow Manager and comprehensive APIs. Large, complex automation can be built within Axway, however, creating complex automation requires technical expertise or integrating a product like Axway Transfer CFT or Axway Automator. 

Couchdrop provides automation capabilities through a visual workflow builder that enables users to create complex multi-step processes without code. These automations support multi-step workflows with advanced capabilities like PGP/AES encryption, file transformations, and event-based triggers like when a file is downloaded or uploaded to a particular folder.

Automations in Couchdrop can also be combined with file sharing and intake methods and use them as triggers. For example, a Shared Link with a one-time passcode could link to a sensitive file. Once the Shared Link is used and the file is downloaded, the original file could then be encrypted, moved, or deleted as an extra precaution. Combining automation with Couchdrop's other features make it versatile, flexible, and powerful enough for practically any use case. 

Product Support

Axway support is managed through the Support Portal, which is both a portal for getting product support and for managing account settings. To get support, users need to create a new support case, set the severity, and then add information about the product it relates to, the product version, and a description of the issue. From there, portal will suggest relevant knowledge base articles that may solve the issue or allow you to create a new case. 

Support for Axway is global and is always available 24 hours a day. However, the response times to support cases and the types of support available will vary depending on the support package. The e-support package is web-only using the support portal, while higher tiers include direct access to an engineer as well as emergency bug fixes. Resolution times vary from a few hours to a couple of weeks depending on the severity of the issue. 

With Couchdrop, getting support is simple and straightforward, without having to use a support portal to lodge a formal case. Couchdrop includes comprehensive support with all plans, providing personalized assistance through email, chat, and the option to request a call with a support engineer for more complex issues.

Premium support is available on Couchdrop Enterprise plans and as an add-on with a response time SLA. 

User experience

Because of the focus on the enterprise B2B/EDI space, Axway has many unique features. Users requiring these sorts of complex setups mention that Axway has features that others simply don't have. This is often mentioned as a strong point, as well as product security and the number of supported protocols. For negatives, users mention the complexity and the support system not being up to date, such as referred knowledge base articles having incorrect information. Overall, Axway MFT is rated 4.5 stars on G2, with customers generally pleased with the product. 

Couchdrop has an exceptional 4.9-star rating on G2, with customers very satisfied with the platform. Users mention the simple setup and deployment as a highlight, and that it writes data directly to the preferred storage platform with no staging area or intermediate storage. Some older reviews mentioned having some difficulty navigating the UI initially, but since the recent UI overhaul, these concerns have not been mentioned by any users. 

Who should choose each solution? 

Although Couchdrop and Axway MFT have overlap, they are different enough that different types of organizations could be better suited for one over the other. 

Axway MFT is well-suited for

  • Organizations that rely on complex workflows involving multiple different protocols for numerous training partners 
  • Companies using a proprietary or customized EDI framework
  • Businesses who already have an on-prem file server architecture in place or require a strictly on-prem solution for compliance
  • Organizations that require integrations with dozens of platforms and have the technical competence to create integrations
  • Users already invested in the Axway ecosystem

Couchdrop is a strong choice for

  • Businesses wanting to exchange files with external parties without sharing storage access
  • Companies that need to automate secure transfer workflows to cloud storage without writing code
  • Teams looking for a quick deployment solution that doesn't require ongoing infrastructure maintenance 
  • Organizations that prefer transparent, predictable pricing with the flexibility to cancel or change plans at any time
  • Users looking for an intuitive, simple platform without needing to fiddle with complex settings
  • Enterprises wanting a straightforward, auto-scaling solution that 

You can try Couchdrop for yourself for 14 days free without needing to go through a sales demo or adding a credit card. Simply register for an account, connect your platforms, and see how easy managed file transfer can be. Sign up for an account now to get started.